Radio Freethinker

Let us conclude our look at Christian home schooling by asking the question: why would the parents allow their children to be dis-educated by homeschooling them using the ACE curriculum? What is really being taught by these courses and why?

I believe it can be summed up in one quote by Arthur Roderick a representative of Christian Education Europe when he said “We might be viewed as not being balanced, but we can see where the alternative is leading. It is simply going to be: Parents, you don’t indoctrinate your children because we want to indoctrinate your children. That I will not tolerate”.

What he is saying is that they have a particular world view and if they let their children attend regular school they may be exposed to points of view and ‘God forbid’ facts that may call into question, the world view of their parents. One way is to allow their children a good education and confront their questions with the aim of everyone becoming better human beings. OR you could shelter them from reality and ‘indoctrinate’ them so that they will remain stunted humans.

The ABCs – ALWAYS be converting!

One of the common themes in the ACE curriculum is the emphasis on rote memory. The questions asked are almost always fill-in-the-blank or multiple choice. There is no attempt to teach the children the MEANING or UNDERSTANDING of a lesson; all that is required or wanted is to remember the ‘facts’ and regurgitate them mindlessly on demand.

In a very real sense these children will lack the cognitive ability to think properly. It is a testament to the resiliency of the human mind that most do not remain in this retarded intellectual state. However what is accomplished is the reflex to accept things without thinking, to reiterate it without critical thought and compartmentalized their ‘first learning’ whenever it may come into conflict with ‘reality’.

The language used also reinforces the authoritarian nature of religion in general. Children are not told to listen to their parents…to follow the laws…to be good people. No they are told to OBEY! Obey God, obey your pastor, obey your parents…what very you do, to question or disobey is a SIN!

Here are some illustrations that are scatter amongst the lessons

One is a son helping his father not because it’s a good thing, or that he likes to help dad, no the punch line is “God commands me to like to help others”

Another has a ‘teacher’ talking to some children;

Now, the last is important to maintain control after children grow up. You should always obey your parents. Now, it follows that if God is the father of all, you should always obey God’s word. And we only know God’s will by the Bible and what the pastor tells you because he is God’s elect on earth.

Sick but consistent.

ACE vice president Ronald Johnson stated “We do not believe that education should be non-directive or speculative, or that the final interpretation of facts and events should be left up to immature, inexperienced minds.”

ACE’s view on truth can be summed up by this comment about science - “True science will never contradict the Bible because God created both the universe and Scripture…If a scientific theory contradicts the Bible, then the theory is wrong and must be discarded.”