Part of the series The Problem
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2016-02-08.
Are we aware of why the government insists on compulsory education?
We are generally all ignorant of what is actually happening around us. This ignorance can either be perpetuated and capitalized upon or fixed to empower the masses. It is time to enlighten home educators who have generally been kept in the dark respecting what is occurring within their community. Please understand that while it is our responsibility to tell the truth, we must never lose sight of the fact that our enemy is not made of flesh and blood and that we ultimately have the choice to conform and compromise or to stand on principle. (Ephesians 4: 11-16)
Bible Reference: 1 Kings 12:28-30
In the last two installments of the blog, it was suggested that from our Christian world view, government was initially established as a result of the rejection of God and that God has allowed government jurisdiction over some things, but not all things. Furthermore, it was shown that although rulers do have power, it is only when they follow the directives that are given by God that they are operating in the authority of God. It is therefore important, if we are to follow what has happened in the world of education, that we understand that the initial creation of government was not God’s desire as much as the desire of men; that government often expands beyond the established boundaries that are clearly off limits as “God’s things”; and that the government is only representing God’s authority when it rewards the good and punishes the bad, as determined by God and not by man.
So, there most certainly is a place for government and we are to honour it when it is abiding according to God’s rules. But, what if it is not abiding by God’s rules? What if the ruler has determined to rewrite the rules to suit him? What if the king simply does not acknowledge God? Do you think that such a government will lead you in the right direction or… somewhere else?
Historically, there have always been both good and bad governments, determined largely by how it respected God’s parameters for governance. I am hardly a historian, but I suspect things started going in the wrong direction once it was suggested that science could explain everything without need for a “God”. Many things changed with this new development and with it came compulsory education. Schools had been around for a long time and parents welcomed the opportunity for assistance in the training and teaching of their children, but making it compulsory was not met with enthusiasm, for it was seen as an encroachment, undermining and replacing the authority of parents. In fact when compulsory education was first introduced in the USA, some children had to be forced to attend at gunpoint! Parents clearly saw that being coerced against their will was actually to claim a jurisdiction that did not belong to the king.
Time has a way of making yesterday’s error or omission today’s normal. Not only is compulsory education accepted today, it is expected. In fact, the very agencies that should be questioning whether children should be educated under the control of government or family are more likely to attempt to fix the problem by creating another version of the same problem! The normalization of deviation from the truth has always been a gradual process, usually cloaked in seemingly good motives. After all, who could argue against providing opportunity for a good education? The question is, good for who or good for what?
Parents, as the only possible instruments for the creation of children, have been directed to lead their children to God so He could lead them in their lives. Since the need for God is built into each person, if we do not acknowledge the real God we will follow anything masquerading as Him. With this in mind, and considering the potential for unlimited power, it is easy to understand how a king who does not acknowledge God could easily be tempted to fill a godless vacuum by attempting to replace God with himself.
A compulsory education system created by an agency desiring the role of God, would never point to the true God, but rather to a counterfeit. In other words, if the king is not following God’s rules, the only rules left to follow are his and since he is not eternal, his rules will not only be constantly changing, but directing his subjects away from the one true God. Such is the Ministry of Education. Exposing children to this type of program not only fails to meet God’s expectation of parents for children, but encourages the perpetuation of this system. Why would any believer want to encourage a program that is directing away from God? Why would we even want to emulate or reproduce such a process? Yet, most will and do willingly participate without even questioning why they are doing so, or whose side they are working on. Few realize how destructive this is to our Christian faith.