Public Schools Have No Problem Promoting Non-Christian Faiths

Liberals insisted for much of the twentieth century that in no way was traditional religion to have an impact upon state-sponsored public education. Upon closer inspection, one discovers that such a prohibition applies only to Christian belief.

Though I am not normally inclined to invoke him as a favorable reference, Bill Clinton once remarked that American students must be taught about the impact of religion if they are to acquire a more complete understanding of global history and world culture. The problem arises in walking the thin line between the impartation of objective knowledge and the advocacy of a particular theological position. Even though educators have their theology detectors turned-up on high to detect the noxious monoxides of Christian thought, their vigilance is sorely lacking regarding other assorted beliefs.

At Andrew Jackson Middle School in Prince George´s County Maryland, educators are working diligently to reconnect students with the religious traditions of the past — the pagan past that is. At this school, it is not enough for students to learn the names and facts surrounding the mythologies of the ancient world. Here students become active participants in antiquated rites and ceremonies best left dead or relegated to the realm of superstition.

The Prince George´s Sentinel sent a correspondent to profile projects pertaining to the theme of ancient Egypt completed by students in the school´s Humanities magnet program. The significance of the story transcends the chronicling of what appears to be a mundane scholastic activity. Rather the discerning can decipher from it certain assumptions guiding the education of the young today and their classroom consequences.

As part of the curriculum, Andrew Jackson students do more than list the names of the pharaohs or discuss the architectural design of the pyramids. According to the Sentinel article, students made amulets to "protect against spiritual harm" and published a class newspaper featuring Egyptian-themed columns such as "Ask Thoth" where supplicants petition the god of wisdom for advice on certain problems. Students also sculpted models of the jars used to contain internal organs after mummification, complete with replicas of the various gods adorning the tops of the lids.

Some will dismiss these examples as innocent instructional methodologies employed to engage the diminished attention spans of today´s fidgety students. Maybe so, but would these pedagogical sophisticates feel the same way if the academic shoe was found on the other theological foot?

Do you think secularists would let it slide if to better understand the Middle Ages students composed hagiographies of the Saints or painted icons when reviewing the Byzantine Empire? If students are to craft amulets to "ward off evil spirits and harmful energy" and write letters beseeching enlightenment from pagan deities, shouldn´t they be allowed to pray openly? Better yet, when studying the ancient Hebrews, following this classroom technique, shouldn´t students be taught adherence to the Ten Commandments?

Skeptics will likely brush these concerns aside by claiming no one in their right mind worships pagan gods anymore, such conclusions ignoring the impact of these kinds of beliefs upon the New Age movement (remember those little Egyptian cross fertility symbols known as ankhs that were popular awhile back especially in the Black community?). However, they cannot laugh it off so easily when these practices are utilized to mollify students into compliance with less docile religions.

For while students at Andrew Jackson Middle School waste time absorbing a version of Egyptian civilization no doubt distorted by Afrocentric multiculturalism, their counterparts in schools in California are being conditioned to accept their place in a pending Islamic milieu.

To acclimate themselves to the ways of the Muslim, California pupils must do things such as wear a Middle Eastern style robe and adopt a Muslim name. Yet there is more to this program than playing dress-up.

Students must also memorize Koranic verses (imagine if these had these been Bible verses). They also had to stage a make-believe Jihad. Imagine if some school made a fun game of those Crusades the Muslims are always whining about. In an unrelated case, one pre-school lost its accreditation because toy soldiers were discovered on the premises; maybe little toy car-bombs would have been more appropriate since there is obviously nothing wrong in some school districts with aspiring to be a terrorist. And never put it past a teacher to think up some clever excuse to cancel recess. According to "Point of View" radio, one class was required to give up every student´s favorite school-day pastime for Ramadan if they wanted to receive an "A" for the study unit.

Elizabeth Hemmings, the conscientious California teacher who stepped forward with this story back in January, told WorldNetDaily.com, "We can´t even mention the name of Jesus in the public schools, but ... they teach Islam as the true religion..." While perceptive, such comments are not totally accurate.

It seems Christianity can be mentioned in sunny California after all. You just can´t be too sunny about what you have to say about the topic. For whereas the text used in class, Across the Centuries, portrays Islam as the best thing to stroll down history´s pike since sliced bread and the ballpoint pen, the fleeting references made to Christianity dwell upon the unfortunate events popping up around the periphery of that faith such as the Crusades, Inquisitions, and Witch Trials even though these incidents represent an aberration rather than the core of Biblical belief.

