EDUCATION
In the 1800's most states enacted compulsory school attendance laws. Since that
time even Christian parents have accepted the idea that education of our
children is the state’s task.
A Christian is a Christ-one. He has placed Christ as his Lord and vowed
obedience to Him and His Word. In Deuteronomy 6 we find the Biblical
non-negotiable about educating our children. Here the parents are told to teach
their children in their home when they walk, by the way, when they lie down, and
when they rise up. They must be taught to read because God’s law was written on
the door posts and gates. There was no state school when this was written and it
is obvious whatever the child was taught was by the parents at home, be it math,
science, health, God’s Word or reading. Since this is one of the commands of our
Lord, why has the state made such strides into the Christian heart on this
subject? No doubt it’s because our pulpit no longer thunders with this doctrine.
Little by little, the public school has become more and more pluralistic. It is
now accepted by almost all that pluralism is the American way. Today our
children are taught in public schools that all religions and all sexual
preferences are good. God’s Word clearly condemns all religions except the one
found in the Holy Bible. God’s Word also says marriage is to be between a man
and a woman, and all else is sin. If a father and mother want their child taught
God’s truth, the public school will usually fail them. Nevertheless, God makes
the parent responsible for their child’s education, not the state, so He will
hold them responsible.
In 1849, the organized Protestants of Massachusetts debated whether to back the
public school movement which was being promoted by the Unitarians. They decided
to support it, but wrote, “If after a full and faithful experiment, it should at
last be seen that fidelity to the religious interests of our children forbids a
further patronage of the system, we can unite with the evangelical Christians in
the establishment of private schools.” None today can doubt that there has been
a full and faithful experiment, and its fidelity of Christian interests are long
since gone.
Now the state of California wants to take a major step to blatantly oppose the
Word of God by taking away the rights (given by God) for parents to teach their
own children. The Bill has been set back, but it is scheduled to return in 2000.
The Bill’s number is AB 804 and would require that home school children measure
up or be a dependant child of the court. It is called the “Dependant Children
Education Neglect Bill”. The state is even now entertaining Bill AB 1363, which
would put health clinics in our schools to administer medicine and condoms to
our children without parental consent. The state, simply said it believes their
authority supercedes the parents. However, that is true only if a crime is
committed, not if they are not being taught what is “politically correct”. Dare
we now call educational neglect a crime? Can you imagine with me how many false
accusations will be made, and hurts to innocent people? All because the state
got into the education business, which God gave to the home.