I get a lot of mail addressed to me as though I were a Christian. I'm sure I know why: It's because I gave a donation to some conservative Christian organization or other - rather than its being due simply to all the 'conservative' organizations that I do likewise to, and someone just made an assumption - and one mailing list led to another. (I know, I know: it's hard being both a liberal and a Christian. But there are some.)
Anyway. I have been a bit stumped by a recent mailing, where the organization behind it (actually, it could be the work of just one 'zealot'; see below) wants me to fill in a Petition to my Governor against the use by some school districts of a World History textbook, published by Prentice Hall, that engages in what is clearly propaganda, for Islam and against Christianity.
I am aware of these sorts of hijinks. My research into what's going down in the world in our day and age led me, many years ago, to discover the socialist/Marxist source of a lot of the 'educational' materials in our schools, in the Left's determined and ongoing attempts to take over America; particularly for its being a major stumbling-block on the Marxist camp's way to its desired takeover of the world, and incarceration of it into their version of a New World Order.1 (The fascist/corporate Right has another scenario for the same sort of thing emanating from their side of the political aisle; but statism by any other name, etc.)2
Anyway. This outfit had come up, for its 'National Survey on Islamic Bias in our Schools' - directed to the governors of each state - with a list of questions that I just couldn't relate to. Rather than toss the whole thing in the waste basket, I decided to adapt the questions to my liking. Herewith (with allowable answers being Yes, No, or Undecided):
1. 'Should public schools teach students that "God is Allah"?' I marked it 'Yes' with the insertion, after "that," of the phrase: 'Muslims believe that'. (If you are going to have a syllabus/chapter on Islam, you've got to let the religion speak for itself.)
2. 'Should school textbooks have a 36-page chapter devoted to Islam while Christianity has no chapters whatsoever?' (This one was easy, straightforward: that is propaganda, pure and simple. The book was - supposed to be - a history book. Not a treatise on one religion. A clear 'No'.)3
3. 'Should schools use textbooks that insult Christianity by claiming it is a violent religion spread by Jewish "zealots"?' (I marked it 'No,' and added, as a reply, 'Sounds more like Islamic jihad to me.')
4. 'Should school children be taught that Muhammad was "God's messenger" and that he received "revelations from God"? (I marked it 'Yes' with the insertion, after "that," of the phrase 'Muslims believe that'. Come on, Christians. Be fair. The kids are not being 'taught' all this in the way that you are presenting it.
Never hear of Comparative Religion studies???)
5. 'Should school children be taught how to become a Muslim by preaching to them The Five Pillars of Islam?' (I underlined the word "preaching" and gave an answer of 'Yes,' with the addition of the comment: 'Informing them, by way of a course on Contemporary/Comparative Religions, is another matter.')
6. 'Should school children be taught that Christians are vicious "crusaders" with a history of massacring Muslims?' (I left any reply unchecked, with the addition of the sentence: 'That all happened a long time ago. Christians in our day and age are characterized by their good works. Discuss.')
7. Should schoolchildren be taught that Islam (not Christianity) brought the world advances in Science, Math, Medicine, Art and Architecture?' (I marked it 'Yes' with a) crossing out '(not Christianity)'; b) inserting the word 'some' after the word "world"; and c) adding my preferred ending to the sentence, of, 'and Christianity brought others.' )
8. 'Should students be taught that Muhammad was a "pious man and a powerful leader" while ignoring the glory, greatness and love of Jesus Christ?' I left any reply unchecked, and wrote in: 'Let an unbiased course on Contemporary/Comparative Religions sort this whole sort of thing out.'
(I could have said: 'But there is little to no independent, historical evidence that the Jesus of the New Testament ever existed.' But that really would have set the cat amongst the pigeons. And, was in fact a point that the man behind this 'witness' stormed in his letter - with Bold, underline, and exclamation mark - that the book made.
So the text may have some redeeming features about it…
…for this is a subject that needs - and sorely - to be addressed. Before we can proceed further on the path of Truth. The whole Truth.)
9. 'Should students be taught that Islam is a religion of "honesty, generosity and social justice" while failing to mention any virtues of Christianity?' (It's true that that is not fair. I gave that question a 'No' tick.)
10. 'Should your Governor immediately examine all textbooks in testate for bias against Christianity and the shameless promotion of Islam?' (Accompanying my 'Yes' tick - even though I know no governor is going to take on that job; but could delegate it - was the sentence: 'Teaching about Islam in a syllabus on Contemporary/Comparative Religions is a legitimate exercise. Blatant propaganda is something else, and the school districts engaging in it should be sued.')
Not very satisfactory a response to a fervent Christian, perhaps.
But it should be.
For, we are all after the Truth of things.
Or we should be.
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footnotes:
1 For example, did you know that John Dewey was trying this back in the 1930s? And/or that, in JFK's day, an elementary school reading-primer publisher came out with a story about two squirrels talking to each other in the tree-laden front yard of a little boy, with a pleasant smile, sitting on the front steps of his porch, watching the antics of the two cute little rodents. One squirrel says to the other: 'What are you doing?' The second squirrel says: 'I'm gathering nuts for the winter.' The first squirrel responds: 'Oh, you don't have to do that. The little boy in the white house [pictured in the background of the drawing] will feed you.'
I 'kid' you not.
2 You do know, by now, that the banksters/NeoCons/industrialists made their first major modern move to take over the nation under George Dubya & Dick 'Darth Vader' Cheney ('And The NeoCons!'), don't you? With 9/11, and the (so-called) PATRIOT Act, and so forth??
You have been paying attention to the current phenomenon of people with designs on your country, haven't you??? Like a den of thieves????
Or a nest of vipers, a little more like.
3 It may be argued, by the backers of this piece of indoctrination, that 'American kids have been inculcated in the Christian religion; we're just helping them to see outside of the box.' Yeah; and, I would not buy a used car from you, either.
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