Humanism & Our Institutions

Introduction: Sometimes I think about the changes my Papal Beasley saw in his lifetime. Electricity in every house, in door plumping, automobiles, man walking on the moon, and so on. But those changes did not come in a short but a long period of time. We often adapt and don't even realize the changes that have occurred. Humanism has changed our society by changing our points of reference over a long period of time.

I) God and Our Country

A) Religious freedom was one reason our country was established. But not just religion but Christianity

1. Religious groups can to this country seeking religious freedom. (Puritans, Quakers, Methodist, etc.)

a. First Charter of Virginia (granted by King James I, on April 10, 1606)

Lastly and chiefly the way to prosper and achieve good success is to make yourselves all of one mind for the good of your country and your own, and to serve and fear God the Giver of all Goodness, for every plantation which our Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted out.

b. The Mayflower Compact (authored by William Bradford) 1620

“Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine our selves together…”

c. John Adams and John Hancock: We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus! [April 18, 1775]

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." --October 11, 1798

2. Many of our early laws reflected the Bible -- blue laws where it was illegal for businesses to be open on Sunday; divorce laws in most states allowed divorce for unfaithfulness, cruel behavior, and mental illness, etc.

3. Congress begins every session with prayer

4. Schools started with prayers every day, 10 Commandments posted, Bible used in literature classes, McGuffey Readers taught moral and spiritual lessons.

Thomas Paine:
“ It has been the error of the schools to teach astronomy, and all the other sciences, and subjects of natural philosophy, as accomplishments only; whereas they should be taught theologically, or with reference to the Being who is the author of them: for all the principles of science are of divine origin. Man cannot make, or invent, or contrive principles: he can only discover them; and he ought to look through the discovery to the Author.”
“ The evil that has resulted from the error of the schools, in teaching natural philosophy as an accomplishment only, has been that of generating in the pupils a species of atheism. Instead of looking through the works of creation to the Creator himself, they stop short, and employ the knowledge they acquire to create doubts of his existence. They labour with studied ingenuity to ascribe every thing they behold to innate properties of matter, and jump over all the rest by saying, that matter is eternal.” “The Existence of God--1810”

B) Gradually our country has trended away from God, Hebrews 2.1

1. Prayers have been outlawed at all school and extra-circular events. August 15, 2009 " School Principle, Athletic Director could go to jail for Prayer Before Lunch at School" This was a lunch for school employees after school hours and not students were present.

2. Students have been told to not bring their Bible to school.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—A 10-year-old student at Karns Elementary School and his parents, represented by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Wednesday against representatives with the Knox County school system. School and district officials prohibit students from reading and discussing the Bible during recess.

3. Declaration of Independence

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

II) Humanism and Our Institutions

"The purpose and program of humanism is to evaluate, transform, control, and direct all associations and institutions. The state is the means by which such is accomplished -- however, whenever, wherever, and whatever areas the state may choose." Robert Wagoner, 1988

A) Humanist have used our legal system to advance their theology, Deut. 16.19

1. Using the Supreme Court

a. Roe v. Wade in 1973 struck down state laws banning abortion

b. U.S. Supreme Court Decisions
(arranged by date)

McCollum v. Board of Education Dist. 71, 333 U.S. 203 (1948)

Court finds religious instruction in public schools a violation of the establishment clause and therefore unconstitutional.

Burstyn v. Wilson, 72 S. Ct. 777 (1952)

Government may not censor a motion picture because it is offensive to religious beliefs.

Torcaso v. Watkins, 367 U.S. 488 (1961)

Court holds that the state of Maryland cannot require applicants for public office to swear that they believed in the existence of God. The court unanimously rules that a religious test violates the Establishment Clause.

Engel v. Vitale, 82 S. Ct. 1261 (1962)

Any kind of prayer, composed by public school districts, even nondenominational prayer, is unconstitutional government sponsorship of religion.

Abington School District v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963)

Court finds Bible reading over school intercom unconstitutional and Murray v. Curlett, 374 U.S. 203 (1963) - Court finds forcing a child to participate in Bible reading and prayer unconstitutional.

Epperson v. Arkansas, 89 S. Ct. 266 (1968)

State statue banning teaching of evolution is unconstitutional. A state cannot alter any element in a course of study in order to promote a religious point of view. A state's attempt to hide behind a nonreligious motivation will not be given credence unless that state can show a secular reason as the foundation for its actions.

