"God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar..." Romans 3:4 A college student shared some feedback they received on one of their class assignments. The type of "teaching" seen here reflects a mentality which is in concert with the educational goals of even U.S. public schools: erasing any knowledge of God.
Because the identity of the student and the college are irrelevant, I am blocking out any descriptive info as to those identities with an "XXX".
I hardly know you, but just to be clear, the biblical angle will not be appropriate in coming assignments and I expect that it would not be relevant in other courses as well...One of the first things this professor states is that the Bible is irrelevant and not appropriate to be used as a reference in course assignments. This is absurd.
Something that is in general demanded at XXX is critical thinking – in a different way than what some XXX students have been used to... Here, critical thinking will often mean looking into and questioning one’s own assumptions, thoughts and conclusions. In a paper like the one you just wrote, a way of doing this could be to discuss the controversy within Christianity regarding how to interpret the messages of the Bible. Which passages are to be seen as metaphors, which are non-figurative?...This kind of critical thinking will be very important in coming papers.
For coming assignments, academic sources will be needed...
XXX are rather private about religion and a lot are non-believers even if they are members of and share the values of the protestant church. I hope that no matter what, you will enjoy your stay thoroughly and that you already have or will met people with whom you can have worthwhile discussions on your faith. If you have not already met any, do go find some. It can be really important for one’s well-being to have people to share one’s beliefs with!
Let's say for the moment that the Bible is merely a collection of men's thoughts, ideas, & opinions and not the words of God at all. Then HOW does it differ from any other book? Aren't other books also written by men expressing their thoughts, ideas, & opinions? Even if devoid of divine inspiration, is it not still a literary work like any other?
The professor goes on to say that use of the Bible is not conducive to "critical thinking" and all resources must be "academic".
critical thinking: the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic method of Ancient Greece and in the East, to the Buddhist kalama sutta and Abhidharma. Critical thinking is a part of the education process and is increasingly significant as students progress through university to graduate education, although there is debate among educators about its precise meaning and scope.So the writings of Socrates & Plato can be "conceptualized, applied, analyzed, synthesized, & evaluated to reach a conclusion", while the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John (just to name a few) cannot be? Buddhism is a relevant belief system from which to derive truth, but Christianity is not?
academic: a person who supports or advocates the Platonic school of philosophy; of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Plato or his doctrines.
There is of course one context in which citing the Bible is appropriate, and that is if one focuses on the "controversy" regarding its interpretation. This same institution which forbids using the Bible to present truth leads its students in class discussions maligning God's character and questioning Scripture. Did you not know that the fall which occurred in the Garden of Eden was God's fault? That it is He who enticed Adam & Eve to sin by presenting them with what was forbidden in the first place; and had He not done that they would have never fallen? Apparently, if you are attempting to discredit the Bible, then the Bible becomes an acceptable source.
We need to understand that the world will sign off on any writing, any religion, and any source but God because the god of this world seeks to keep the minds blinded. The world is not neutral about the Bible because Satan knows that it is in fact like no other book. It contains the words of God.
Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt states in "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America", the purpose of education is to change the students' "fixed beliefs". Well before college, students are led to believe that there is no such thing as absolute truth. Rather, everything is open to question and personal interpretation. Therefore, faith in Jesus Christ is portrayed as the opposite of logic & reason. The goal then is not to simply cause students to question faith in Christ but to outright reject it. In this, Satan is able to use "education" as a means to turn students into that which is anti-Christ.
"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence." I Corinthians 1:25-29
In a telling statement, the professor shares that many people are really non-believers, even if they belong to a church. We know from experience that this is true. From Martin Luther King Jr. to President Barack Obama, we have preachers and church members who confess Christianity but do not really believe in Jesus Christ. They merely see Christianity as a tool to facilitate the development of their own well-being; and as such, it should remain primarily a private matter. Your personal belief system is after all as true for you as someone else's is for them.
