Commentary: "Why American Children Stopped Believing in God"

[Peeps]

Honestly, I see on here a lot that people believe that public schools are some sort of brainwashing factory

When I grew up, public schools celebrated Christmas and Hanukkah, including recognizing that Christmas was the birthday of Jesus Christ, and Hanukkah celebrated a miracle from God. Eventually Kwanzaa was added.

Now, children celebrate “Winter holiday.” Mention of Christmas is verboten, and mention of Hanukkah is tolerated. Kwanzaa is still acceptable.

The children may not be tied to chairs, beaten, sprayed with water and screamed at: “Christmas is a lie! Christmas is a lie! Say it and you’re free!”

But the absence of any recognition of the 2000 year-old tradition of Christmas and other “religious” holidays by adults who are preparing you for life and whose salaries are PAID FOR by the PARENTS (taxes) is a form of brain-washing.

Really, what’s the difference between denying Christmas, and denying the Holocaust, or denying that racism is still common in the U.S.?

Part of being a citizen of the United States is living alongside and being friendly (or even friends!) with other people who believe in different gods, celebrate different holidays, and suffer different disadvantages. To ignore all this in a public school is creating ignorance and, IMO, intolerance for those who do not fit into the acceptable mold.

 

[Dan123]

When I grew up, public schools celebrated Christmas and Hanukkah, including recognizing that Christmas was the birthday of Jesus Christ, and Hanukkah celebrated a miracle from God. Eventually Kwanzaa was added.

While I’m sure this is 100% the one and only cause of school quality changes over the years, just to head off the nay sayers, what were class sizes when you were growing up? Also why is it only US schools that require God to work, why do other countries with either secular school systems of those that ignore Christianity entirely in favor of the local predominant religion often do as well or better than US schools?

 

[mercyalways]

what were class sizes when you were growing up

There were 60 students in my 8th grade class, and one nun. One nun.

why do other countries with either secular school systems of those that ignore Christianity entirely in favor of the local predominant religion often do as well or better than US schools?

To say that the US educational system, the entire root, branch, and tree, is dreadful should be flat out obvious to anyone.

 

[Dan123]

To say that the US educational system, the entire root, branch, and tree, is dreadful should be flat out obvious to anyone.

Sure, though lets be clear what are the top criteria you’d use for that?

 

[mercyalways]

US colleges are worse than dreadful. In 2011 Arum and Roksa revealed that, after four years in college
forty five percent had no measurable gains in educational skills.
Using the National Center for Education Statistics there has been a sharp decline in the literacy of adults at all various educational levels College graduates’ scores on short prose texts declined by 11 points, and on longer documents by 14 points, while the scores for graduate students declined by 13 and 17 points respectively.
Only 41 percent of graduate students tested in 2003 could be classified as “proficient” in prose—reading and understanding information in short texts—down 10 percentage points since 1992. Of college graduates, only 31 percent were classified as proficient—compared with 40 percent in 1992.
And here’s yet another depressing fact: the Ivies were not better.

 

[stpurl]

It has been thus for decades. As always, there are plenty of individuals in the system who are wonderful, dedicated, unbiased and genuinely excellent teachers and administrators, but they are such in spite of the NEA worldview and focus, not because of it.

Just as in the US seminaries in the 1970s-1990s, the NEA from the same time period AND through today, has focused on the Dewey-like ‘production’ model both for its students and for the teachers they wish to provide for the same. Yes, there is indoctrination for what is presented as the ‘goal’, wrapped up in the usual inclusive and ambiguous verbiage so familiar in the last couple of generations. The majority of those especially in the last 20-30 years who truly want to ‘teach’ in the classic sense learn to ‘play to the tests’, parrot back what the admin wants enough to actually get the degree or certification, and then do a ‘data dump’ in order to get down to real teaching. But that majority is still a minority overall and that explains why so many of today’s teachers, if well-intentioned, are themselves so badly taught and prepared that they cannot teach anything but the ‘narrative’. It’s the reason that ‘honors’ classes are taught by teachers who don’t know the most basic elements of their subject and who pass on that ‘dearth’ to their students. It’s the reason that a 12th grade honors history student doesn’t know that the US declared independence from Great Britain although they do know that George Washington was an evil slave holder.

 

[mercyalways]

As always, there are plenty of individuals in the system who are wonderful,

True, but alas, the system is truly broken. Did you know our national IQ has been declining since abour 1980?

