Huge surge in Americans who no longer believe in God

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Maria
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Huge surge in Americans who no longer believe in God

Post by Maria »

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/pew-h ... le/2600066

Could this be because public schools are teaching children as early as kindergarten that religion is a myth, not a fact?

Schools start teaching critical thinking skills in Kindergarten using images of Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse and asking the students if the character is real or fictional.
By the time children are in third grade, Santa Claus is added to the critical thinking skills list as a mythical figure.
And by the time the child is in fifth to seventh grade, God is presented as a mythical figure, while Jesus Christ is not allowed to be discussed. However, Mohammed is listed as a real person.
And finally, in the seventh grade, in most public schools, there is a mandatory week of teaching Islam where the girls must wear a headscarf, and all students must pay a visit a mosque.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

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Cyprian
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Re: Huge surge in Americans who no longer believe in God

Post by Cyprian »

Who runs the schools in America: Jews or Muslims? It's a straightforward question, that deserves a straightforward answer.

Who ought we suppose are the ones who have come up with this program of having students wear a headscarf along with paying visits to mosques? Muslims or Jews?

The Jews are the ones who run the public school systems and orchestrate the curriculum around Islamic indoctrination. The purpose is obvious. Their intent is to drum up an irrational hysteria among gullible Americans, to instill fears of an Islamic take-over of America, to justify war-mongering and slaughtering of Arabs in the Middle East.

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Re: Huge surge in Americans who no longer believe in God

Post by fschmidt »

Cyprian wrote:

Who runs the schools in America: Jews or Muslims?

Neither. Liberals run schools in America.

Here is a more important question. Why don't Orthodox Christians run their own schools for their children? This is the solution, the way to preserve your religion. Both traditional Anabaptists and Orthodox Jews do this, and this is why these religions survive in secular America.

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Maria
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Re: Huge surge in Americans who no longer believe in God

Post by Maria »

Welcome to E Cafe, fschmidt!

There are a few Orthodox Christian schools here in the USA, but unfortunately, they are run by those mostly in World Orthodoxy who are not into evangelizing, but who are very ecumenical. As a result, these schools welcome children of all faiths and water down the faith of Orthodoxy in an attempt not to upset those of other faiths. Thus, these schools are counterproductive.

The main reason why Orthodox Christian schools do not succeed is that many Orthodox Christians have bought the lie that it is important for their children to witness the faith by attending secular humanistic public schools, not realizing that their children are being brainwashed into accepting atheism later on in life, especially around the ages of 9 to 13, when they are most vulnerable. However, even in kindergarten, the poor children are being taught not to spread their faith or pray in the public schools. For example on the Nativity of Christ, Valentine's Day, and Pascha, they are not to bring in the Christian element. They may not greet anyone with Christ is Born! Happy St. Valentine's Day! or Christ is Risen! To do so would mean their suspension.

Because of the lack of Orthodox Christian schools, a few courageous families are homeschooling their children.

p.s. My own grandchildren attend public schools. One even told me, "We do not pray at home."

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

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Barbara
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Re: Huge surge in Americans who no longer believe in God

Post by Barbara »

Cyprian's 3rd concluding paragraph above sums up the entire picture.

Maria, you I am sure are right about most of the World Orthodox schools. I actually didn't know that they are that bad.

However, I looked up St John of San Francisco Academy to check and it seems to be only for Orthodox Christian students.
It doesn't appear that any others are admitted, though it doesn't specifically exclude them, which is fair. Perhaps nearly all the students are Orthodox with maybe a small percent are from similar backgrounds. Or maybe all of them are Orthodox.

" The Saint John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy is an Orthodox Christian school, and as such, formal religious instruction, participation in the life of the Church, the Holy Mysteries, and regular Church attendance on Sundays and holy days are at the heart of our curriculum. All the students and staff participate together in the liturgical life of our school in the spirit of sobornost' - the uniquely Orthodox Christian mode of worship and fellowship. In addition to providing an outstanding preparation for college or university, this enables our students to be of benefit to our country and the Church. Saint John's Academy strives to instill in our students a lifelong desire to follow the head of the Orthodox Church, Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.

