Old Foes & New Conflicts in American Schools

Education

Jul 7

A rendering of a bible on a desk next to an apple and pencils. There is a green chalkboard background.

What I learned from Sam, #4

New Battles in an Old Conflict

Educational battlegrounds, in our present-day public schools, stem from similar conflicts from our Colonial days. Originally, Massachusetts Puritans enforced Biblical teaching in support of a Calvinistic worldview. Eventually, these beliefs were challenged by Unitarian deism. Calvinists recognized the doctrine of the Trinity, but Unitarians rejected Biblical teaching in the interest of “reason”.

The cover of the book, 'The Age of Reason' by Thomas Paine — The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine, the author of “Common Sense” (the pamphlet known for swaying Colonial opinion in the interest of independence from Great Britain) also wrote a book titled, “The Age of Reason” which defends deism over Christianity, and appears to be equally influential.

The knowledge of this continuing battle is crucial to our decisions regarding the education of our children. We must be vigilant in our examination of ALL the teachings presented in our schools and evaluate their outcomes.

Choosing how to educate our children should be done knowledgably, not blindly.

Samuel L. Blumenfeld, the author of Alpha-Phonics, is standing in front of a copy of his book. He is wearing a gray suit jacket with a blue tie and a light blue collard shirt; he is an older man with gray, receding hair. — Samuel L. Blumenfeld author of “Alpha-Phonics: A Primer for Beginning Readers”

Samuel Blumenfeld has provided pages upon pages of information about the history of American schools. He teaches much about the philosophies found there. I recommend his work to those interested in this history.

Meg Rayborn Dawson

Meg Rayborn Dawson is a homeschooling mom of 9 and the author of Dyslexic No More: Saved by the ABC’s. She holds an MS in Exceptional Student Education with a focus on Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of West Florida, an MA in Psychology from Grand Canyon University, and a BA from Northwest Nazarene University.