Last week we began to look at how the church was deeply involved in America’s education system. Many have asked, why did the church become involved in the education system in the first place? Simple, to ensure an education that was biblical based. The Founders believed that God was the author of liberty and if the nation expected to remain free it had to be taught the foundation of that freedom, God. The Bible could be likened to a comprehensive legal system, addressing every arena of life, from taxation to immigration, business operations to criminal justice, sexual behavior to the military. This should come as no surprise because 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that God’s Word is inspired or God breathed so that we may be “equipped for every good work.”
Because God’s Word provided such thorough guidance in so many areas (including which crimes required restitutions; marriage and family laws; abortion and the unborn; inheritance policies; agricultural practices; employment contracts; business loans and interest rates; etc.), citizens regularly went to ministers rather than just attorneys for guidance on laws. Early historian J.T. Headly explained: “The patriotic clergy of the revolution…were the soundest statesmen of the time.” Early American ministers not only expounded the laws but also were often regular participants in making them.
For example, the Revs. Joseph Montgomery, Hugh Williamson, James Manning, John Zubly, John Witherspoon, and many others were members of the Continental Congress. At the state level, Rev. Jacob Green helped draft New Jersey’s original state constitution and the Rev. Augustus Muhlenberg helped draft Pennsylvania’s constitution. The Revs. Samuel Stillman, Robert Treat Paine, and Gad Hitchcock helped draft Massachusetts’ 1780 constitution, that is still in use today. [1]
Our education system, because of the involvement of the church, was the best in the world but when government began to become involved things began to change and not for the better, as usual when government gets involved. Where we used to have extensive knowledge of our government and how it works we have come to a point a point where the general public has very little if any knowledge. When I was in school in the 1950’s and 60’s they still taught our Constitution and how our government worked. Just a few years ago a group of adults who had spent their entire life in America were given some of the simplest questions off the test for immigrants to become citizens and 71% of these adults failed the easiest part of the immigration test. Worse yet they gave this same test to elected officials and 78% of the elected officials failed the test. In today’s bread and circuses world, it doesn’t surprise me one bit that Americans overwhelmingly fail a quiz on civics. What is slightly surprising is that our elected officials do even worse:
Are most people, including college graduates, civically illiterate? Do elected officials know even less than most citizens about civic topics such as history, government, and economics? The answer is yes on both counts according to a new study by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI). More than 2,500 randomly selected Americans took ISI’s basic 33 question test on civic literacy and more than 1,700 people failed, with the average score 49 percent, or an “F.” Elected officials scored even lower than the general public with an average score of 44 percent and only 0.8 percent (or 21) of all surveyed earned an “A.” Even more startling is the fact that over twice as many people know Paula Abdul was a judge on American Idol than know that the phrase “government of the people, by the people, for the people” comes from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. [2]
I have been advocating for the last ten years for the education system be taken out of the hands of the federal government and teachers unions and put it back in the hands of the people and the States. The federal government states that it doesn’t set policies for courses it only devises the tests for graduation, SAT and others. The problem with that is by setting the tests they are setting the courses as the schools must teach what is on the test. They think we’re all dumocrats and can’t figure out their end-run around the Constitution.
Our Founders used a very simple process for electing people that would be placed in authority and we have swayed from that guideline to the point where we have fools like Shelia Jackson Lee, Maxine Waters, Diane Finstein and Hank Johnson who was afraid that if we expanded our military base on Guam that it would become to heavy on one side, tip over and capsize. The island not the military base. In a discussion regarding a planned military buildup on the Pacific island, Johnson expressed some concerns about the plans to Adm. Robert Willard, head of the U.S. Pacific fleet.
“My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize,” Johnson said. Willard paused and replied, “We don’t anticipate that.” [3] I’m sorry but how do people this ignorant get elected? Shelia Jackson Lee thinks our astronauts placed a flag on Mars, thinks our Constitution is 400 years old and refers to herself as a freed slave. Maxine Waters is afraid that if North Korea nukes us that President Trump will start a war. People, this is stupid on steroids! I’m afraid to say that these people are grossly ignorant but the people that vote them into office are no better. The Founders used a principle from the book of Exodus to serve as a means of qualifying a person that was to be placed in a position of authority: Exodus 18:21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: [4]
The necessity of people in authority to men that fear God and men of truth is imperative for a nation to remain strong. The afore mentioned people are all college graduates, which shows the pathetic condition of our colleges, yet they lack even common sense. Education in biblical principles and thought produce people like those who wrote our Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of independence, our States Constitutions and developed our judicial system, education system which crated the greatest nation the world has ever or will ever see in the shortest time ever in history.
If we do not return to this manner of picking our leaders we will continue the slide into decadence and will only be remembered as a once great nation whose folly brought her to nothingness.
© 2017 Roger Anghis – All Rights Reserved
E-Mail Roger Anghis: roger@buildingthetruth.org
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