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Humanism, in the context of education, often refers to an emphasis on human values, capacities, and concerns, centered exclusively on human welfare and fulfillment. This philosophical stance centers on human agency and rationality, excluding or minimizing supernatural or divine perspectives. In effect, it places humans on the ‘throne’ and takes Christ off the ‘throne.’  It is incompatible with Christian biblical teaching and, as it is taught in public schools over 10,000 hours from K-12, it grossly distorts an understanding of God in students.

How Secular Public Education Teaches Humanism

  1. Focus on Human Potential and Reason: In secular education, there is a strong emphasis on human abilities, rationality, and the potential for human progress. The curriculum highlights the achievements and capabilities of humans without attributing these to divine intervention or guidance.

  2. Ethical and Moral Instruction: Ethical education in secular schools is grounded in humanistic principles such as individual rights, social justice, and the common good, rather than religious or divine commandments.  For the humanist, ethics and morals are a relative construct subject to individual self-interpretation.  
     

Examples:

  • Literature and Arts: The curriculum over 13 years focuses on human experiences and achievements, celebrating human creativity and expression without necessarily connecting these to religious themes.  Beauty becomes relative without any moral rubric.

  • Social Studies: The study of human societies and cultures often centers on human actions and decisions, understanding societal changes and developments through a human-centric lens.  God’s sovereignty and providence is completely disregarded and sidelined (more often it is ridiculed). 

  • Scientific Endeavors: Science education highlights human discovery and understanding of the natural world, emphasizing empirical evidence and rational thought.
     

Humanism in Christian Education: Emphasis on Theocentric Worldview Description

Christian education, in contrast, emphasizes a theocentric (God-centered) worldview. While acknowledging human capabilities, it places them within the context of a divine plan and purpose, emphasizing God’s providential role as creator and sustainer in human affairs.

 

How Christian Education Addresses Humanism

  1. Acknowledging Human Limitations and Divine Sovereignty: Christian education teaches that while humans are created in the image of God and possess significant abilities, they are ultimately dependent on God, and their actions and achievements are part of a larger divine narrative.

  2. Integrating Faith in Moral Education: Moral and ethical teachings in Christian schools are based on biblical principles, emphasizing the importance of divine guidance in understanding and practicing moral behavior.

 

Examples:

  • Literature and Arts: These subjects are taught with an appreciation for human creativity as a reflection of the divine Creator. Biblical themes and Christian perspectives are often integrated into the study of arts and literature.

  • History and Social Studies: These subjects are approached with the understanding that human history is part of God's sovereign plan, and social changes are seen in the light of biblical prophecy and Christian doctrine.

  • Science: The study of science is seen as exploring God's creation, with an acknowledgment of the limits of human understanding and the mystery of the divine hand in the natural world.

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In summary, secular public education exclusively promotes a humanistic approach, focusing on human reason, potential, and achievements as ends in themselves.  Completely opposed to the public teaching, Christian education places human experiences and abilities within the context of a theocentric worldview – God’s sovereignty and providence. This distinction leads to radically different approaches in curriculum content, moral and ethical instruction, and the understanding of human roles and responsibilities. Humanism across all its expressions is anathema to God’s word and distorts the truth – turning what is holy and good into a lie. 

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