I am very familiar with homeschooling but I have never heard of the Advanced Training Institute which has its own Christian homeschool program. The only reason I have heard about them now is because of the media frenzy of the Duggars with Josh Duggar having allegedly molested someone when he was a child. That may or may not have happened..who knows but lets dive into Advanced Training Institute. The reason the Duggar’s is bringing attention to Advanced Training Institute is because it is the program they use plus they heavily promote it.
Gawker has obtained a copy of the homeschool curriculum and here are some great excerpts. First thing I find odd is they have a section on counseling sexual abuse. What homeschool program has that? Part of that section is asking the victim “Why did god let it happen?” and the multiple choice answers are immodest dress, indecent exposure, being out from protection of our parents, or (and I feel this is the best answer) being with evil friends.
But wait the next section is better asking the victim if she is also at fault for disobedience.
They now give suggestions on things to prevent this from happening again incuding :
Do not tolerate laziness by any child
Do not allow boys to change diapers
Insist on modesty at all times
Pray for protection from pornography
Prohibit roughhousing between brothers and sisters
This may just be the biggest crock I have ever heard of. Advanced Training Institute is part of the Quiverfull movement which the Duggars also subscribe to and heavily promote. In case you are not familiar with it here is the brief description from Wikipedia :
Quiverfull is a movement among some conservative fundamentalist Protestant couples, chiefly in the United States, but with some adherents in Canada,[1] Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and elsewhere.[2] It promotes procreation, and sees children as a blessing from God,[2][3][4] eschewing all forms of birth control, including natural family planning and sterilization.[5][6] Adherents are known as quiver full, full quiver, quiverfull-minded, or simply QF Christians. Some refer to the Quiverfull position as Providentialism,[7] while other sources have referred to it as a manifestation of natalism.[8][9] Currently, several thousand Christians worldwide identify with this movement,[5] although entire Christian sects hold many beliefs correlative to those who self-identify as Quiverfull adherents.
Here is what a few publications have gone on to say about this movement :\
Journalist Kathryn Joyce connected Brooks’ “natalism” with Quiverfull and disagreed with him in her November 9, 2006, 5-page article on Quiverfull in The Nation. Joyce emphasized that the movement uses what she described as “military-industrial terminology” to articulate the belief that “only a determination among Christian women to take up their submissive, motherly roles with a “military air” and within a milieu of becoming “maternal missionaries” will lead to what Joyce described as Quiverfull’s “Christian army” achieving cultural “victory.”[5] – The Nation
On January 16, 2007, Fox News‘ Live Desk with Martha MacCallum aired a segment, “When birthing children is a religious experience.” Martha MacCallum talks with Rachel Scott, author, “Birthing God’s Mighty Warriors.” Rachel Scott answers common questions asked to large families and disputes myths “Quiverfull” women are made to stay home and tend to babies. Rachel Scott describes the Proverbs 31 woman as a business owner, educated and very capable. Rachel Scott also shares about “the dream with a warrior angel” that started her “Quiverfull” experience and led to writing her book, “Birthing God’s Mighty Warriors.” – Fox National News
Cheryl Lindsey Seelhoff, a former ardent Quiverfull adherent, mother by birth of eleven children, and former editor of Gentle Spirit Magazine, argues that the Quiverfull movement is one “in which women and children are routinely and systematically subordinated and subjugated by the men in their lives—fathers, husbands, older sons, … pastors, elders, leaders—as a matter of biblical principle.” Seelhoff charges that Quiverful adherents “never talk about the victims of the movement,” other than to distance themselves from the charges by explaining that the victims are aberrations.
Lets move on from Josh Duggar for a moment and dig into this. Something is really wrong with the teachings of Advanced Training Institute and perhaps the Quiverful movement too.