by Joel Turtel

Reading, Writing, and Pagan Religions

August 18, 2007 01:00 PM EST

Many public schools have become pagan religion indoctrination centers. These schools now teach children anti-Judeo-Christian beliefs and pagan religions, and try to mold children's minds through the latest techniques in behavioral psychology. Here are two examples of how schools now use spirit religions as brainwashing techniques in classrooms across America, from Berit Kjos's book, "Brave New Schools":

"Come to the medicine wheel!" the teacher's cheery voice beckoned the Iowa fourth graders to a fun Native American ritual. "And wear your medicine bags."

"Jonathan grabbed his little brown pouch and hurried to his place. His favorite teacher made school so exciting! She brought Indian beliefs about nature into all the subjects: science, history, art, reading. She even helped the class start The Medicine Wheel Publishing Company to make writing more fun."

"She taught Jonathan to make his own medicine bag, a deer-skin pouch filled with special things, such as a red stone that symbolized his place on the medicine wheel astrology chart. This magic pouch would empower him in times of need, such as when taking tests. Jonathan wanted to show it to his parents, but his teacher said no. He didn't know why."

"Sitting cross-legged in the circle, the class sang a song to honor the earth: "The Earth is our Mother. We're taking care of her. . . . Hey younga, ho." Then the teacher read an Indian myth from the popular classroom book, Keepers of the Earth. It told about a beautiful spirit woman who came to save a starving tribe of Sioux Indians. This mystical savior brought sage to purify the people, and she showed them how to use the sacred pipe, a symbol of "the unity of all things" for guidance and prayer to the Great Spirit."

"When Rachel . . ., a Minnesota mother, visited Mounds Park All-Nations School, she found magic dream-catchers in every classroom, mystical drawings of a spiritualized earth, and a ring of stones in the schoolyard for medicine wheel ceremonies. She heard politically correct assumptions about the evils of Western culture and the goodness of pagan spirituality. How can public schools promote Native American rituals but censure Christianity, she wondered."

What's wrong with these seemingly innocuous classes, aside from the issue of separation of religion and schools? The kids were having fun as they learned, so what could be wrong? Plenty. By teaching religious mysticism, public schools throughout the country are filling impressionable young minds with group think, multiculturalism, paganism, Earth worship, astrology, polytheism (belief in many gods), and pantheism (belief in spirit gods that exist in trees, rocks, and water). The God of Moses is out in our public schools, and Earth worship is in.

Many teachers in public schools across the country now stress feelings and mystical experiences, not facts and reason, much less critical reading and thinking. Their behavior modification techniques indoctrinate children with emotion-driven group think and anti-Western, anti-Judeo-Christian values.

In classrooms throughout the country, Judeo-Christian beliefs are cast aside or ridiculed. Multicultural studies, environmental propaganda, and arts-education classes now indoctrinate children with New Age religious beliefs, often without parents' knowledge. Public schools sometimes try to sneak offensive spirit or new age religions into their curriculum without parents' knowledge.

In January, 2003, a group of parents sued a Sacramento Unified School District because certain teachers at their local elementary school were aggressively, and secretly, teaching anthroposophy, a religion that combines traditional Western religion with astrology and New Age religion. Pacific Justice Institute lawyers representing the parents indicated that many other public schools in California are now adding New Age and Eastern religions, including Islam, to their curricula.

What follows is only a small sample of the flood of "spiritual" sessions taking place in classrooms throughout the country (from Berit Kjos's brilliant book, "Brave New Schools") :

1. "Altered states of consciousness: Teaching students to alter their consciousness through centering exercises, guided imagery, and visualizations has become standard practice in self-esteem, multicultural, and arts programs. They often encourage contact with spirit guides."

2. "Dreams and visions: After studying a pagan myth, students are often asked to imagine or visualize a dream or vision, then describe it in a journal or lesson assignment"

3. "Astrology: Countless teachers across the country require students to document their daily horoscopes. Others help students discover their powers and personalities through Aztec calendars and Chinese."

4. "Other forms of divination: Through palmistry, I Ching, tarot cards and horoscopes, students learn to experience other cultures and tap into secret sources of wisdom. Students in Texas were told to create a vision in their minds and "describe in your best soothsayer tones the details of your vision."

5. "Spiritism: While pagan myths and crafts show students how to contact ancestral, nature, and other spirits, classroom rituals actually invoke their presence. California third-graders had to alter their consciousness through guided imagery, invoke or "see" their personal animal spirits, write about their experience . . . and create their own magical medicine shields to represent their spirit helper."

6. "Magic, spells, and sorcery: Many parents consider magic and spell-casting too bizarre and alien to pose a threat, yet gullible students from coast to coast are learning the ancient formulas and occult techniques."

7. "Occult charms and symbols: Dreamcatchers, Zuni fetishes, crystals, and power signs like the quartered circle and Hindu mandala are only a few of the empowering charms and symbols fascinating students today."

8. "Solstice rites: After seating themselves "according to their astrological signs," Oregon students who traded Christmas for a Winter Solstice celebration watched the "sun god" and "moon goddess" enter the auditorium to the beating of drums and chanting. "Animal spirits" . . . . followed."

9. "Human sacrifice: Students are given lessons on death education with assignments like the "Fallout Shelter." Other lessons advocate the cultural endorsement of abortion and euthanasia as a way to prepare the new generation to accept many new forms of human sacrifice, such as the notion of sacrificing oneself for the "common good."

10. "Sacred sex: Students get lessons about pagan societies' appreciation for the "unifying power of promiscuity." By studying these pagan notions on sexuality, children get the idea that promiscuity is normal and acceptable."

11. "Serpent worship: Many ancient or primitive cultures throughout history have worshipped snakes, which have symbolized occult power, wisdom, and rebirth. Public school multicultural history classes that celebrate these primitive societies can idealize cultures that worshipped serpents."

Dreams, visions, magic, spells, sorcery, astrology, spirit worship, divination, solstice rites, human sacrifice, sacred sex, and altered states of consciousness? Is this what our children should be learning? Should schools turn children into Earth-and spirit-worshipers? Should parents pay property taxes for public schools that promote pagan religions that can affect their children's ability to tell facts from spirit dreams?

Teaching pagan beliefs and religions can harm children. Author Aldus Huxley wrote about 'new-think' indoctrination in Brave New World, his frightening novel about a future totalitarian society. In his book, school authorities molded children's minds so that as adults, they lost their ability to think critically or judge the policies of their leaders.

Indoctrinating children with pagan beliefs in our public schools could have a similar effect. If a child believes he or she can turn into a bird or pass a math test by rubbing a voodoo necklace, then facts, reason, hard work, and dedication go out the window.

Pagan mysticism can warp a child's ability to think critically and to grasp and deal with reality. Are state-controlled public schools deliberately trying to cripple children's ability to reason and deal with facts? School authorities would say that they are simply trying to get children to appreciate other cultures and religions. What they are really doing is to indoctrinate children with the notion that all cultures and religions are "equal" and "harmless," when they are not.

Parents, I can think of no better way to corrupt your children's mind's than by keeping them in government-controlled, public-school indoctrination centers. When was the last time you visited your children's classrooms and heard what they are really teaching your children?