Spirituality in the Schools

Categories: Relationships: Children, Families
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Submitted by: Nannette | View Member Profile | View Other Posts
Created: 2/26/2003

[Editor's Note: This story is submitted by member, Hystarr.]

This is a true story that took place in about 1994. We had our little girl in the public school system. I had thought that if it was good enough for me, it should be good enough for her. But I had not seen how much things had actually changed. How deeply the influence of Satan had actually been able to reach into the foundation of the education system we are paying for with our tax dollars.

Noelle was always a bright kid. And she loved reading. She was really into reading books before she actually started kindergarten. So when she had entered first grade it was no surprise she would be very enthusiastic about the reading program they were promoting in the school.

Every month they would send home a catalog of books to choose from for the reading program. It was so hard to find books that fit Noelle's interest and were in line with the standards we were trying to teach her. It seemed the choices were pretty slim after you got past the Goose Bumps and other books about vampires, demons and death.

They had never informed us that the reading program was restricted to the books they offered in the catalog. We would just take a Sunday drive to the ABC book center and let have take her choice of books. And she read every one of them.

Noelle must have been leading the class in reading. She would finish a book of 70 to 100 pages in a day or two. She may have not been leading in hours, but she must have been in the top 2 or 3 in contend. Every day she would see to it that she would tell us about what the book contained and make sure we would mark her reading chart with the hours she had spent reading.

Almost everyday she would look in the catalog at the prize she would receive by fulfilling all of her reading hours. A collection of crayons and markers in a black case. She must have imagined all of the ways she was going to use her new prize. At the time that case of crayons and markers meant the world to her. She had run through the scene 100 times in her mind. Being rewarded the prize of her choice in front of the class. Bring her prize home and seeing how proud we would be of her earning it all on her own. The prize was secured. Not even half way through the program she had spent more then the required hours.

Finally the day had arrived. As each and every student's name was called they all went forward to receive their prize. All in accordance with the hours they had recorded in the reading log. But the teacher had never called Noelle's name. When it had become evident that the rewards ceremony was over Noelle started to cry. Her name was not even called. The teacher took her aside and explained to her that she had determined that the type of books she had read did not qualify for the required reading time. All of the books that Noelle had read were all religious. This was a public school and the teacher firmly believed that there was no place for religion of any kind in her classroom.

Noelle was so upset the teacher took her to the principal's office to let him deal with the situation. The principle called in the school psychologist and psychiatrist. All of them agreed that religion should not be tolerated in the public school system. After witnessing Noelle's conviction they also called in a state social worker to determine if any evidence of abuse was present.

After they had all interviewed Noelle they had determined a meeting with the parents was necessary. We received a notice of an emergency conference that was of the greatest importance. We were told not to bring the child.

My wife and I showed up at the conference. I felt it was kind of strange being out numbered 4 to 2. I was beginning to realize where all my tax dollars were going. I can not remember all of the details of the meeting, but I do remember the two sides did not see things on the same plane at all. It didn't even seem as if we were discussing the same child. Our views were so far apart it seemed we were looking at the situation from different planets.

The meeting began by the principal explaining that it was their expert opinion that our influence exerted on Noelle was too one sided and detrimental to her well being. They explained that the reading of religious books even in the home would not be tolerated on the public school system and therefore not counted as reading time for the rewards program. They pointed to Noelle's actions of uncontrollable crying after the awards were handed out as evidence that we were neglecting important values that needed to be introduced in a young person's life.

My wife shot back by reminding them that we were in America and the last time she had checked we all had freedom of choice as to what we were to read and what not to read. We also had a guaranteed right to bring up our little girl as we saw fit.

At that point the meeting had broken down to a shouting match between the 4 and my wife. She kept on hitting me up for support. All I could do is try and control my own emotions and attempt to steer the conversation to a level with something we could all agree on. Anything.

My wife also pointed out what she had considered evidence of the school's inability to deal with a problem by reminding them that for over a year Noelle had been the target of a bully in the school. And as she saw it, the school just refused to do anything about it. My wife had been to the school numerous times after her little girl had come home suffering from both emotional and physical abuse at the hands of a much bigger girl.

