By David Duncombe
One of the most common misconceptions regarding our public school system is that the open teaching of religion is discouraged or even banned. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Our public school curriculum is intentionally designed to inculcate religious doctrines in our students’ hearts and lives. The truth is, our public schools have always been open to the teaching of religion during class time; as long as it is the religion of Humanism.
What is Humanism?
It is a religion that sees mankind as the highest being in existence, ever evolving toward greater forms of perfection; man is the ‘god’ of the humanist religion. While humanists may argue with this definition, it is faithful to their own historical sources and modern practices.
The preface to the Humanist Manifesto I & II says, “Humanism is a philosophical, religious, and moral point of view.” Why religious? Because as a belief system, humanism offers definitive answers to questions of religious faith: Is there a God? Where does man come from? What is the meaning of life? Is there life after death? Though Humanism answers these questions from a materialist perspective, its answers form the core of a religious belief system, much like any other.
Consider this quote about Humanism by John Dewey, signatory of the Humanist Manifesto I, “Here are all the elements for a religious faith that shall not be confined to sect, class or race…it remains to make it explicit and militant.” Humanism is inarguably a religion.
How does Humanism relate to our public schools?
Humanist John Dunphy, writes, “The classroom must and will become an area of conflict between the old and the new – the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of Humanism, resplendent in its promise of a world in which the never-realized Christian idea of ‘Love thy neighbor’ will finally be achieved.” This intention to use the public schools as the means to make Humanism ‘explicit and militant’ is clearly discernible through a comparison of The Humanist Manifesto and our public school policies.
For example:
Humanist Manifesto I & II:
“…faith in the prayer-hearing God…is an unproved and outmoded faith.”
“Ethics is autonomous and situational, needing no theological or ideological sanction.”
“We believe that intolerant attitudes, often cultivated by religion…unduly repress sexual conduct.”
“We find insufficient evidence for belief in the existence of the supernatural.”
Public School Practices
Prayer in school is prohibited.
Moral Relativism is taught as absolute truth. There is no right and wrong.
Sexual promiscuity, including homosexuality, is encouraged.
Birth control is distributed by school nurses.
Evolution is taught as scientific fact.
These facts about Humanism and the public schools bear directly on our parental responsibility to educate our children. Proverbs 22:6 instructs parents, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it.” This is not a divine promise, but a disturbing reality. Our children will grow up believing and living according to the example and education we parents provide.
Applying this reality to the schooling of our children demands that we base our decisions on the long range results. Who will my son grow up to be if he is taught the religion of Humanism 35 hours a week? Who will my daughter become if her education excludes all reference to the Creator, Lawgiver, and Savior Jesus Christ? The public schools have seized upon the principle of Proverbs 22:6 and raised generations of faithful Humanists as a result. If we want our children’s generation to grow up to be Christian, God-loving and moral, then we must take back Proverbs 22:6 and train up our children in the way they should go.
Volume 1 Issue 2 - The Renewanation Review
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