Open Letter to Tyler Frost

The Heritage Christian School in Ohio has threatened Tyler Frost with suspension for the remainder of the year if he attends his girl friend’s prom at a public high school (story here).

Excerpt: The handbook for the 84-student Christian school says rock music "is part of the counterculture which seeks to implant seeds of rebellion in young people's hearts and minds."

Oh noes! Young people challenging authority! What is the world coming to?

Here is what I have to say to Tyler Frost, and any other persons in similar institutions.

Dear Tyler,

Congratulations on taking a bold step toward being your own person. You have been given an opportunity to see the putrid white underbelly of the organization that has dominated you for many years. How you interpret what you are seeing is of course, up to you. I would like to share my perspective with you.

I am an atheist. I believe that the probability of the existence of such an improbable supreme being is so small as to be virtually non-existent. What then, do religious organizations represent but a hierarchy of men imposing their world view on others by means of an unassailable sock-puppet of authority? These are the control freaks of the world. They are the inmates running the asylum, and there is no agreement even among themselves as to what form their vision of control should take. Your institution is run by fundamentalists. Others cherry-pick that ancient book differently. Whether or not they actually believe in the existence of God, they believe that humans require control or else they will run amok. They also believe that they are the ones chosen to exert this control. One cannot be in the same room with these self-appointed authority figures without experiencing their sense of entitlement and their domineering attitude.

My advice to you would be to walk away and not look back. In my opinion, what has been done to your brain by this organization is every bit as psychologically damaging as trusting your welfare to a pedophile would be. This is one of several circumstances that the GED was designed to address. I realize that this advice is probably unrealistic. It is extremely difficult for young people to survive and prosper in this world at present without a support system. That same cold reality keeps many Amish children Amish. Ride this out any way you feel you have to. I hope you continue down the path of self-direction.

In closing, I would just like to add that I do not think everything you have been taught in terms of morality and ethics is wrong. This is something often claimed by religious authorities about the views of the atheistic community. I do however believe that what you have been taught regarding the origins, purpose, and justifications for these social contracts is wrong. I also believe that the justification for this deception grossly underestimates the strength of character in the average human being. Such a negative world view is both condescending and dangerous.

Best of luck in your personal journey of discovery.