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Secularization of Education The
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Because of the influx of immigrants of various religious persuasions [to America, but also the UK - Ed.], particularly since the turn of the last century, state governments, as well as the federal government, have deemed it necessary to remove as many elements of Christianity from their indoctrination programs as they can. This has been a gradual process which began with education reform in the late 19th century. Secularization of Education It would take volumes to detail the progression of secularization that has resulted in today's climate of antagonism toward biblical faith and even the biblical ethic within public education. As pragmatism began to take hold through the influences of people like John Dewey at the turn of the twentieth century, religion - particularly Christianity - began to have less and less influence among teachers. On the elementary level children were gradually led into secularized ways of thinking through the teaching of Darwinian evolution. This continues through all levels of schooling, and has produced generations of unbelievers or, at best, impotent 'Christians' who cannot defend their faith within the realm of academia. These who are willing or able to defend their faith are often met with derision - even failure in their class subjects. Back to Religion But this is more true of Christian students than it is of those from other belief systems. In truth, the government indoctrination system is increasingly moving from secularization toward the favoring of non-Christian religions. This is not merely a localized situation, but is largely supported by the textbook industry. That industry is especially beholden to the states of Texas and California due to those two states' huge numbers of students, which translates into huge numbers of dollars spent on textbooks. Today the textbook industry is a multi-billion dollar factory of dumbed-down pablum [sic]. Much of it is anti-Christ, and not only rejects the biblical ethic upon which public education was first established, but also convolutes American history in a manner that creates hostility in many students' minds towards this country. Most students today have been put in the position of being defenseless against the very things the founding fathers feared most: politicians whose primary concern is self-promotion at the expense of the Constitution. We no longer have an electorate able to function with informed consent. Madison Avenue ad campaigns sway the masses who have been dumbed down by the government indoctrination camps called 'public schools'. As far as the Bible goes, so-called 'educators' are either willfully ignorant, or too stupid to understand the First Amendment rights of Christians within the system. Children have been chastised, ridiculed, and even suspended by government workers called 'teachers' who refuse to allow them any expression of their faith on the indoctrination campgrounds. Time and again, the right of students to voluntarily involve themselves in Bible reading, prayer, singing of hymns, or other religious activities has been denied. Yet time and again the courts have upheld the rights of students to engage in these activities provided they are not coerced into doing so by either faculty or other students, and as long as they do not interfere with time required for 'schooling'. Charles C. Haynes, senior scholar for First Amendment Center says it best:
As believers in Jesus, of course, we reject anything that compromises our faith. But recognizing the degree of degeneration from its original biblical ethic and high moral standards this nation has suffered, we are left to fend for ourselves in whatever way we can. See my sidebar Religious Expression in Public Schools from the Secretary of the United States Department of Education. In it you will find just how much your child may express his beliefs while under the thumb of the government indoctrination camp authorities. The question arises, however, why have you placed your child under their authority to begin with? Other Religions Taught We have come so far down the road of anti-Christ thinking within the government indoctrination program that not only are Christians and the Bible reviled therein to a large degree, but the teaching of other religions has taken root even to the point that they are being practiced under the very coercion forbidden by the U.S. Department of Education as well as by all state departments of education. Certainly the degree of this problem varies from school district to school district, as well as from state to state. It behooves Christian parents who insist on keeping their children in public schools to examine the textbooks they use. Here in the state of Washington, two Superintendents of Public Instruction have produced textbooks for elementary school children in which non-Christian religious exercises are required. Children are given exercises in which they consult the Chinese zodiac, say prayers to false gods, and engage in myriad other religious practices. They do not merely teach about these things, but have the students practice them under the guise of 'cultural studies'. Examples In one of the books, Modern Japan: An Idea Book for Teachers K-12, we find the following exercises:
Under 'Zen-Buddhism - Introduction to a Unit', we find:
Under 'Daruma-San', 'the Student will set, and hopefully attain, a goal using the daruma' (dolls that may grant wishes):
One exercise involves 'Masks for Shinto Deities in the Creation Myth', in which students design masks representing a deity:
Another teaching aid, China, introduces the Chinese zodiac to children and instructs them to find their own sign [5]. This book also instructs children to color in certain Chinese characters that represent 'happiness', 'prosperity', and 'to wish' [6]. In effect, these are prayers in the form of wishes, not merely exercises in coloring. In addition, children are instructed to cut out and assemble a 'Chinese Animal Sign Dodecahedron' ) a twelve-sided figure with pictures of zodiac animals). They then may color other pictures of the animals they have found in the book [7]. These books have not been used in all schools, but the idea that a tax-supported, public education department would produce and distribute such books within the system speaks volumes of how far this department, at least, has strayed from the biblical ethic upon which public education was first founded. It also demonstrates how far from the idea of 'separation of church and state' it has strayed. Considering the demand for such separation by the same ilk within government, this can be considered nothing short of hypocrisy on the part of the education establishments that utilize such tactics. These things are not unique to Washington state. We don't have information on all the states, but we have heard from readers about their struggles within their own school districts across the United States in standing up against similar exercises. They are usually done in the name of 'cultural studies'. There seems to be no limit to the extent anti-Christ elements will go to subvert faith in Jesus Christ. What Can Concerned Parents Do? Christians are not militant, and rightly so. But we do have the ability to protect our own. What would happen, do you suppose, should everyone who claims to be a 'Christian' in the United States remove their children from the public school system and either send them to private school, or home school them? The system would collapse as it should. The anti-Christ government and 'education' organizations would flop around like fish out of water, wailing that they are out of jobs. Good for them. And for us. Also parents would be taking hands-on responsibility for what their children learn. Many people have made the necessary sacrifices to ensure that their children are protected against the anti-Christ propaganda of the government indoctrination camps. Those who aren't willing to make the sacrifices don't deserve the hard-earned money of all the others. But, of course, this will never happen. Too many people have a misplaced faith in the system. And evil must increase before the Lord returns. Yet these musings at least give me the opportunity to vent. And, hopefully, they may encourage some believers in Jesus to rethink whether or not they really care what is happening to their children under the tutelage of government propagandists.
Footnotes [1] Charles C. Haynes, Should a Good Education Include the 'Good Book'?, Inside the First Amendment, www.firstamendmentcenter.org/commentary.aspx?id=15185 [2] Modern Japan: An Idea Book for Teachers K-12, State of Washington, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1988, p. 1. [3] Ibid., p. 13. [4] Ibid., p. 15. [5] China, State of Washington, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1988, p. 21. [6] Ibid., pp. 34-36. [7] Ibid., pp. 39-54.
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