A credible study of history cannot avoid these moments in the memory of our civilization we would otherwise like to forget. It also observes that Christians for the most part now condemn these atrocities while many within the Islamic community continue to go about committing similar acts or at least vocalizing support for such lamentable deeds.

Faced with numerous threats from around the world along with the rot of various philosophical poisons arising from within their own culture, students should be exposed to a broad spectrum of history and variety of perspectives if for no other reason than to inoculate them against the brand of seductive persuasion manifested by these ideas in the arena of public debate. That mean students cannot be tossed into such a sea of intellectual confusion without some kind of anchor letting them know that, even though all men are created equal, all ideas definitely are not.

All Christians should take their children out of public schools.

Passing along a great article, that I thought you might like:)

Forming a Biblical View of Education

How can Christian parents determine the best educational choice for their children? It's interesting to ask. "What immediately follows the greatest commandment in the Old Testament?" Well, verses 6 and 7 of Deut. 6 read as follows: "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Immediately following the commandment to love God is the commandment to teach our children. This gives us an important insight on the priority that God places on our duties as parents to impress God's commands on our children's hearts.

And God doesn't just issue a generalized command to teach our children. He specifies the instructional methodology he expects us to use. He tells us to teach our children when we sit at home, when we walk along the road, when we lie down, and when we get up. There is a presumption about the nature of the parent-child relationship embedded in this methodology. God expects that parents would spend substantial time with their children during the course of the day.

Mom and Dad can you really send you children off to school for 8 hours each day and still obey the intent of this passage? It's something each parent must decide carefully in light of the precise direction in God's Word.

Have you ever considered what impact the great commission might have on your decision concerning the education of your children? In Matthew 28 beginning in verse 18, "…Jesus came to [his disciples] and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…'"

How does Christ expect us to make disciples of all nations? As usual, God gives us an example. God expected Abraham to disciple his son Issac, who was to disciple his son Jacob, who was to disciple his 12 sons. A discipled family was to become discipled tribes, and 12 discipled tribes were to become a discipled nation.

How then does this relate to education? Your children will become the disciples of the person with whom they spend the majority of their time and from whom they receive instruction. If they spend the majority of their time with their peers, they will become disciples of their peers. We call it peer pressure. Should we be surprised when a substantial number of children from solid, believing, Christian homes reject their parents' faith and embrace the life styles and philosophy of the people by whom they have been discipled?

What will be the legacy for your family and this nation as a result of the choices you make for the education of your children? It's one of the most important choices any parent will ever make. One of the most common arguments for sending one's child to a public school is the notion that Christians need to be salt and light. There is no question that Christian adults need to be involved in public schools as teachers, school board members and interested citizens. Our legitimate concerns as taxpayers causes us to desire excellence from public schools, but should we send our children?

To answer that question we should consider more than the generalized commands to be salt and light. We're told in Proverbs 2:6, "For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." Even when public schools have good Christian teachers, the rulings of the Supreme Court make it impossible for any public school to teach the knowledge and wisdom that comes from the Lord. I'm not suggesting that we can or should turn public schools into Christian institutions. But while the legal and political debates rage on these issues, parents must decide what to do with their own children right now. How can we follow the Scripture which directs us to seek that knowledge and wisdom founded on God?

Hundreds of thousands of parents are finding that home schooling makes it possible to teach godly wisdom and knowledge in a manner that no court can ever prohibit. Christian parents do not have easy choices when it comes to their children's education. Let's consider together some of the principles found in the Word of God that guide a parent's decision about their child's education. Let's begin with Romans 1:28-31 which says:

"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless."

We all have to recognize that public schools have not retained the knowledge of God, and this is a far bigger issue than opening prayer or Bible reading. Romans 1 says that any system that excludes the knowledge of God inevitably leads to both wickedness and to hatred of God. Can a system which excludes the knowledge of God really be right for your child? Can we really ignore the warning of Romans 1 and expect our own children to be exempt from the consequences? Mom and dad—you have to decide.

Government wants to be all things to all people, but Christians are beginning to understand the importance of returning the functions of our society to the right institution.

Take welfare for example. We recognize that government has done an abysmal job in providing needed help to the poor. Both the taxpayers and those receiving welfare are better off when welfare is handled by families and the church. We need to ask ourselves a similar question about education, "To what institution does God give the responsibility for educating our children?"

The answer to that question is the same in both the Old and New Testaments. In Proverbs 1:8 it says, "Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching." And in Ephesians 6:4 we're told, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; … bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

The government is never commanded by Scripture to teach children. All the commands in Scripture concerning the teaching of children are directed to parents. Home schooling has had higher academic results than either public or private schools, and the spiritual and moral results make it clear that home schooling is indeed excellent.

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