what everyone wants for their kids.

Back in the days of one-room schoolhouses and ruler-slapping teachers, everyone was taught the same material. There seemed to be one curriculum that was universally followed with no boycotts, protests, resignations, and the like. Those were also the days in which almost every family attended the local church on Sundays. Should we then conclude that a way of education is in correlation with the spiritual state of the people? Maybe yes, but perhaps no. There are some who still believe that there should be a pool of what should be taught, and anything outside of that pool is ridiculously absurd. I believe that this is ignorance and pride. Now, there may be someone reading this who just got a huge smile on his or her face, thinking, "Finally, someone who has seen the light! I can't take those Christians and their creationism! They think it's science, but it's just a bunch of crap." Just hold it right there. Let's take this whole creation/intelligent design vs. evolution issue for example. Both sides of this argument have been guilty of exclusion and ignorance. Those who support intelligent design often do not want evolution to be taught at all; those who support evolution often say that the opposing view should be forbidden from the classroom. Both sides claim that the other perspective is not even science, and that is enough of a reason to erase it from the curriculum. But is it really a matter of what is science, or is it a matter of selfishness and pride? Personally, I believe in creation, but I am not at all against receiving an education that also teaches me about evolution. Last time I checked, education was intended to help shape the minds of individuals, enabling them to think critically based on knowlegde that they have obtained, and, most importantly, to think for themselves. It is not uncommon for teachers to present their students with articles holding several different opinions about a subject; in fact, some assignments require atleast one source that contradicts the student's viewpoint.

I'm not saying that any new idea that pops up should immediately be taught in the classroom; however, I am saying that, in order for people's minds to grow and develop in the search for truth, there must be a search. God has created our minds so intricately and intentionally to operate well while discovering, looking, and testing. Although I say this, I do think that institutions should be able to say what they stand for as a disclaimer. For instance, I think a public school should present both sides of the intelligent design vs. evoluation debate and still tell students that they hold to a belief in the theory of evolution. On the other side of the spectrum, I also think that students could be taught about evolution in a Christian school with the knowledge that their school and religion believes in creation.

I think one of the problems today is that people just don't know enough about the things which disagree with their beliefs. We get into our little bubbles of similar opinions, and we view anything outside the bubble as garbage. Granted, some things may be false and ridiculous, but we need to know the things we're dealing with. We also need to realize that the objective of education should not be to win people to a particular side, but to properly inform people so that they can make a wise decision. When I say this, I don't mean that parents should just send their children off to school and hope they make a right choice based on the information they take in. I believe that parents play a huge role in the education of their children; they need to teach them what truth is and how to discern it. That way, students will have a better foundation for receiving what they are taught in the classroom.

Education is supposed to make people aware of the world around them: political and social issues, religions, differing opinions in science, contradicting historical accounts, multiple interpretations of the same poem. We cannot be as informed as we should be if we are adament about only listening to one curriculum. As Christians, I believe that we must hold fast to Scripture, as that is where truth is found. Our Biblical mindset, however, should not give us reason to be ignorant; rather, it should stir us to learn even more about the world, in hopes that we might better shine the light of Christ in those areas which are dark.