Hi Jody,
I home schooled my girls and I know that those groups can be a big help. I think those weekly activities are really good, because you have the group learning experiences they offer. I'm thinking if this is your children's only outside source of 'supervised' worldly contact, then it is worth it for the good they get out of it. Just maybe cut out the contact outside the meetings. But here is an email you may want to consider.
http://www.forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,1175.0.html -----
Ray – Thank you for clarifying many points regarding the scriptures. Can a person be a Christian and still join a Masonic Lodge for social and charitable purposes? Thanks. I look forward to your reply.
Dear Robert:
I don't think so. You could say the same thing about being a member of a church or almost any other organization. If you are in it, your heart will be in it, and you will have at least one foot in the world, whereas God tells us to come out of this world.
God be with you,
Ray
Here is an excerpt from the Bible study transcript on 'Love.' This too might be of some help with your situation.
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,3719.0.html ---------
He said you love God (same Greek word agape/agapao), agape your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and might.
Agapao your neighbor as yourself... whoops what happened there? What happened there, that's different?
Let's assume you have nice neighbors, I have nice neighbors. When we moved here our neighbors brought us a big bowl of cookies and we share cups of sugar with our next door neighbor over here, Tammy.
But you could have a neighbor who is a wife beating, drug dealing, God hating, you know, monster for a neighbor. Now, does God want you or tell you, that you have to love that wife beating, drug dealing monster, with all your heart, with all your mind and soul, does He tell us that? NO! But I can see some self-righteous preacher giving a sermon saying, 'well yes you have to do this.' No you don't.
'Well, how are you suppose to love your neighbor?' As yourself! You put yourself in the equation.
'Oh well, I wish my neighbor would give me a million dollars.' Well then you have to give your neighbor a million dollars... You got to love them as yourself. But I don't expect my neighbor to give me million dollars or even ten dollars. And for that reason I'm not going over this afternoon and give him ten dollars. Can't you see that.
But I might want to go over there and borrow his ladder, because I don't have a long ladder. Just like he comes over here and borrows some of my electrical drill stuff. That's good, it's good we do that. But if you don't know what your talking about, you can get stupid with this.
Now then, do you run into contradictions in 2 Corinthians?
2Cor 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
v. 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
v. 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols?"
People always use this as referring to a wedding. "Don't be unequally yoked" together with somebody who doesn't believe in God. Well, that would fit. But that's not what it's talking about. That's just one application of it, don't be unequally yoked together with people like this.
Well, my next door neighbor, is not a wife beating, drug dealing, you know, monster. So I can be yoked together with him, right. No! He doesn't believe these truths.
My neighbor told me one day, if he caught, a particular race of people, stealing something... how he would dismantle their body with a baseball bat. Now I thought whoa, this man could get to be a little rough, you know, if he just caught someone in his backyard. That's not me. I don't think like that. I'm not going to be yoked to that. So we don't go out together. No, we don't go out to bars together or out to dinner together. You know, I don't get into his crowd. I have no intention of going out with him, why? Don't be unequally yoked together!
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mercy, peace and love
Kat