By Sylvia Adjoa Mitchell
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, Will of God.” Romans 12:2
EDUCATE NOT INDOCTRINATE
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7
Today, in our devotional, we will be considering two words: Education – ‘a process of teaching, training, and learning, especially in schools or colleges, to improve knowledge and develop skills’, and Indoctrination – ‘the act or process of forcing somebody to accept a particular belief or set of beliefs and not allowing them to consider any other’ (Oxford Dictionary). What does the Bible say?
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness
Deuteronomy 11:19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
Daniel 1:17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
What is the purpose of education? It should be to impart knowledge and skills. First of all, the skills we need to operate in our homes – cooking, ironing, house upkeep and repairs, child care, etcetera – have been eroded from our schools. It appears we are being tooled to work, but not for family life.
Secondly, some of our school syllabuses have been crafted with material that border on indoctrination. View https://moey.gov.jm/sites/default/files/GuideGrade1-3.pdf and other documents to see what our children are being taught. For example, ‘Bible education’ has been replaced by ‘religious education’ and our children are being taught that there are many ways to God (man’s reasoning); and not that Jesus, who rose from the dead, is the only Way (God’s Word).
Students are also being taught values and attitudes without mentioning God at all. When education teaches wrong for right, it becomes a destroyer, instead of an enabler. Theodore Roosevelt, an American President once wisely said:
“A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education”. We need to be vigilant and consider what our children are being taught. We must be proactive. Let us pray.
Dear God, thank You for schools. Thank You, Lord, for all the teachers who are teaching our children, especially during online learning. We pray that every teacher in Jamaica would put You first, that all teachers in Jamaica be born again and be guided by the Holy Spirit. We pray You cover and sanctify the school syllabuses of our country and protect our teachers who refuse to teach false information.
Please help us not to leave our children’s education only in the hands of the teachers. Help us to take up the responsibility of being a major source of their knowledge of You. Help us teach the ways of righteousness to our children – by what we say, by what we write, and by what we do.
Also, while students are learning and becoming skilled, release your visions and interpretations on them, so they understand that You are the best source of truth they will ever have.
We pray this for all of Jamaica’s children, not just our own. This we pray in Jesus name. Amen.
