The Separation of Smarts and State

By: American Decency Staff

By Lisa Van Houten Sunday saw the first gay “marriagesâ€Â taking place in the state of New York.   I’m sure it is no coincidence that the powers and principalities behind this new law choose the Lord’s Day to establish this affront to God’s Word. While gay marriage is legalized in New York, California is busy mandating the indoctrination of millions of school children to view homosexuality as positive and good for society.California has become the first state in the nation to require public schools to add lessons about gay history to social studies classes, after Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed the landmark bill on Thursday.  … The bill has drawn criticism from some churches and conservative groups that argue such instruction would expose students to a subject that some parents find objectionable. Democratic state Sen. Mark Leno of San Francisco, the bill's author, has said that teaching gay history in public schools will teach students to be more accepting of gays and lesbians.  … http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/14/calif-gov-signs-landmark-law-to-teach-gay-history/#ixzz1SU9t6kM9 This law is reported to affect curriculum from kindergarten through high school and the San Francisco Chronicle, asserts: “The provision on (homosexual) inclusion in textbooks could reach beyond California, too, as many book publishers tailor their texts to California's standards because of the state's large population." So, when it comes to public school textbooks, it’s not what plays in Peoria, but California, that counts.  What textbook publishers sell to large states such as California, they’ll sell to schools across the country. Students in today’s public school system may learn all about Heather and her two mommies, or how to put a condom on a banana.  They’ll learn all about the gay “superheroesâ€Â fighting for “truth, justice, and the American wayâ€Â opposing discrimination from the nasty, intolerant, religious “bigotsâ€Â of the day. Pick up most of today’s public school textbooks and you’ll be steeped in the “religionâ€Â of secular humanism.  You’ll even learn about the historical contributions of Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus.  However, what you won’t find is any reference to the Christian faith of our own Founding Fathers.  Yet, read the actual writings of these men and you will find indisputable proof and acknowledgement that Christianity and Biblical principles were central to the formation of our government.  Those historical facts don’t make it into today’s revisionist history. According to David Barton’s WallBuilders, Thomas Paine was one of the very least religious of our Founders.  Paine, as you may recall, wrote the treatise Common Sense in 1776 which helped to bolster the American Revolution.  Then in 1792 he moved to France for a time to support the French Revolution.  WallBuilders states that in 1794 Paine, “… published his Age of Reason, the deistic work, which brought him much criticism from his former American friends. Upon his return to America in 1802, he found no welcome and eventually died as an outcast.â€Â It sounds as if Paine might have fit in quite nicely with the “progressivesâ€Â of today.  Yet take a look at this quote from Paine in which he strongly criticized the education philosophy within the school system of France. “It has been the error of the schools to teach astronomy, and all the other sciences and subjects of natural philosophy, as accomplishments only; whereas they should be taught theologically, or with reference to the Being who is the author of them: for all the principles of science are of Divine origin. Man cannot make, or invent, or contrive principles. He can only discover them; and he ought to look through the discovery to the Author. …â€Â While America’s public schools once taught our nation’s Christian heritage and welcomed Christian prayers and influence, God has now been expelled. Instead our schools have become the greatest form of secular indoctrination there is.  20^th century American educator Sam Blumenfeld summed up the direction of America’s schools:  “The plain truth is that there has been in this country a deliberate plan to change the nature of American education so that the American people could be easily led into socialism.â€Â Any educator from the last century and this one should be familiar with the name John Dewey.  Many would say that his educational philosophy shaped public education within the last one hundred years more than any other individual or school of thought.  His philosophy still wields great influence with the “progressivesâ€Â that lead our schools and train today’s teachers. John Dewey’s goal for public schools was this: “Every teacher should realize he is a social servant set apart for the maintenance of the proper social order and the securing of the right social growth. … John Dewey – Pedagogic Creed According to Dewey, it is the teachers’ and schools’ responsibility to decide what is “properâ€Â and “rightâ€Â social order. As we see with this California law, today’s schools are teaching that homosexuality is the “rightâ€Â and “properâ€Â social order.  Parents and churches may teach the truth of God’s word – that homosexual behavior is a sin and offense to God – but for 7 hours a day, for 12+ years, millions of children are taught a different belief – one that purposefully and defiantly opposes moral teaching. While there are many dedicated, Christian school teachers within the public school system, the reality is that there is little they can do to overtly express their faith and a Christian perspective.  As a former public school teacher for 18 years this was already clear when I left teaching in 1989. Abraham Lincoln once prophetically stated:â€ÂThe philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.â€Â The truth of that is already evident within our culture. Some Christian parents simply don’t have another option than to place their children in public schools and do all they can to refute teaching that goes against Biblical morality.   However, as we see the continued push for a socialistic, secular agenda within the public schools, my urging would be that Christian parents do all they can to find an alternative form of education for their children – one  that will truly teach what is “properâ€Â and “rightâ€Â according to God’s Holy Word. ========================================================= Register for our summer event featuring Gary Bauer, Friday, July 29, at 7:00 pm https://secure4.afo.net/ada/registration.php?eventno=28 ========================================================== Your support is important to our ability to make a difference. Donate online at: https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org http://www.twitter.com/billwjohnson

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