Lemon v. Kurtzman, 91 S. Ct. 2105 (1971)

Established the three part test for determining if an action of government violates First Amendment's separation of church and state:
1) the government action must have a secular purpose;
2) its primary purpose must not be to inhibit or to advance religion;
3) there must be no excessive entanglement between government and religion.

Stone v. Graham, 449 U.S. 39 (1980)

Court finds posting of the Ten Commandments in schools unconstitutional.

Wallace v. Jaffree, 105 S. Ct. 2479 (1985)

State's moment of silence at public school statute is unconstitutional where legislative record reveals that motivation for statute was the encouragement of prayer. Court majority silent on whether "pure" moment of silence scheme, with no bias in favor of prayer or any other mental process, would be constitutional.

Edwards v. Aquillard, 107 S. Ct. 2573 (1987)

Unconstitutional for state to require teaching of "creation science" in all instances in which evolution is taught. Statute had a clear religious motivation.

Allegheny County v. ACLU, 492 U.S. 573 (1989)

Court finds that a nativity scene displayed inside a government building violates the Establishment Clause.

Lee v. Weisman, 112 S. Ct. 2649 (1992)

Unconstitutional for a school district to provide any clergy to perform nondenominational prayer at elementary or secondary school graduation. It involves government sponsorship of worship. Court majority was particularly concerned about psychological coercion to which children, as opposed to adults, would be subjected, by having prayers that may violate their beliefs recited at their graduation ceremonies.

2. ACLU - humanist organization that supports any anti-bible position.

a. Homosexual marriages in five states due to court system.

i. BOSTON, February 4, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a 4-3 split decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that denying same-sex couples the official status of 'marriage' versus a 'civil union' is 'unconstitutional.

ii. Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in favor of "gay marriage' October 10, 2008

3.What does our God say? Amos 5.15,24

a. Our society has become drunk on its own "freedom" Provers 31.5

B) the Mass Media

1. Radio, television, newspapers, movies, etc. They exist for two reasons, a. to make money, b. to teach an ideology

a. Music -- used to promote sex, drugs, violence, resist all authority. Music videos not only gives the lyrics but also the visual impact

b. Television with cable channels are on 24/7/365, Phil. 4.8

i. vulgar language, materialism in its shows and commercials

ii. Situation ethics

iii. Illicit sexual content -- 65% of shows during prime time contain sexual messages; 70% of people in a sexual relationship on tv are unmarried.

2. Why? Writers, producers, and executives -- 97% pro-abortion, 80% approve of homosexuality, 54% nothing wrong with adultery, 93% seldom or never go to church

3. Most news stories concerning religion are ignored unless there is a scandal, religion is generally portrayed as negative.

C) Schools

1. Not all teachers are humanist but some are and the system is devoted to the teaching of humanism

a. John Dewey a devote humanist is called the father of our modern educational system.

b. "I am convinced that the battle for humankind's future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers that correctly perceive their role as proselytizers of a new faith: a religion of humanity that recognizes and respects the spark of what theologians call divinity in every human being...The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and new -- the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism, resplendent with the promise of a world in which the never-realized Christian ideal of 'love thy neighbor'

will finally be achieved." -- John Dunphy

2. Values clarification (situational analysis, moral relativism) taught in various classes such as sociology, psychology, science, etc.

3. Common methods such as the life boat exercise gets the students to decide who will live or die. Isaiah 5.18-23

4. Evolution taught as a fact and creationism or intelligent design is ridiculed.

a. The State of State Science Standards in 2005 gave Indiana and "A) with one of their reasons being because of their curriculum handled "human evolution" so well.

b. On the other hand it gave Kentucky a "D" because of the absence of the word "evolution" in the material. Although the material did in fact teach evolution but it did not use the "E" word.

D) Religion has become more and more social in nature and less and less about man's soul

1. Denial of the deity of Jesus, question Bible authority.

2. Refocus religion to man's social needs, Acts 22.16

3. No absolute moral laws, hence, the acceptance of homosexuality, drunkenness, gambling, etc.

III) What Should We Do

A) Pray for our leaders, 1 Timothy 2.1-4

B) Turn off the tv and complain to the networks and sponsors

C) Realize the difference between than which is legal and that which is right, Acts 4.19

D) Teach our children, Ephesians 6.4

E) Preach the Gospel to our neighbors 2 Timothy 2.2-4

F) Do not fellowship but stand up against evil, Ephesians 5.6-7, 11

Home Page