Page 47: Five philosophies are presented in the textbook as “nuggets of wisdom,” including
“For a good cause, wrong doing is virtuous.”
This textbook gives a huge amount of emphasis on various cultural philosophies and applauds them. This particular “nugget” is opposite of what Christ teaches and I object to opposite moral views being taught to our children as wisdom. That is the publishers opinion and not our beliefs.
Page 47: “Imagine being a hostile barbarian armed with a knife…”
Our children are told to write a humorous dialogue for a hostile barbarian armed with a knife? (given as an assignment). Humor in desperate refugee situations? Laughing at violence? Would it help future students to look back at us and imagine humor about gangs, knives, drugs, violence and death?
Page 327: “In Renaissance times, Christians still barred Jews from most occupations and owning land.”
I think the government, though Christian, wrongfully barred the Jews. This book continually seeks to criticize Christianity. Again, “Christian” means “little Christ.” Christ never at any time told Christians to persecute Jews. In fact, Christians are told to not even be haughty towards Jews!
Joan of Arc and Constantine both claimed amazing experiences with God. Joan of Arc’s prophecies even came true and were able to pass a clever test by the King to see if she was truly of God. Yet, the book states only that: “This helped convince the King that Joan spoke the truth.” This approach would be totally acceptable except that Muhammad’s claimed experiences, with NO fulfilled prophesies, are given many substantiating statements and enticing emotional descriptions of his experience.
I originally became alerted when my son came home with an assignment to create his own “Tree of Life and Knowledge” using the Hindu pattern. He was to use oil pastels and Black construction paper to “make your tree come alive.” Teaching our children about religion at a distance, and asking them to participate in them, learn them in detail, and imagine worshipping other gods; is two different things.
II: VIOLATION OF CHRISTIAN RIGHTS:
Christians are not to seek knowledge of other gods;
Where is the Christian’s “freedom of worship?” Are we to obey God or man? The school says I cannot opt my son out of this class and I forbid him to do the assignments, for my God says:
“Take heed that you
are not snared and that you INQUIRE NOT after their gods, saying, ‘How
did these nations serve their gods?…for every abomination to the Lord
which He hates they have done to their gods”
(Deut. 12:30)
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not learn the way of the heathens” (Jeremiah 10:2)
“You shall not walk in the manner of the nations which I cast out before you, for they committed all of these things and therefore I abhor them” (Lev 20:23)
III. COMPARATIVE REVIEW:
In addition, the Islam section asks questions like this in review:
“Why do you think the Arabs and others in Southwest Asia would have been attracted to Islam? Explain your reason.” Pg 64
Conversely in the Crusade review, children are asked, “How do you think other people felt to be called infidels?” In the reviews, children are continually asked to find the positive side of Islam, and the negative side of Christianity. And it is the Quran, not the Bible, that says “kill the infidel”!
SEE ALSO: Two full complete pages in context from "Across the Centuries"
IV. SUMMARY:
The Crusades, the Inquisitions did happen, but nowhere in the Bible did God instruct Christians to behave that way. God said, “You will know My people by their love.” The word “love” is given 264 times in the New Testament alone. I am told the word “love” (in any language), does not exist in the Quran with relation to each other, only that one must love Allah.
My son values, respects and tolerates others because God says, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” NOT because he imagines himself a Muslim soldier. People ask how an American, such as John Walker, and the child who flew a plane into a building, could be seduced to the Taliban. LOOK at what we are teaching our children!
Additionally, three years ago, my son went to an assembly where a district approved African culture troop performed. My son told me that they chose children to dance to their African god. Many children did. Some Christians have no problem with this and see it as harmless. And yet, the Bible shows clearly how God feels about His children dancing to pagan gods. Our God is a jealous God!
Every time I open the book, I find something new that is objectionable. This textbook is full of philosophies and ways of drawing children into them, presenting them as “nuggets of wisdom” with many of the philosophies opposite of what the Bible teaches. I have no choice but to object. I hope we can work together to correct these violations of religious freedom.
Our rights are so precious. God bless America. Thanks for listening.
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User Comment: Re: Across
Centuries
Oct. 22, 2002
I didn't see you mention p. 59 where it states
that Jews, Christians and Muslims worship the same God. I had to call
Parkview Middle School (in Yucaipa, CA) to talk to the Principal about
that one. I asked her, "Since when do Muslims worship Jesus Christ?
Christians do. Not only does Scripture declare that Jesus is God, but
the Nicene Council from the early 4th century recognizes that fact in a
creedal statement. How can a textbook, supposedly researched for
accuracy, make such an egregious error?"
The Nicene Creed is accepted by Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and
Protestant communions as an accurate statement of what the Bible teaches
about Jesus. We all agree Jesus is God and is to be worshipped.
Muslims do not even believe that God could have a Son equal in all the
attributes of Godhood or that he was ever crucified for our sins. They
deny both.
- Steven G.