I pray parents understand how Satan aims to use education to warp the minds of young people...well before college. I pray we appreciate that in standing for Christ, we will meet with much resistance from those who proclaim it is inappropriate & illogical to believe that Jesus Christ is the only way. I pray we know in our hearts that not everyone who claims to be a believer is a believer and that those who stand against the truths of God most ferociously will often be those "in the church". I pray that we do not take lightly the weapons of our warfare whereby we can stand in these evil days.
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." Psalm 14:1
Hi Sis!
ReplyDeleteI love this article for obvious reasons, and being a student myself I understand the pressure of the world's educational system to try and "conform" or reform us into their way of thinking. Let me ask you a question, it can be rhetorical or you can answer it as God gives it to you: I have a young friend whose parents we are are very close to; she and her buddy went to a Christian school for all four years of high school. They graduated last year, and she went on to a Christian college, and he didn't. He now claims to be an atheist and insists that just because he went to a Christian school it meant nothing to him, and that he didn't buy into "their" ideology.
My question is, where could they have possibly gone wrong in this Christian school that a kid can sit under their tutelage for four years and gain absolutely nothing? Well, I guess he gained something - a hardened heart, but then what is the purpose?
Back to your article, I carefully monitor what these schools are teaching my children. I went and had a teacher disciplined last year for playing a Katy Perry song (E.T.) while my son's 7th grade class was studying. I protested this year because his GA history teacher showed them scenes from Schindler's List. There is definitely an anti-Christ agenda in schools from kindergarten all the way up through college, and it is up to us to gain biblical knowledge and power to fight against the educational forces of darkness.
I had a professor tell me that I could reference the bible but not directly quote from it. That to me was a challenge, and I dared her to take away from my grade. We clashed for a bit but Jesus won the battle. Thank you for posting, I will always remain a practical and biblical thinker!
iampastorswife
Hi IAmPastorsWife,
ReplyDeleteOur children attend Christian school, but if we relied on the school to teach our children about Christ, I am sure they would go astray.
The school tends to be religious and legalistic. Almost nothing will push people away from God more than that. Young people can recognize hypocrisy when they see it.
Yet, we send the school because:
1) They reinforce what we teach in the home, namely that Jesus Christ is the only way and the Bible is the word of God.
2) They have small classroom sizes, so my children can get more teacher attention.
3) The curriculum is more challenging than what is in the public schools.
I would wonder what type of environment he had in the home growing up? Were his parents Christians?
Many of the students at my children's school are not Christians. In fact, my oldest daughter is often teased because she doesn't share some of her friends interests and they will say to her, "Oh, that's right. You are a Christian." It is often that people send kids to the school simply for a better education opportunity.
As you say, it is up to us to gain the knowledge and power needed to instruct our children in righteousness.
I have found too that a number of atheists are simply trying to "kick against the pricks". They know God is real, but they are in rebellion, which is why they fight so hard against Him. Someone who didn't really believe God existed wouldn't exert so much energy trying to disprove Him. Perhaps your friend could keep him in prayer. God knows how to get our attention for sure. :-)
It is appalling how absolutely blatant the effort to deny God's existence is these days. Everywhere you turn, the Lord is being maligned. The sign of the times I suppose. Yet we must be prepared to stand in such times and not bow when faced with such opposition.
Have a blessed evening Sis!
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=27&min=240&orderby=titleA&show=20
ReplyDeleteLearning to be Ordinary
Hi LDM,
ReplyDeletePlease forgive me for the late response, my schedule has tightened up immensely, and with everything else I am struggling lol. Thank you so much for addressing my questions about the Christian school format, theology and expectations; it's like anything else, I guess. We can raise our children a certain way and when they "come of age" they go their own.
The young man that I mentioned, I do think that he is, as you stated, one who views Christians as hypocrites possibly because of something he's seen or experienced in the school or at home, but I can tell you that he is one angry and bull-headed young person. I also feel that he is really looking for a better answer, and that as an atheist it gives him a way to counter the truth while still receiving the truth, and that in time he will come back to the truth. Does that make sense? LOL.
I am praying for your daughter that she remain steadfast underneath the harsh criticism of her peers, but I'm sure that with you as a parent, she is covered. ;-) Thank you again Sis for addressing my questions and stay blessed. I am praying with and for your family!
pw