Indoctrination: Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity in America
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Tough truths revealed in this book!
I had a very hard time with this book.
Just being honest.
Indoctrination: Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity is a companion book to the DVD by the same title. I have watched it and it is just as disturbing as the book.
Disturbing, however is not bad.
In this book and accompanying DVD, the filmmakers and editor have compiled a combination of first-hand interviews and article/book excerpts into one vast resource regarding the history and state of public education in America.
Learning more about the history of American public education was quite enlightening to me...and disturbing as well.
I am one of the many Americans who has truly no choice (due to poor past financial decisions) other than to send my child to a public school. He has been blessed with great teachers and a great education thus far, but don't think for a minute that I don't have concern for what he hears or will hear in the classrooms he attends - both from teachers and other students. Thus the reason I try my best to diligently #TeachtheTruth in our daily lives in whatever ways God allows and leads me to.
Still, the government-guided school system has my child for more total, undivided time than I do if you factor in all of the other things that go on before and after school.
IndoctriNation brings to light how deliberate my situation is.
No, I do not deliberately choose to let the God-forsaking United States government indoctrinate and mold my child into becoming the kind of humanistic (man-centered) citizen they want to create, but they do deliberately structure our education system in such as way that what I described is highly likely to happen to most children who spend 12 formative years in this government created, government led system. If you don't think that is true, I challenge you to read my review of Already Gone by Ken Ham& Britt Beemer and read that book for more detailed survey results that prove it. Maybe many of the people who work in or have children in this system don't agree with that statement, but just a few pages into the book IndoctriNation will bring to light some things that were put in place many many years ago which have us already socialized in ways we don't even realize.
Again, though, I had a very tough time with this book. Not just for reasons I have described but also because the filmmakers and editor, in their notes of introduction to the book and even a couple of the authors of book portions, conveyed a tone that I did not agree with. I understand their passion for conveying this important message, but in their words some of them seemed to forget about parents like me. They wrapped all parents of publicly educated children into this package group of being "deceived" and lazy / careless about our children's education.
One such statement stands out that I would like to rebut, if I may.
Editor Charles LaVerdiere states, "Previous generations of 'We the People' gladly handed over their children, first to the one-room schoolhouse then to the government, all for convenience."
If anyone in those previous generations was like me, I can say that not all "gladly" handed their children over and likely not so much for "convenience" as much as out of necessity. I struggle internally daily with having to be far less involved with my child's daily schooling than I would like (not even being able to be on campus at his public school as much as I would like due to work obligations). And the public school system is not so much a convenience to me as it is a necessity. Poor financial decisions of my past when I was younger and even single have affected me and continue to affect our family in a way that we are unable to afford living on one income nor can we even afford a private school (not that private schools are the perfect option either).
All that said, I stuck with the book and was very thankful I did. MANY important facts brought to light in the nearly 400 pages of this book as well as the nearly 2 hours of DVD that accompanies it. You truly should delve into this one if you have children of any age in or near "school days."
So...have I got you thinking...?
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from New Leaf Publishing Group. No other compensation was received. The fact that I received a complimentary product does not guarantee a favorable review.
October 15, 2012
A Sound Defense of Christian Home Education!
IâÂÂm always leery of the book version of a film, especially documentaries and other nonfictional media, mostly because the âÂÂnovelizationâ tends to rehash the same ground that I just covered in the movie. But every once in a while, the book proves to be the perfect complement the filmmakers promised. Indoctrination is just such a book: relevant, readable and revealing.
I should begin by noting that I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary itself. I never got around to reviewing it, but I found it both disturbing and compelling. How could our public schools be this bad? The ineffectiveness of public education has been well-documented in other films such as Waiting for Superman, but Indoctrination gets to the root of the issue of why public education undermines our childrenâÂÂs religious worldview⦠and we find out that itâÂÂs quite on purpose!
The companion book to this award-winning documentary by Colin Gunn and Joaquin Fernandez includes contributions by R.C. Sproul, Jr., Ken Ham, Voddie Bacham, Jr., John Taylor Gatto, Israel Wayne, Doug Phillips and many more. It even includes an article by fellow West Virginian Karl Priest concerning Kanawha CountyâÂÂs 1974 Textbook War. Rather than simply regurgitating the documentary, this material expands the information presented previously. ItâÂÂs impossible to cover the material presented in 23 essays and 5 appendices, but I would like to share some of the things that struck me.
In the Introduction by Brian Rohrbough, who lost his son at the Columbine High Massacre, he notes that âÂÂIf you place your children in public school, within a few years, you will find division growing between you and them. Will you tell yourself that this separation is normal and that it is just part of your children growing up? Do you really believe hatred between parents and children is normal?â [pp.22-23] This mirrors comments made by David & Kim dâÂÂEscoto on page 300:
âÂÂAnd then they turn five⦠and we are expected to cut the apron strings and turn them over to the state to continue their education⦠The detachment process begins, and almost unknowingly, the gap between child and home widens. Bonds are loosened, and the foundation of trust crumbles. Children who once looked to their parents for leadership now turn to their teachers for knowledge, their peers for wisdom, and their music and televisions for entertainment.âÂÂ
The detachment syndrome they describe is similar to that experienced by children who are taken from their parents and placed in foster homes.
