Our understanding of what we think is true constantly changes. At least, it does if we continue to learn. When I was in high school, for example, my science textbook unequivocally stated that the entire universe consisted of 16 galaxies.  Period.  Now, more than sixty years later, we do not know how many galaxies there are. 

A homeschool advocate acquainted with an IFI staff member recently answered over 150 Facebook messages about homeschooling.  "It's just blowing up!" the advocate said. "Lots and lots of parents from central and southern IL wanting out." Homeschooling has been around for a few decades now, and it has made significant advances in quality and acceptability over the years, but it usually seems to have been relegated to the academic fringes. 

Over the last couple articles, we discussed the rationale for the peculiarly odd wickedness known as drag. In what possible worldview does it make sense? That worldview is known as queer theory, a philosophy dedicated to overthrowing traditional sexual norms. Queer theory teaches that different kinds of sexual activity exist on a hierarchy, and that sex is a malleable social construct. 

Last time, we pointed out the abnormally odd wickedness of drag queens and we asked the question: Why this? What possible worldview advocates for a man, dressed like a woman, wearing freakish makeup, and reading a sexually deviant book to third graders? Our search for the answer took us on a brief trip through queer theory, the philosophy committed to destroying traditional sexual ethics.

Near the end of May, we discussed Boy Scouts and their name change to “Scouting America.” In the article, we excitedly highlighted Trail Life USA as the Christian, conservative alternative to Boy Scouts. Unfortunately, within scouting, the influence of the left is not limited to the Boy Scouts. Girl Scouts, too, has been infected with a liberal agenda.  

In an obvious attempt to discredit homeschooling as a legitimate education choice, left-leaning “news” outlet ProPublica (in cooperation with Capitol News Illinois) published an article condemning homeschool freedom in Illinois.

In late June of last year, a cultural battle erupted in the small, northern-Illinois town of Rockton. With police supervising the scene, hundreds of people swarmed to the town's community center where the library board was deliberating inside. Some protesters held signs with slogans such as "Keep Your Hands off Our Children" and sang "God Bless America."

In our last piece, we continued our series on the troubling moral consequences of various forms of artificial reproduction technology. From the death of hordes of innocent human embryos to the violation of the sacred marriage commitment, the picture doesn't look pretty when man tries to play God. But we're not done yet. Let's look at a couple more implications of this vicious technological trend.

This week there will be lots of  rigorous floor debating, long speeches, and many specific questions. Please email your elected officials on these bills.

Frederick Douglass once said, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” Reading is vitally important to a child’s imagination and education. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) notes, "At all three grades, students who more frequently read for fun on their own time had higher average proficiencies."

In 2022, research found that almost 1 in 5 Gen Z-ers were willing to quit their job to be an "influencer" on social media. 12% would quit college. So, whatever an influencer is, it sure seems important to this generation. Is that for good or for ill? While there are rarely clear answers to questions like these, here are some thoughts that might offer a sound perspective on the newfangled industry of "influencing."

Stories of children reported to be victims of sexual exploitation are so familiar these days that they have become little more than background noise in the daily news feed. Even our legislators don’t give this exploitation a second thought. At least, that’s the impression I get from a review of HB 5239.

Last time, we discussed several moral issues that arise when man decides to "play God" in the area of human reproduction. In vitro fertilization always takes innocent life. Embryonic genetic editing tends towards the sad assumption that the mother is the only patient involved, because the embryo is not considered a patient. And efforts to alter a baby's genetics don't have an easy line between "health-related concerns" and flat-out "child enhancement."

Online games and videos are popular in today’s day and age, and many of these games are marketed towards children. YouTube Kids, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and the PlayStation 5 are common platforms that children use to access online games and entertainment.