I told them of a conversation I had with Noelle relating to the girl that was tormenting her. I told Noelle we had talked to both her teacher and principal about the problem. And that neither one was willing to do anything about it. I asked Noelle what she wanted to do about the problem. She answered, "I don't know." So I asked her if she wanted me to show her how to fight. Noelle didn't want anything to do with that idea. So I asked her again what she thought we needed to do to solve the problem. Noelle told me we needed to pray for the other girl.

In answer to that one of them said, "we are doing you a favor. You are way too protective of your child and ruining her life in the process. We are doing you a favor by preparing her for the real world. A world that is not always good. We are hardening her off for the real world."

Okay, that one got to me. I knew where that was going and I saw the opening I was waiting for. I started out by asking them where they had gotten the impression that the Bible was all full of such good stories that it was too far removed from the truth to be considered a book to learn from. The first example I pointed to was the story about a Savior that was falsely arrested. Beaten and hung upon a cross for all to see. We have never hidden this fact from our child in an attempt to hide the real world from her. I also told them about a major prophet that was taken from his home be a slave. This was after Babylon had conquered the entire known world. I also told them about a boy named Joseph that was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. I then told them about a man named Saul that made a living arresting and condemning Christians to death. But then one day on a journey he sees the light of Jesus. He dedicates the rest of his life to Christ. A life that was ended on the block of an executioner in Rome. I asked them where they had received their information that the Bible could not prepare someone, anyone for a life in this real world.

Well at least the room was quite now. The four of them were a little taken back. Maybe it was the first time in their lives they have heard of such things. In hind sight I would say they have never taken the time to read the Bible for themselves. And I think that was going through their minds. The only thing any one of them could think of say was, "do not condemn the books you have read until you have read them yourself." Well I did take that advice. While in a store I did pick up one of those Goose Bumps books. I opened randomly to a page. The words contained a very graphic description of a mummy monster ripping off a man's arm and beating him to death with it. I don't want to appear as passing judgment on a book based on just a few pages. So I skipped to the end. Well there at the end was a graphic description if vampires killing and eating a man. Just as gory as the first. I wonder if my adversaries had ever picked up a Bible or if they feel secure enough to just pass judgment on a book they have never read. I wonder what the Holy Spirit would have had in mind for them if they were willing to give it one chance.

Well at that point the meeting broke up. We all agreed to get back together to discuss this further. But nothing was ever done.

A short time later we took our little girl out of the public school system and enrolled her in the church school. Never before was there a girl more shy then Noelle. I could not imagine her ever coming out of her shell. But I'll never forget her coming home on that first day of school. She loved it. All of it. The uniforms and especially the way the class was run, following strict rules. Most kids complain about teachers they feel are strict. But after what Noelle had gone through she felt secure in a controlled environment. She also met so many friends. And she could read all the religious books she wanted. Even right in school. They not only liked it when she read religious books in school, they loved it. After only a few weeks she came home and proudly announced that she had been chosen student of the week.

It was the most amazing transformation I had ever seen. The shell that had been built around her by the public school system had been shattered by the love displayed in the church school. Instead if feeling and being told she was so different from everyone else, she was now surrounded by others that followed the same beliefs. And she was free to express her beliefs and thoughts with others.

Why is it so often we are confuse about our concerns for our little ones? Why do we let society lead us to believe that to really love our children we need to give them more then what we had? We need to give them more material things. More choices. More freedom. Sad to say that while we are working so hard to give our children so many more things we neglect to give them the things they really want. The things we really need. Our time. Our love and understanding. And most importantly, a real choice.

Why is it so many people consider religion as a one dimensional thought pattern? Why do people look at religion as a restriction? Is it because they look at religion as a ceremony and not as a personal relationship with the Creator God? In life we are taught all to well that our opinions do not matter. That we can never share a thought with a man at the top of a business or government. That they are all too important and too busy to listen to our concerns. That may be true in life here, but not in Heaven.

