Dreamcatcher, by Alan Taylor

Are the godless pagans winning the culture wars? You decide:

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.

“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.” . . .

“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.”

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. . . .

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.” [All of the above seem like wonderful exercises in respect for nature and its cycles, but this they must have made up.]

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.” [What?? Examples please!]

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.” [Wasn’t there something about this in the bible? Adam and eve and all that?]

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. [Somehow I don’t think Native American spirituality was what he had in mind.] . . .

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.

Oh, the horror of it all – teaching ancient spirituality systems as though they were equal to the One True Way.

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