The reason for this division between parent and child is because, as Michael Metarko aptly puts it, âÂÂAmerica is Troy; our public education system is the Trojan Horse⦠[p.25] In opening up that Trojan horse, I was stunned and appalled. I not only realized what the horse was but saw the deceiversâ plans. In a phrase, what I found was indoctrination in an anti-Christian worldview called humanism⦠[p. 27] With 90 percent of Christians still sending their children into this statist educational system, I need to be brutally direct. According to current research, if you send your child to public school, you WILL most likely lose your child to the secular humanistic worldview [p.36].âÂÂ
Or as Voddie Baucham, Jr. notes:
âÂÂThe correlation is clear: If we continue to send our children to Caesar for their education, we need to stop being surprised when they come home as Romans.â [p.263]
He further points out that âÂÂNinety pe rcent [of American Christians] make the exact same educational choice and nobody can point to book, chapter, and verse to justify it.â [p.263] Later in his plea for a return to a Biblical worldview, he directs our attention to the latest PEERS test results from the Nehemiah Institute, which tests worldviews and gives them a scalar rank from âÂÂSocialismâ to âÂÂBiblical Theism.â 70 to 100 is âÂÂBiblical Theism,â 30 to 69 is âÂÂModerate Christian,â 0 to 29 is âÂÂSecular Humanism,â and any negative score is âÂÂSocialism.â Homeschool students averaged 48.6, right in the middle of a Christian worldview. Christian students in public school averaged only 7.9, âÂÂthe low end of secular humanism, falling into Marxist socialism.â [p.273]. Christian school students scored 27.8. Commenting on this, Voddie Baucham, Jr., states:
âÂÂThis is below the moderate Christian worldview, seeping into the secular humanist worldview. I believe the problem here is that Christian schools actually brag about the fact that they have certified teachers. Certified by whom? The state; Caesar.â [p.273]
Israel wayne makes the same point:
âÂÂNearly every school, everywhere, is being influenced by secularism â even Christian schools. Where do most Christian schools get their teaching degrees? From secular colleges, of course. Do we think they can somehow avoid being influenced by their teachers?â [p. 315]. If we do, we stand in defiance of Luke 6:40, in which Jesus Himself warned that âÂÂA pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.âÂÂ
For those who suppose their children are to be sent into public schools as âÂÂsalt and light,â Israel Wayne makes the following observation:
âÂÂDo you have any religious cults in your neighborhood? If so, do you send your children to their services every Sunday morning? ShouldnâÂÂt they be there being âÂÂsalt and lightâ to the cult members? â¦Do you have bars and nightclubs nearby? â¦Perhaps you should have them join a street gang so they can witness to their peers.â [p. 312]
His argumentem ad absurdum makes this common misapplication of the Similitudes evident. RC Sproul gives us the bottom line:
âÂÂThinking that education is something different than from discipling our children is a sure sign that we have been âÂÂeducatedâ by the state. Education is discipleship.â [p. 336]
Documenting a program of social engineering through behaviorism, evolutionary thinking, radical environmentalism, dumbed-down curricula, drugging our children and⦠well, more than I have the stomach to comment upon at the moment, the contributors to the book companion to Indoctrination make a solid case for Christian homeschooling, while masterfully challenging those parents who are still deceived by the public school system.
This is an excellent resource for parents and teachers, a thoughtful and gracious argument against the humanistic public education system, the humanistic-influenced Christian school, and for Biblical home education. I recommend that anyone wishing to make an informed decision on the matter of whether they send their children to be educated by Caesar read this book â or at least watch the documentary.
You can purchase this book at our DefGen.org eStore. You can find out more about the book and movie at IndoctrinationMovie.com.
-Tony Breeden, from the BookwyrmâÂÂs Lair
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the New Leaf Publishing Group Book Bible DefenderâÂÂs Review Team. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade CommissionâÂÂs 16 CFR, Part 255 : âÂÂGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.âÂÂ
October 14, 2012
Full of Truth
Things have changed so much from the time I went to school. There are so many things to consider when making the right educational choices for your children. I know that we researched a lot before making that choice.
If only Indoctrination had been written BEFORE we walked down the path of educational decisions... It brings out so many things that we have either seen or heard about.
I encourage everyone who has children to read this book that exposes many of the truths of our schools today.
October 23, 2012
Do You really Know the Truth?
IndoctriNation is an accompaniment to the film IndoctriNation â a documentary created to âÂÂâÂÂequip the homeschooling public with ammunition necessary to effectively defend our educational choices â¦.â (Pg 9)
Sounds a little harsh, huh? Well, if you are new to homeschooling or perhaps have no need for it, I can understand that.
I used to be there, too. I went to public school and two of our children attendedâ¦one for a little more than 2 years and one for 1 year. School isnâÂÂt the same as it was when I was there. And, from what I gather from those older than me, it wasnâÂÂt the same for them, either.
Almost everyone I talk with shares the pros and cons of Public Education. And IâÂÂm going to settle one thing now before I move on. This REVIEW is not here to begin an argument or debate on whether or not you should homeschool. That is a choice each and every parent must make for their families. But, as the author of the book/documentary states: âÂÂI could express to you my opinion that parents are accountable for the spiritual and physical risk their children face in public schools. ThatâÂÂs my opinion and you could take it or leave it. But when you hear the testimony of Brian Rohrbough, thereâÂÂs no debate. Brian lost his son in the Columbine shooting, and he leaves every parent with the unforgettable words, âÂÂI put him there.â These are some of the bravest words I ever heard.â (pg 8)
Nitty Gritty
IndoctriNation provides insight from various authors (some listed above) about what is really going on in our Public School System. It provides amazing historical content that you would have to dig deep and I mean deep to find â and I doubt your local library will have the information on their shelves.
October 19, 2012
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