Why in our school system are the subjects of spiritualism, demons, death and wizards considered higher learning? While the subjects of grace, forgiveness and love are so feared. What are people afraid our children will learn form such things? That it is wrong to kill one another? That it is wrong to bring a gun to school? Are they afraid to find out why it is better to forgive? Are they afraid that others will find out that our schools are run on a system of greed? Take a look at your latest tax bill. And then do a little searching to find out just how fast the wages of this countries top school superintendents has risen. Then ask yourself this question. Would we be paying these people this much money if the schools didn't have these problems? Maybe spending the highest amount of money on a top rated school official is not the answer.

Unless things start changing this will always be a system that feeds upon itself. The problems of today will breed bigger and more expensive problems. Look at who our children are learning from today. Companies that steal billions of dollars. And our government leaders look at it and say, gee well we're not sure any laws were broken. So how far do you think the little impressionable minds of tomorrow are going to take that one?

While considering this article a friend of mine emailed me something that shed a new light on this whole subject. A new angle to view this situation from.

"When you arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, be very
careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there.
For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And
do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to
interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as
mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does
these things is an object of horror and disgust to the LORD. It is because
the other nations have done these things that the LORD your God will drive
them out ahead of you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The
people you are about to displace consult with sorcerers and fortune-tellers,
but the LORD your God forbids you to do such things." Deut 18:9-14 (NLT)

I don't know why but that text hit me with such a conviction that we are responsible for teaching our kids everything we can so that they can stand tall and make a decision on their own. Read the text again, but this time with this thought on your mind. We have a choice in everything we do.

So what is your choice? To let your kids be influenced by the system of spiritualism that will welcome the soul of your child. And care for it today? Yes they are more then willing to teach everything they can to your son or daughter. And also you. These spirits would like nothing more then to hear you say, "oh it's not that bad." Because that gives them a chance to introduce a little more tomorrow. Or next week. Or next year. Little by little until one day it's too late.

First it's the movies. Then a little fun with the daily horoscope in the newspaper. Well maybe a book or two just to see what it is all about. You would not like to judge a subject until you have had a chance to study it through. But that leads to a few more movies. Each one leading a little further. Each one teaching a little more.

Well now you can't live without reading your horoscope. It is more important to you then that first cup of coffee in the morning. Then one day you forget to read it. You find yourself fumbling through the entire day. Your mind is fixed on a million details of what could happen. You find yourself waiting for something bad to happen.

No sense in taking any more chances. The next trip to the supper market you find yourself throwing a book about your horoscope in the shopping cart. You find yourself always judging people on the day they were born rather then the facts in front of you. You are hooked. No doubt about it. It is not you that controls your life any more. And it sure isn't God. You made your choice.

There is a story in the Bible exactly like this. It is the story about King Saul. But he had it all. It must have been the pressure that made him crack. I'll never be like him. No, you will never be like King Saul. But the end result will always be the same. Lets take a look at this story about King Saul.

Saul was taken from the smallest tribe in Judah. He never expected to be king. But out of all the people in the realm, he was chosen by God. Not only to be king, but God made him a prophet also. Saul started out humble. But then one simple little thing kept eating away at him. Jealousy and insecurity was the bait Satan used for Saul. And Saul let that demon right in. It controlled him totally.

The jealousy lead to superstitions. Saul even had superstitions about the God he thought he was serving. Saul believed that God required a sacrifice before granting him any favors. Like that little incident before a battle. Saul was so entrapped by superstition he though his very life depended on the little tasks he needed to do to get God's attention. Sounds a little like the pagans that accepted Elijah's challenge. The Bible doesn't tell us much more about the other little things Saul may have done day in and day out. But you can imagine. As the story tells us, these little rituals lead Saul straight to a spiritualist. Now in this story remember, Saul never saw Samuel. Only the spiritualist claimed to have seen him. But what did this image tell Saul? Well that image was Satan and to paraphrase the comment. "You have not followed the Lord. And the Lord is not with you. He is your enemy. And because you did not listen to Him and follow His instructions you will loose all in the battle tomorrow. All that you have. Your kingdom and your sons."

Satan could not wait to deliver that message. That must have made his day. But that is exactly what happens to everyone he is able to lead away and make serve him. When Satan is through using them, death is the only reward. It is really all Satan can give.

