WHY DO CHRISTIANS PRAY FOR, SUPPORT AND SACRIFICE THEIR CHILDREN TO AN ORGANIZATION THAT PREYS ON CHILDREN?
By Dr. Robert Dreyfus
The naiveté, wishful thinking, and woeful ignorance expressed by some Christians in defense of the public school system is astonishing in light of the fact that not only is there a great deal of information in books, articles, and studies that show the following facts about public schools, but that scripture commands Christians to educate their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord..
They dumb down children. Academically among industrialized nations America is nearly dead last. Approximately 40% of graduates are functionally illiterate, and of those who go to college 38% have to take remedial courses.
They increasingly indoctrinate children into accepting homosexuality as a normal alternative lifestyle. Bob Chase, head of the teacher's union said In April of 2002, “Acceptance of homosexuality should be the goal for educators.”
They destroy children's Christian faith. Over 80% of children who attend public schools leave the church shortly after graduation and never return.
They increase children's sexual behavior by sex-ed programs. There's been a 500% increase in pregnancy to unmarried girls 10 – 15 years old since 1968.
They sexually molest children. A recent study by the U.S. Education Department showed that 4.5 million students were victims of sexual misconduct by teachers and school employees in the past decade.
They drug children to make them easier to handle. Six million children are given Ritalin and other psychotropic drugs.
They lead to increased illegal drug use by children. A study in Illinois showed that Dare and Quest lead to increased drug use. Since 1965 illegal drug use among youth is up 6,000 percent.
They place children in physical danger. Nationwide there were approximately 1,466,000 violent incidents that occurred in public schools in the1999-2000 school year
They teach children there are no absolute values. Moral relativism, values clarification and situational ethics are presented in many various ways.
They promote New Age philosophy. Meditation, Buddhism, and other eastern religions are discussed while Christianity is a forbidden subject.
They indoctrinate children with the philosophy of socialism. Globalism, evolution, environmentalism, revisionist history are all used to indoctrinate children to believe in socialism and other collectivist philosophies.
They use evolution to build the foundation upon which they indoctrinate children with the religion of Secular Humanism.
The unfortunate reality is that public schools devastate children morally, spiritually, and academically.
Many Christians believe the following assumptions, all of which are incorrect
- Realize that public schools have problems, but believe the school their child attends is the exception.
- Believe their child is getting a good education because their grades are good.
- Alternative schooling is too expensive and homeschooling too demanding.
- That government schools beneficially socialize the child.
- That Christians can be salt and light in the public schools.
- That more money will improve schools.
I am dismayed when Christians dismiss so readily that which Scripture commands, namely that the family, particularly fathers, are responsible for the education of their children. Deut 6:4-9. Scripture also states in Ps 1:1 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” That is just what we do when we place children in a public school. It's been asked, what would Jesus do? I can answer that. He has already said in essence, do not place your children in ungodly institutions.
Most educational reformers such as myself have had to face the unfortunate fact that public schools are not able to be reformed by working within the system. This is due to the fact that there are too many vested interests that oppose reform such as: teacher's unions, educational bureaucracy, textbook publishers, state and federal departments of education all backed up by the courts.
The reality is that the only thing that public schools respond to is competition. When schools lose students and consequently funding they are forced to improve. Paradoxically those Christians who want to see improvement in public schools can best serve the interests of children by removing them from the system. Doing this will improve the situation for those left behind.
The result of Christian support of public schools, as George Barna's studies have shown, is that only 7% of those calling themselves Christian and 51% of pastors have a Biblical Worldview. These facts, coupled with the reality that the behavior of those in many Christian denominations do not differ from those who are not Christian, largely accounts for the increasingly irrelevance of the church.
Ask yourself, if we do not provide a truly Christian education to our children, what is the church and the nation going to look like in another decade?