"By choosing Saint John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy, students and their families indicate a commitment to the religious nature of the school as well as a willingness to support the school's regulations regarding academic achievement, behavior, and participation in parental and student activities. "

-- http://www.stjohnsacademysf.org/student ... l-handbook


I am looking through this website. The schools seems very good. If I had had any children I might have sent them there !
Looks like a thorough, excellent, well rounded grounding in many useful subjects.

Below appears to be an older version of the school's Curriculum, from sometime before 2010. I believe the Academy offers Latin now ; I saw that somewhere. That's excellent. Latin was my favorite subject in junior high school ; I have always been so glad it was mandatory at my school. With knowledge of Latin, one can more easily learn modern Romance languages.

St John of San Francisco Academy also teaches French, which is superb. Knowledge of French ALWAYS pays. Even in the most remote areas of the world, one might come across one person from the older generation who speaks French but no English. Hence it is a valuable lifeline to communicate, particularly if one is in need of assistance from the locals !

After all, French was the most important language in Europe for centuries. Even the Russian court and upper class learned it from childhood and were more conversant in French than in Russian.

In much of the world, ability to speak French has always been part of a cultured upbringing.

If one travels to France itself, a French speaker can open many doors that would be closed to a non-French speaker. The French rightfully expect to be addressed in their own language by visitors to their country.

I see in this Curriculum classes in Science / Health. That latter topic is a top notch idea to teach children when young so as to get a good start in life with healthy living.


  • Grades K-2
    •Religion
    •English Language
    ◦Phonics
    ◦Reading (Phonics based)
    ◦Spelling
    ◦Poetry
    ◦Penmanship
    •Arithmetic
    •Science/Health
    •History/Geography
    •Russian or Greek Language
    •Music Appreciation

    •Art
    •Physical Education

    Grades 3-5
    •Religion
    •English
    ◦Writing
    ◦Spelling
    ◦Reading (Literature)
    ◦Grammar
    ◦Penmanship
    •Arithmetic
    •Russian or Greek Language
    •Science/Health
    •History/Geography: American & World
    •Music: Theory & Appreciation
    •Art
    •Physical Education

    Note: From Grade 3, subjects begin to be taught more and more in dedicated sessions with their own teachers, and students benefit from a variety of different teachers contributing to their studies and growth.

    Grades 6-8
    •Religion
    •English Language
    ◦Spelling
    ◦Grammar
    ◦Latin and Greek word roots

    •English Literature
    ◦Reading
    ◦Writing
    ◦Poetry
    •Mathematics
    •Russian or Greek Language
    •Science/Health
    ◦Biology
    ◦Physical Sciences
    ◦Chemistry
    ◦Geology
    •History/Geography: American & World
    •French
    •Music: Theory & Appreciation, Kliros (Church Singing)

    •Art: Application, Appreciation, and History
    •Physical Education

    High School Study Program
    •Continuation of all above subjects
    •Orthodox Seminar *
    •AP American History

    •AP Biology
    •AP Calculus
    •AP English Language and Composition

    •AP English Literature and Composition

    •AP French
    •AP Government

    •AP Physics
    •Ballroom Dance

    Extra-Curricular/additional subjects
    •College Counseling
    •Photography
    •Church Choir Singing

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Luke
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Re: Huge surge in Americans who no longer believe in God

Post by Luke »

Part of it could be public schools teaching that any religion is a myth. Part of it could also be because of the tension between religion and science. Religion and science do not have to be at war with each other.

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Maria
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Re: Huge surge in Americans who no longer believe in God

Post by Maria »

Atheists and Secular Humanists emphasize the divide between religion and science, and are proud to push logic in place of faith.

C.S. Lewis had a lot to say in defense of the faith. He used to be an atheist.
I recently reread The Space Trilogy, which features two atheistic professors of logic (Weston et al) versus Professor Ransom, who is a type of C.S. Lewis. Have you ever read it?

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

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