What is it about the US educational system that has allowed fundamentalism to fluorish?

Question

Religious fundamentalism relies on a fundamental lack of knowledge of science and of history. The success of this ideology must be blamed on the US educational system, which is clearly failing the country.

What is that has allowed this state of affairs to occur?

Is it perhaps the prevalence of home schooling, where children can be taught by the unqualified and the ignorant?

Answer 1

The system doesn't teach critical thinking, or rationality, or a love of education. People are content to be stupid -- ignorance is bliss.

Not only that, but people who actually do understand rationality and logic sometimes have no problem maintaining views that are irrational and illogical, but only in religion. In other words, they apply their use of rationality and logic to everything but religion, instead of applying it universally.

I doubt the problem is home schooling, cause I've some pretty smart home-schooled people. I honestly think it's just a cultural phenomena. Being smart is not "cool" in this country -- it's not pushed. In China, there's this almost palpable competition among students to be the smartest and best. They are at least 3-5 years ahead of us in technology already, and widening the gap everyday.

I'm saddened when I come across stupid people. Not everyone should be a doctor or rocket scientist, but everyone should have a basic grasp of science, history, math, etc... I can't imagine not understanding the world as I do now and being able to appreciate it on a deep level -- far beyond "ain't that purty! I bet dat dere God designed this sunset fer me!"

Oh well.... time will tell.

Answer 2

i'm a conservative and that i don't believe that public faculties are the right dialogue board to be discussing non secular beliefs previous a literary or historic foundation. If mom and father choose a non secular coaching, there are various of places which will be performed: non secular college, attending amenities, discussing it in a family individuals placing. The time period "worshipping" seems to head hostile to the first commandment does it not? i imagine the time period "believing" may be slightly more effective constructive. Believing in Jesus does not an ethical individual make. enable us not ignore the wars and murders dedicated contained in the call of religion. moral habit is taught by technique of party (something I do believe Jesus ought to accept as true with). basically because someone believes does not immediately lead them to an ethical individual. If that were the case, there should be plenty a lot less scandals in this international. faculties could instill self-discipline and help construct personality besides as feed information to the baby...notwithstanding it extremely all begins at domicile. Its not the faculties one should be observing as a lot because the domicile. each and every baby should be allowed to worship as he or she pleases and that i imagine a second of silence after making a song the nationwide anthem is a sturdy answer.

Answer 3

Home schooling is NOT to blame. I homeschool my 2 children and my stepdaughter. My 15 yr old will graduate next year and speaks 3 languages. My 11 yr old speaks 3 languages and excels in ancient history and science. My 18 month old can identify all the letters, numbers 1-10, shapes, colors and is developmentally on par with 24-36month old children. She is simutaneously learning english and italian.

I homeschool because the US education system is christianized and so far below international standards it is ridiculous. They have been "dumbing us down" for years. The stupid are easy to control. The religious are easy to control.

For your reading pleasure please see:
"Dumbing us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Public Schooling" by John Taylor Gatto

Answer 4

I do not think the education system itself is failing our children. It is the way we politicize it that is failing all of us. People want things taught in the schools that they personally believe and they battle to keep the textbooks ignorant of true science in particular. Home schooling is on the rise but the majority of children are not home schooled. But parents are the first influence in a child's life. I remember my own father questioning something I was taught in school -- he was a chemical engineer and it was something scientific that he thought was incorrect. He helped me research the issue and find the scientific answer. I have had my own children research and question also. But if I were a believer in creationism or intelligent design I suspect I would have taught them to look to the Bible for their "science" education. These parents are teaching their children their own beliefs and teaching them not to accept what they are taught in school when it goes against those beliefs. The entire country loses when science and history are taught with blinders.

Answer 5

Your premise is flawed. At least as it relates to Christians. It is the secular humanism that denies God in its teaching that has caused a void in people's souls, and they look to those who have the Truth.

Homeschooling is merely an extension of that. And you cannot say that those who teach their own children are unqualified and ignorant. This is especially true in that home schooled students score higher on college entrance exams, as well as various state mandated assessment tests. Homeschooling is also on the rise, since most public schools have quit teaching essentials, and have instead advanced social engineering instead.

Standardized test results for 16,000 home educated children, grades K-12, were analyzed in 1994 by researcher Dr. Brian Ray. He found the nationwide grand mean in reading for home schoolers was at the 79th percentile; for language and math, the 73rd percentile. This ranking means home educated students performed better than approximately 77% of the sample population on whom the test was normed. Nearly 80% of home schooled children achieved individual scores above the national average and 54.7% of the 16,000 home schoolers achieved individual scores in the top quarter of the population, more than double the number of conventional school students who score in the top quarter.

Further, it was fundamentalists who established some of the best colleges and universities in the US.

Consider John Harvard, who bequeathed half his estate and his personal library to the college that now bears his name for the purpose, "To advance Learning and perpetuate it to Posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate Ministry to the Churches."

Consider how many highly educated people come to faith in Jesus Christ and then put that faith into action. One example is a college professor who set out to disprove Christianity. He devoted 700 hours to the project, and was left with one conclusion. He became a Christian, because the evidence demanded a verdict. He then wrote a book called "Evidence That Demands a Verdict." His name is Josh McDowell.

How about a fundamentalist who help found Harvard Law School? His name was Simon Greenleaf. Greenleaf originally set out to disprove the biblical testimony concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was certain that a careful examination of the internal witness of the Gospels would dispel all the myths at the heart of Christianity. But this legal scholar came to the conclusion that the witnesses were reliable, and that the resurrection did in fact happen.

Yeah, all of us ignorant and uneducated fundies have such a lack of knowledge of both science and history. Forget the fact that science and faith coexisted for years, because scientists realized that if God was a God of order and not chaos, the world could be studied.

Answer 6

Read "School The Story of American Public Education" published by Beacon Press Boston. It is based on a PBS series of the same name. This was a class I took at a local Presbyterian college. I transferred to a public university.

Answer 7

"fundamentalism" is no more than people practicing the basic core fundamentals of their religion.so as not to be seen as hypocrites in the eyes of their Lord.the word as been manipulated by those who dont care for a religion.their choice right?but it is also the right of others to keep their religion pure in the face of rampant secularism and attacks on their beliefs

Answer 8

Government and big companies rely on this lack of detail toward our youth. This way our economy is run by short term cycles products, fads/fashion, credit card debt, irresponsible behavior, and much much more. When you turn 18, you are subject to all the laws up until you die.

Answer 9

Man has great potentials but fails to achieve due to his own fault. Please read the following translation of meaning of one of Quranic Surah. (Chapter of Quran)
Title: The Figs
By the Token of Figs and Olive
Ane the Mount Siani
And this peaceful city
Indeed We created humans in best form
Then we reduced him lowest of low
Except Those who have faith and do rightous deeds
For them there will be unending rewad
Then who can deny you after this regarding the day of judgment
Isn't Allah the ruler of all the rulers

(Here fig and olive refers to the Prophet Jesus, Mount Siani to Prophet Moses and this peaceful city i.e. Makkah (Mecca) to Abraham, Ishmaeel and Muhammad; that man has potential to reach to these hights but then he became lowest of the low i.e. Bush, Blair and other grave terrorists and liars)

Answer 10

A very good question. I think it's our position as a world superpower. We don't want to lose our place, so we pour money incessantly into our military, at the expense of other things, such as education.