Horace Mann's Legacy

I am struggling with a personal dilemma.  I feel an extremely strong conviction that I know something that can help millions of parents and their children, as well as our nation and world.  This conviction is rooted in a personal experience.  Statisticians may not be persuaded because my personal sample size is small, but others who share my values have had similar personal experiences.  My dilemma is simple.  I want to boldly encourage all of my friends and acquaintances to seriously consider my advice, but I know my view can be offensive to many.  Because my opinion on this matter relates to parenting, the subject touches very sensitive emotional tissue.  I do not want to alienate and polarize; I just want to challenge, exhort, and motivate.  I want to encourage parents to make a thoughtful, carefully reasoned decision rather than continue to follow the same path chosen by their parents because of tradition, inertia, and convenience:  "I turned out just fine.  Why should I expect things to be any different for my kids?"

Earlier this week, I watched a documentary that had been collecting dust on our shelf for a few months.  As the film began, I grew increasingly nervous that it was another low-grade, low-budget attempt by a Michael Moore wannabe who shared my values and perspective on a particular issue.  Early segments of the film included interviews of individuals who lacked credibility and name recognition.  And it didn't help that the narrator had a Scottish accent.  But then, the film took a turn in a better direction as the narrative began to build a strong case through personal vignettes, interviews of respected Christian leaders, and a brief timeline of the history of education in America.

I found the brief history of education to be the most compelling.  In short, the film shows how public education has gradually but successfully replaced the influence of parents and churches with that of the government.  Furthermore, that government has grown increasingly hostile to Judeo-Christian morals and philosophy.  What should our response be?  I would humbly submit that those who believe that truth is absolute and that Judeo-Christian values are the only stable foundation for achieving life, liberty, and true happiness must avoid subjecting their children to government-controlled education, which promotes the anti-Christian views of humanism, moral relativism, naturalism, and atheism.  Horace Mann, often called the father of American public education, argued in 1849 that "our [public school] system earnestly inculcates all Christian morals; it founds its morals on the basis of religion; it welcomes the religion of the Bible..."  This Unitarian may have meant well in his effort to provide schools for "the children of the entire community," but we have drifted far away from that situation.

In closing, consider these words from two humanists whose words reveal the progressive agenda for shaping public, government-led education in America:

"... education is a regulation of the process of coming to share in the social consciousness; and that the adjustment of individual activity on the basis of this social consciousness is the only sure method of social reconstruction....  I believe that in this way the teacher always is the prophet of the true God and the usherer in of the true kingdom of God." (John Dewey, "My Pedagogic Creed," 1897)

"Education is thus a most powerful ally of humanism, and every American school is a school of humanism. What can a theistic Sunday school's meeting for an hour once a week and teaching only a fraction of the children do to stem the tide of the five-day program of humanistic teaching?" (Charles F. Potter, "Humanism: A New Religion," 1930)

In my opinion, responsible Christians must prayerfully consider pursuing alternatives to government-sponsored public education for the sake of their children's souls and minds.  I think a mass exodus from government schools is the best option.