Let me take this opportunity to express my own experiences as a homeschooling mom. First of all, not all "Christian" (and I put that in quotes because I no longer call myself "Christian" but a member of the Body of Christ, seeing as how "Christians" believe a lot of heresy [though they don't realize that of course...God hasn't told them yet]...anyway, not all "Christian" homeschoolers are as avid about teaching their kids that most of the worlds people for all time will fry in hell forever. I am AMAZED this mother did this to a 5 year old! A 12 year old? No, but a 5 year old, definitely!
Anyway, it is probably true that, as a homeschooling "Christian" mom, I did claim that all the world's unbelievers for all time will go to hell for a very long time if not forever or eternity, at some point. I don't really think, though, that I belabored the point or emphasized it or made my two kids (one's at A & M Galveston now...a "Sea Aggie"... and the other is in 9th Grade) feel good about it. As a matter of fact, I have NEVER used a homeschooling Bible Curriculum knowing that most of these have a denominational point of view (usually Southern Baptist, a denomination I have always loathed for their pious self-righteousness and prohibitionist nonsense..yes, I have a beer or glass of wine every now and then). But then, when I was teaching my son algebra and higher level math (I am a certified secondary math teacher) and discussed division by zero or the tangent of a 90 degree angle, thus discussing the construct called "infinity" and that "eternity", which is a time construct we have invented to explain infinity in terms of time but which in fact does not exist in time (it does exist in God, however), we have reached conclusions that "eternity" exists outside of time (which is a mathematical way of saying there is no such thing as "hell for eternity" because the only way to exist in eternty is WITH GOD...no one who is "separated" from God [as one would be in hell] can exist in eternity, thus logically hell for eternity does not exist, just as division by zero is "undefined" meaning it does not exist (and anyway, how does one divide by "nothing"?)
What is unfortunate about homeschooling in some "Christian" homes is not only parents teaching very young children hateful things like million in hell forever, it is that they don't realize the Bible Curriculums are full of heresies. Further, many parents in my area (far west Texas, where there are lots of fundamentalist or charismatic churches) insist that their children go to likeminded "Christian" colleges where all those heresies are reinforced, along with the notion that they are to somehow re-make the USA into some kind of dominionist theocracy ("A Shining City on the Hill"-mentality). Bob Jones University--where several homeschooled kids I know are attending college--is paramount in this. However, this is also changing as homeschoolers are now not only accepted to mainline universities but are actively encouraged to apply there. I was thrilled when my son was accepted into Texas A & M without the usual high school diploma...another girl my son's age and grade is now going to Texas Tech! I am also pleased to announce my son..unlike many of his public schooled friends in college...is doing very well, a 3.25 GPA [in a tough school, too!].
So I am all for homeschooling! We need to pray for these kids though, because many parents inadvertantly are setting their kids up to either be one of those kids in "Jesus Camp" with that mentality, or are setting them up to reject Christ completely...yes, I know this is God's Will. But I'll say one thing: as someone who so hated Catholic School that I was an atheist for several years and God literally had to drag me back, and has dragged me out of Babylon, it ain't a pretty picture!--Deb aka snorky