The following comment to my article "Unity of Church and State" posted by Jonathan triggered my own thoughts about the content of our public school curriculum.
“If we introduce religious based instruction into the public schools, I'd vote for the Unitarian-Universalists or perhaps the Quakers to dictate the content. ”I'm sure you'll be mighty pleased with the way that the teacher's unions handle religiously based content in our public school system.”
Thanks Jonathan, comments are always welcome on AGC.
I never proposed to introduce “religious based instruction” into the public schools. Unfortunately that is exactly what we already have NOW. The National Education Association (NEA) drives the movement and adoption of a secular humanistic based and biased educational system. Secular humanism is, in fact, a religion. Teachers, knowingly and unwittingly, are brainwashing our children with Secular Humanistic religious doctrine. Such things as moral relativism, situational ethics, evolution taught as factual science are all core to the creed of secular humanistic teachings. My understanding is that Unitarian-Universalism teachings are essentially the same as Secular Humanism. Both honor and elevate man as god and as ultimate authority.
What I advocate is an educational philosophy based on Judeo-Christian principles, such as was our Founding Fathers preferred approach. What is so wrong with teaching absolute morality? What is so wrong with teaching that there are other equal or better explanations of the origin of matter and man besides the tainted unproven theory of evolution? What is so wrong about emphasizing character development? What is wrong with touting an abstinence-based approach to sex-education instead of a condom-based approach? What is wrong with instituting a measure of real discipline into our school system?
Let’s face the facts, our schools are an abject failures today. They are a disgrace for outcomes are resulting. Kids graduating from high school who cannot read or write and are unqualified for many entry positions in industry or business. Mediocrity is the only standard. “Tolerance: is purported, except tolerance of prayer, the one true God, Jesus Christ, and Judeo-Christian principles and values.
If the original Founders of our nation truly wanted a separation of Church and State, which I do not believe they did, then why is the Secular-Humanism religion reigning in the schools today? Why is it the established and state approved religion?
I attended the Values Votes Briefing Summit in Washington, D.C. last month. Two of the exhibitors at this event offered a course in the Bible for students of our public schools.
www.bibleinschools.net/
The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, a non-profit organization, writes Bible Curriculum for Public Schools throughout the US. There program serves “the public through educational efforts concerning a First Amendment right and religious freedom issue. This is to bring a state certified Bible course (elective) into the public high schools nationwide.”
http://www.bibleliteracy.org/
The Bible Literacy Project offers a “landmark new public school Bible textbook for use in high school English and Social Studies electives... used along with the Bible.”
A worthwhile goal would be to give every student in American an opportunity to take at least one elective class in the Bible during their educational experience.
Noah Webster (1738- 1843) considered "education useless without the Bible" and while he cautioned against too extensive use of the Bible in schools as "tending to irreverence," he reiterated, "In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government, ought to be instructed... No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people..." Source
