Highlighted in a fancy block, with a font one might
find in the Bible, is a short clip of a famous poem taken out of
context. Dumped in the center of a section about Christopher
Columbus, a man of faith, the 5th grade textbook states:
“They
sailed and sailed as winds might blow;
Until at
last the blanched mate said,
“Why,
now not even God would know
Should I
and all my men fall dead.
These very winds forget their way,
For God
from these dread seas is gone.
Now
speak, brave Admiral, speak and say-“
He said;
“Sail on! Sail on! And on!”
-
Joaquin Miller, from “Columbus”
(pg 111
“America Will Be”)
Why are 10-year-old
children reading a dressed up verse stating God doesn’t know about men
dying and that God is gone? The poem in context shows Columbus to be a
man of faith, but this twisted EXCERPT is all the school children
read, stating God is dead and would not know! Houghton Mifflin doesn’t
state “God is gone” but it cleverly conveys that belief by quoting
others.
This ploy continually resurfaces. In the textbook
“Patterns of Interaction” also by Houghton Mifflin, on page 627, Karen
Armstrong is applauded for her explanation as to why religion is such
a powerful force in people’s lives. She is quoted,
“Human
beings are spiritual animals…. Men and women started to
worship gods as soon as they became recognizably human; they created
religions at the same time they created works of art… Like
art, religion has been an attempt to find meaning and value in life…”
Why are children forced to read atheist philosophy
by authors applauded for it, then asked questions leading them to
regurgitate the atheist lesson?
On pg. 464 in the Christian section of the 6th
grade textbook “A Message of Ancient Days”, Tacitus is quoted to say
that he shared the Roman view that Christians should be convicted
[death] for their “hatred of mankind.” There is no explanation
offered, children are just left hanging with that thought. The
section on Christianity is titled, “Christians and the Fall of Rome”.
One might assume these two events were combined due to the time frame
studied, but in fact, the Christian section is titled to indicate
Christians as responsible for the fall of Rome.
Page 480 lists various reasons, with Christianity at
the top of the list, adding,
“Christians
were more devoted to their faith and to the church than to the Roman
state.”
Did it matter as they fed Christians to the lions
whether they were loyal to Christ or Rome? How is it that Christians
are criticized whether empires rise or fall? Why are Christian
children being forced to read negative comments and blame about their
faith in public school?
On page 466 it quotes Pliny as saying not to hunt
Christians down, but to kill them if they profess Christianity. Then
it states:
“As
the above exchange shows, Romans did not generally seek out
Christians for punishment. In fact, Christian settlements
existed in North Africa for 100 years before the first Christian was
executed.”
North Africa was clear across the sea from
Rome and the section being studied! These "historians" had to really
reach to make it seem Christians were not persecuted!
The textbook actually appears to excuse the torture
of Christians because it states,
“Some
Christians were even put into an arena to fight lions as
entertainment for Romans. Later Christian writers attached
great importance to these events. They used the events to
reinforce the suffering endured by Christians who remained faithful
to their beliefs. However, historians do not believe that many
Christians were actually sent to the lions. Overall, most
Christians lived in peace until the AD 200s.”
I ask, “Where does Houghton Mifflin find
historians?”
In a Message of Ancient Days,
the 6th grade textbook states,
“The prophets were not fortune
tellers
who predicted the future.
Instead they preached a message about
how the people should act in the present.”
Jeremiah, Danial, Isaiah, etc.,
gave EXACT prophesies about the future. False prophets were stoned to
death if they prophesied wrongly just one time. It was that important
that the people not be misled by false prophets.
Muhammad is the only prophet
that could not relay the future. It seems we must redefine “prophet”
because Muhammad did not rightly prophesy.
The textbook states:
“However, by accepting the prophets’
explanation
for the disaster,
the Jews could keep their faith in God and survive exile.”
(pg 311)
The
Jews had faith because they knew God! Not because any prophet
attempted to explain away their circumstances. Unbelievably, Houghton
Mifflin is giving alternative atheist reasons for Jewish faith and
claiming the prophets were false prophets!
Houghton Mifflin’s blatant
promotion of Islam continues to be taught in public school.
Houghton Mifflin shows no preference to which belief is accepted as
long as Judeo-Christian beliefs are systematically twisted, falsified,
criticized and destroyed. All other beliefs are enticingly offered as
a rich smorgasbord, spoon-fed to children with an atheist topping.
Our tax dollars pay for the restaurant but our children are handed the
check for their souls.
********************************
See also
detailed report
about textbooks maligning Christianity
Atheist Education in State Standards
How
you can help
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