Taking in all of these things that deal with spiritualism is like taking a poison. If we only take a little bit, we may not even feel the effects. But if we continue to take in more and more it will build up in our systems. Until one day it over takes our immune system. Are we wise enough to distinguish the warning signs? Or is spiritualism a form of poison concocted in such a manner it slowly blinds us?

Let's be serious. Many of us have seen these movies and read those books that can be harmful to our well being. I would think that all of those church leaders that have written stories about Harry Potter and the like have seen the movies and read the books. I'll admit that I have seen the movie Lord of the Rings. And I'll admit that it did have a lot of underlying tones about truth and the battle between good and evil. Would I let my 14 year old watch the movie? Not without explaining what these underlying themes were and what they mean. That would give us a chance to discuss how we can use those beliefs to plant a seed of truth.

Noelle, now 14 year old did see the latest Harry Potter movie. She was staying over night at a friend's house. They decided to see a movie. Of course they had to choose that one. When I went to pick her up it was the first thing she told me. She was a bit embarrassed about it. But she was not afraid to tell me. She respected me enough to tell me about it. I asked her what she thought of the movie. She answered, "I don't know." I asked her what the movie was about. Again she answered, "I don't know." Well I could tell she really didn't want to talk about the movie. So I asked her what she thought about the people that went to go see such a movie. Well I got the same answer. So I told her that maybe some of those people were actually searching for truth in such a movie. If people do believe in the battle between good and evil they may just be searching for the truth about it. I also told her that people go to such movies believe in such things because they really don't know anything else. Sometimes it is up to us not to criticize people for doing such things, but to offer them alternatives. I told her it was a little bit like grace. Grace is when Jesus takes the sins out of our lives and replaces them with something new. If people have only lies in their lives to believe in, that is all they will ever have. But Jesus has the power to take those lies out of their lives and replace it with truth.

I really didn't think I made much of an impression on her. But a strange thing happened a few weeks later. I had gotten her a set of Mandy books for Christmas. I knew they were her favorite books. And I knew they dealt about things in a Biblically based manner. I didn't know her mother had already given her the same set. The day after she opened the gift I asked her if she was going to give them to the church library so other girls would have a chance to read them. She said, "no". I asked her what she was going to do with them. She told me she was going to give them to her friend as a present for being her best friends for 10 years. She was giving those books to the same girl that took her to see Harry Potter. She wanted her friend to have something to take the place of those lies in her life.

I have a friend at church that told me one of the most amazing stories about a change in a life. I knew that his children were reading books like Goose bumps and other books that dealt with magic and spiritualism. He didn't seem to see any harm in it. But my estimation of him at the time was he wouldn't even be in church if it wasn't for his wife being so involved. But he did sit through Sabbath school every week. He didn't have many comments at that time. But then one day he picked up the Bible and began reading. Then he started reading a couple of other books about the Bible. The next thing I see is this same guy in Sabbath school making comments about seeing messages in Bible text that I have not even seen. It was exciting to see the Holly Spirit working in him.

Then one day in Sabbath school he related to us a story I will never forget. He told us he asked his son if he wanted to go see a movie. He was sitting right in the middle of a circle of tables with about 20 pairs of eyes all fixed on him as he talked. You could see the expression on his face change. With tears welling up in his eyes he tried to get the words out as loudly and clear as he could. He told us, "my son told me, dad I don't think we should be going to see such a movie." As he started to cry we could just barely make out his next words. "My son correcting me. There must be something I did right. I don't know what it was but I thank God."

It goes without saying that the best seeds we plant are the seeds we don't even notice ourselves. He was doing something right. He was setting an example for his son. We seldom notice the effects our lives have on our own children. The examples we set are noted and followed by our children much more then we realize. We give too little attention to the effects our actions have on our children. We give too little thought as to how our children perceive our lives.

The biggest mistake a parent can make is to just hope the child learns the lessons of life from someone else. Too many parents avoid the responsibility they gained when they made their decision. The decision to bring a new life into this world. If the parents of today would spend enough time teaching their children the lessons they feel are important, they would not have to waste so much time and energy complaining about other people teaching their children what they consider to be wrong. The child would have learned to know right from wrong from the ones closet to them. The ones they know, love and trust the most.
KJV Proverbs 22:6

6. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.