The Battle for Young Minds

On September 11, 2001, America faced the devastation of the worst single terrorist attack in her brief history–perhaps in the history of the world. Islamic Jihad forces defiantly took credit for the loss of hundreds of innocent American lives.

Meanwhile, in California, middle school students were beginning a new school year. Little did they know that, within a few months, they would be forced to engage in Muslim rituals such as praying to Allah and fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. That’s right. As our nation froze in fear of Islamic terror, California schools adopted a seventh grade textbook called Across the Centuries, published by Houghton Mifflin and accompanied by simulation materials. Included in the text was a three week unit study of Islam in which students earned points toward their final grades by dressing as Muslims, using phrases such as “Allah Abkar” (Arabic for God is great), quoting Muslim prayers and accomplishing the five pillars of Islamic faith. They chanted praise to Allah, chose Islamic names to replace their own for the duration of the simulation and even staged their own Jihad using a game of dice. At the beginning of the three week simulation period, students were told “You and your classmates will become Muslims” (More).

You may be thinking about how oblivious you were to the fact that such a curriculum was developed by one of America’s premier textbook companies and adopted by the state of California. But here’s a fictional scenario to which none of us would long be oblivious:

Of course, such cannot occur in America today. But, if it did, how long would it take the ACLU to inform us that it was occurring? What about the National Education Association, the group that adopted a plan on February 8,2002 to make schools safe and hospitable for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students and employees (Limbaugh). Oh, we would know!

Perhaps you are thinking “But this is California. We all know that lots of really ‘out-there’ things occur in the wildly liberal state of California. Maybe New York or Massachusetts. But this could never happen in my state.”

If you live in Colorado, you may remember that after the 1999 Columbine massacre officials gave students and their parents the opportunity to paint commemorative tiles and place them above lockers in the school. Some of the painted tiles were removed because they contained materials deemed objectionable; things like pictures of crosses and citations of scripture (Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights). Did you know?

If you live in Montana, you may be surprised to know that a school district in your state cancelled speeches to be made by a motivational speaker who had been invited to help students cope with teen deaths. The speeches at several schools were cancelled when a school board member complained because the speaker was a Christian, although he had spoken at over 200 schools around the country and his presentation never even addressed religion (Mohammed). Did you know?

If you live in Wisconsin, are you aware that Morgan Nyman, an eight year old in Milwaukee, was told not to distribute her Valentines because they said “Jesus loves you”? All other varieties of cards were permitted, some showcasing immoral pop stars (Hetzner). Did you know?

If you’re from Missouri, you may know that several of your state’s public school districts have prohibited students from passing out Bibles, even when they did so outside of class and even outside of the school building. (Anderson) Who would have thought…?

From Texas? According to a Liberty Counsel report, a teacher in a Houston middle school “caught” two sisters carrying Bibles into the classroom. She took the girls to the principal’s office, proceeded to call the parents and threatened to call child protective services because the Bibles were simply not allowed on school property. When the girls’ mother walked into the office, the teacher waved the Bibles saying “This is garbage,” and threw the Bibles in the trash. (Liberty Counsel). Who knew?

These examples may seem rare and extreme. In reality, they are but the tip of an ever expanding iceberg. Once Jehovah is out of the way, the door is open for the religion of secular humanism. Humanists have boldly declared their agenda for public schools in America: “Education is thus a most powerful ally of Humanism, and every American public school is a school of Humanism” (Potter). Using the science classroom to convince your children that belief in God is a backward notion, the social studies classroom to teach pluralism (i.e. acceptance of all lifestyles including those defined by scripture as being abominable), the history classroom to minimize or erase altogether the significance of the Scriptures in the lives of the Founding Fathers and original documents of the United States of America, and the health education classrooms to inform your children that there are no absolutely right or wrong sexual choices, the humanist religion has thoroughly permeated the education system.

So our children have, in large numbers, come to believe that they are nothing more than advanced links in the evolutionary chain. Hedonism (the belief that pleasure is the highest good) follows quickly as the prevailing philosophy. The ultimate outcomes of hedonism are drug and alcohol addictions, sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned teen pregnancies, children without fathers, abortions, violence and, in general, a “survival of the fittest” society void of moral underpinnings or spiritual moorings.

Now you are thinking, “But my children are good children. They go to Sunday School . They will not be negatively affected by what’s going on at school.” I pray that you are right. There are many children I love who are going to this moral battlefield every day. There are godly teachers who are holding the line in a profession that seeks to repress their freedom of religious expression. I applaud and pray for those who are serving the Lord in difficult circumstances. But it was a faithful Christian who called to tell me that the children in her congregation’s middle school youth group had been exposed to oral sex on a fall school field trip to the hay maze. It was so rampant on this particular trip that the bus returned to school early and sent the children home. It was a faithful Christian who described games played by middle-schoolers at her daughter’s school; games in which sexual activity involves large groups of children taking turns. It was a faithful Christian who told me about the exposure of early elementary children to masturbation in the classroom in which she was teaching. It was a faithful Christian who told me about fornication occurring on the school bus filled with only elementary school children in her Virginia district.

I could go on. But hear this clearly: If your children emerge as adults from the public school system spiritually unscathed, it will not be an accident. It will be because you started early and stayed late as parents. It will be because you took the admonitions of Deuteronomy 6:1-6 very seriously. It will be because you were passionate about seeking first the Kingdom (Matthew 6:33) in a practical way every hour of every day. For my family, this vigilance meant a decision and a commitment to educate our children at home. Whatever it means to your family, go into the process of education with your eyes open to the devil and his ferocious, like-a-roaring-lion, desire to devour your children in the process of their schooling.

You and I will wake up one morning very soon and realize that our parenting jobs are done. May we be watchful during these short, fleeting days. May we trust the Lord as the builder of our houses and the keeper of our cities, so that our waking on that morning will not be in vain (Psalm 127:1).

Bibliography
Anderson, Kerry. “Bible Distribution.” Limbaugh, David. Persecution. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 2003. 44.
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. 05 October 1999. 23 June 2007 .
Hetzner, Amy. JSOnline. 21 March 2001. 23 June 2007 .
Liberty Counsel. “”School Officials Trash Truth for Youth Bibles and Ten Commandments Book Covers.” Limbaugh, David. Persecution. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 2003. 45.
Limbaugh, David. Townhall. 27 February 2002. 23 June 2007 .
Mohammed, Nisha N. The Rutherford Insitute-Press Releases. 04 November 2003. 23 June 2007 .
More, Thomas. Thomas More Law Center. 25 June 2002. 22 June 2007 .
Potter, Charles Francis. “Humanism: A New Religion.” Limbaugh, David. Persecution. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 2003. 65.