Evangelical Schools Ordered to Teach Darwin

This week, Canada’s Quebec government told Christian schools they must teach Darwin’s theory of evolution and sex education in accordance with that province’s approved curriculum or close their doors. Interestingly, proponents of the directions say that “children are legally required to follow the provincial curriculum” and these kids (aged 6 to 16) are not. Wow. Maybe we should put them all in jail – these disobedient and rebellious little brats. The only ones that can get away with it, according to the law, are those that are ‘home-schooled’.

Proponents also say that some who use, and I quote, “a Bible-based curriculum” will have high-school diplomas not “recognized anywhere in Canada”. Really. I have a hunch they’ll be recognized even more especially as these kids may well score higher in core subjects.

Christian schools and their supporters argue that they teach a “Christian world view” that is essential to their children, and not one based on a “humanistic world view”. They also teach evolution preparing their children for what they’ll face out in the world, but don’t ignore “intelligent design”. In the process they point out weaknesses in Darwin’s theory while favoring the creationist approach.

On the sex education matter, most Christian schools teach biology. Being true to Scriptures, or as importantly, their basic beliefs, these schools believe and thus teach, that sex belongs in marriage and that abstinence is the best practice prior to marriage.

One of the schools under attack passed two government reviews in the 1990’s but had to add a national history course. The government is currently negotiating with many of these Christian schools to see if they can "meet government standards" in these areas. Some Jewish-faith schools are also in the same category, but less attention was given to them in the article.

So, what’s at play here? Once again, evangelicals are being squeezed. The humanists are failing to see that they are eroding the very basis of our society in terms of what ultimately helps man and woman live a life of valuable contribution to society. The Christians are sitting idly by and still not taking an “enough is enough” approach to keeping the foundations of our society in place, including “moral law” and the reference to, and recognition of, God in our society. Yet the percentage of people who believe in a supreme being continues to be high!

Once again, we get the laws that our politicians want to support; we get the judgments from judges that our politicians enable; and we get the politicians we deserve. Oh, and to boot, we protest against anyone who is trying to do battle on our behalf if he/she doesn’t do it exactly our way.

Finally, those of us that are Christians, have, by our inaction, given way to the success of what many call “Christian humanism” – the reality is that this is an incredible contradiction in terms. Jesus Christ, after whom Christianity is named, giving us the word Christian (or Christ-follower) would have no part of humanism, the idea that human beings can satisfy religious needs from within, discarding the concept of God as inconsistent with advanced thought and human freedom. But then again when “man” becomes his own God, he can still use any name he wants and totally discard the true intention of the name’s owner. But only to the grave!

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