 

[mercyalways]

I still can’t get over the fact that almost 50% of college graduates have not the smallest improvement in their knowledge since high school, at least according to Arum and Roska;s findings. After four years of college, no growth in knowledge at all. That’s so shocking.

 

[Dan123]

I still can’t get over the fact that almost 50% of college graduates have not the smallest improvement in their knowledge since high school, at least according to Arum and Roska;s findings. After four years of college, no growth in knowledge at all. That’s so shocking.

It looks like it was 2 years not 4, and not that there isn’t the smallest improvement but no ‘significant’ improvement.

 

[mercyalways]

It’s not “the state”'s responsibility to make kids believe in gods.

There is only one good in this world, and that is to find God and to help others to find God. That is simple basic Catholic belief/ Why are you on this Catholic forum if you disagree with Catholic belief?

 

[mercyalways]

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amgreatness.com

Just noticed this article on US teacher’s union which states this: “NEA president Lily Eskelsen García is vying for the Secretary of Education Secretary position…, she has referred to teacher performance metrics as “the mark of the devil.” She also claims that charter schools are “very misguided school reforms.” And just for good measure, she told a gathering in Michigan in 2014 that some school reformers are like zombies that are “eating our children’s brains.” As the union faithful were fawning over the above words, another comment by García has actually stunned them. Talking to a progressive political advocacy organization in 2015, it was recently revealed that she referred to special needs kids as “chronically tarded” and “medically annoying.” The hole she dug for herself was widened and deepened when she tried to explain that what she had meant to say was, er, um, “tardy” – and that the second gaffe was a reference to students who try to annoy their teachers when they have a bad day.”

A fine example of how utterly broken the entire educational system is in the US

 

[mercyalways]

Go to this website to find out what your state is doing in schools. All the latest info:

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whataretheylearning.com

 

[JMMJ]

There is only one good in this world, and that is to find God and to help others to find God. That is simple basic Catholic belief/ Why are you on this Catholic forum if you disagree with Catholic belief?

But why would you expect the government to take responsibility for this. Careful with that. It may not be your god the kids learn about. Maybe Allah, instead.

Keep religion out of public education, other than teaching about it as world culture.

 

[Dan123]

But why would you expect the government to take responsibility for this.

Also in any other context it seems daft.

Why aren’t there any theological questions on a driving exam?
How can someone pull a building permit without reciting an Our Father?
Why are people allowed to use municipal parking without affirming transubstantiation?
Should we allow people to vote without first going to confession?

 

[mercyalways]

Your idea of “only one good in this world” is, of course, your personal opinion. T

Sorry, that is not true. It is not my idea. I did not formulate that there is only one good in the world. That would be Jesus Christ. ‘’

That no one on this Catholic forum before now has mentioned that the greatest good is to find God, I find truly sad.

 

[mercyalways]

eep religion out of public education, other than teaching about it as world culture.

You do know that every single public school in the US before the 1950s taught from a religious perspective, don’t you?

 

[mercyalways]

Why aren’t there any theological questions on a driving exam?
How can someone pull a building permit without reciting an Our Father?
Why are people allowed to use municipal parking without affirming transubstantiation?
Should we allow people to vote without first going to confession?

Please explain how none of these things were require before 1950 when a religious perspective held in every school.

 

[Dan123]

You do know that every single public school in the US before the 1950s taught from a religious perspective, don’t you?

We used to do a lot of things that we’ve since decided weren’t a great idea. For example school prayer led to violence including Catholic church’s being burnt in the 1800s. We used to segregate schools too. Fortunately we don’t do that anymore.

 

[Dan123]

Please explain how none of these things were require before 1950 when a religious perspective held in every school.

Not talking about schools, talking about the desire for some in the thread who want the government to push religion, with the spoken or unspoken assumption it would be their religion.

 

[mercyalways]

We used to do a lot of things that we’ve since decided weren’t a great idea.

We used to do a lot of things that we’ve since decided weren’t a great idea. For example school prayer led to violence including Catholic church’s being burnt in the 1800s. We used to segregate schools too. Fortunately we don’t do that anymore.

Um,hoping you aren’t comparing 1,700 years of religious education to anti Catholic violence and racism. Because all those schools and all those centuries did produce Western civilization, science, human rights, Shakespeare, etc., etc.