Over at Blue NC, Southern Dem is freaking out about a picture of kids at GSO's First Presbyterian pre-school having "Army day" (apparently the Charlotte paper is one of many to have picked up Jerry Wolford's N&R photo).

I cocked an eyebrow when I saw that in the paper -- not because I have a problem with kids playing army, but because it's a church preschool (I'm a graduate) and I wondered what the reaction would be...

"Little Presbyterian Jihadist" seems an extreme reaction to me, but there are some interesting questions raised.

Not that it matters on the Christian/ethical front, but people who aren't from around here might be surprised to know that First Pres is one of THE local establishment churches in every way -- mainstream and moneyed and pretty liberal in a generic sense of that word.

UPDATE from Ann Alexander of First Pres: This photo was not of a church program...A private company leases space from FPC for its summer camps, and this photo was of one of those camps.

We do not promote the use of weapons or teaching our children that guns are toys. We are reviewing our policies on how we handle groups that rent space in our church. Here in this church, we DO NOT allow children to play with any kind of weapons or materials that promote violence.

Comments

[The Southern Dem]

You raised an eyebrow? That must have created a stir. I haven't perfected the fine art of communicating to others online using my eyebrows. Maybe you can teach me.

In my book raising an eyebrow just doesn't go far enough when a church is sponsoring war games with four and five year olds.

...and Ed, um...that's not freaking out. You haven't seen me freak out.

Freaking out would have involved me suggesting that they hand out little doctor's bags at their next shindig and to make sure it included a little toy speculum. I mean, war shouldn't be the only game they play with realistic props.

Little boys do and play a lot of things that shouldn't be encouraged or promoted by a church. The action isn't excused simply because the church happens to be "liberal" or "moneyed" or because you are an alumnus.

[Ed Cone]

I'm not excusing, or condemning, I'm reporting. I'd love to hear from people who are members of the church, or for that matter, the religion (I'm neither). I did go to preschool there during the LBJ administration.

[The Southern Dem]

ahhhh, so you were "reporting" and I was "freaking out". Oh. O.K.

Glad we got that straight.

[Screwy Hoolie]

It's a snapshot of church in the bizarro world.

Maybe the Presbyterian church I grew up in wasn't representative of the Presbytery as a whole, but we were never plyed with weapons and military pep rallies.

Southern Dem wasn't freaking out (until you said she was). She was pointing out how strange it is to see a church openly advocating war and violence.

You two play nice with each other, Ed and Dem, because I like you both.

I'm going to phone the church to ask what the deal was. I'm guessing that "Army Day" is intended to honor members of the armed services rather than glorifying violence, but, Ed, admit that it's creepy to imagine the little tykes doing the commando crawl and shooting each other into imagined smithereens in the shadow of the cross...

[Mr. Sun]

I'm guessing it was for Memorial Day, which was last week. A lot of the soldiers we honor on that day had to use guns.

[Ann Alexander]

A word from First Presbyterian:

You might have seen the clarification on page A2 of Sunday's News & Record. This photo was not of a church program, and we did not know it was appearing in the newspaper.

A private company leases space from FPC for its summer camps, and this photo was of one of those camps.

We do not promote the use of weapons or teaching our children that guns are toys. We are reviewing our policies on how we handle groups that rent space in our church. Here in this church, we DO NOT allow children to play with any kind of weapons or materials that promote violence.

To Mr. Sun and Ed's comments, let me add that I have a nephew who is a Marine, and I share their concern that we be respectful of those who spent Memorial Day in real uniforms.

[David Hoggard]

One of the kids in the photo is a neighbor of mine and I saved the paper and gave it to him.

His mother told me that the Youth Minister called that teacher on the carpet for the photo and reduced her to tears for doing what she was hired to do.

She related that the teacher in the photo is one of those extraordinary 'pied piper' individuals that children just love. They have a different themed "day" every week and last week's just happened to be "army day". This parent/neighbor had no problem with "army day" any more than she did with "football day", "firefighter day" or any of the litany of engaging activities this extraordinary woman schedules for the children.

Much ado about nothing is how she described the flap that is apparently occuring at FPC over that wonderful photograph.

[Chewie]

Hogg, the liberal application of common sense can aid in the prevention of such tears. If you can't stand the heat, don't pass out toy guns.

As is often the case, I'm totally unswayed by the arguments of some kid's mommy.

I'd like to know the name of this summer camp group, if anyone can help with that.

[The Southern Dem]

Ann,

Thank you for that response. It's what I hoped to hear. That photo left me very upset and with a very empty feeling.

[David Boyd]

Here in this church, we DO NOT allow children to play with any kind of weapons or materials that promote violence.

Perhaps FPC might allow children to play with toy weapons and materials that promote peace instead. After all, the rough men who stand ready to do violence on behalf of those with the time and inclination to get our panties in a wad over this nonsense were once pre-schoolers too