A New Realization (for me)
Now that Dr. Seuss' estate has properly examined their works and made changes in order to refrain from influencing kids' minds with racist content, we should expect that other influencers do the same, right? As I was watching a documentary with my kids the other week, I felt uncomfortable with something that was explained. A scientist or an archeologist, I can't remember which, and it doesn't actually matter which, showed a picture of a skull that was apparently found on the continent of Africa. It was believed to be the skull of something like a Neanderthall, similar to a human skull, but a slightly different shape.
It rubbed me the wrong way because I knew where that observation led. I realized at that moment that the theory of evolution is inherently racist. It would attribute differences in human races to evolution and claim that certain races are therefore superior or "more evolved" than others. I did a quick Google search and what I found supported my intuition. If you search it yourself, you will see that there are endless articles on the topic, some pointing out Darwin's own words, mostly from his work The Descent of Man, that consistently speak of a white superior race and a black race of savages that he predicted would eventually become extinct. He says, "Savages are states between people and apes". This article does a great job of laying this all out there.
Then there are other articles acknowledging this racism, while trying to defend it or brush it under the rug. Some say that regardless, his racist views don't affect his science. I'm not sure how not. His science completely supports notions that blame victims and remove responsibility from abusers, justifying claims such as African Americans are low on the household wealth scale and have high incarceration rates because of their own intrinsic inferiority, not because of systemic racism. This is apparently called scientific racism. Believing that a loving God created everyone uniquely with different strengths or gifts, in abundant variety that is reflected in individuals but also perhaps ethnic groups, and seeing people and people groups as reflecting the image of a loving God is a very different world view.
Check out this chart which gives the racial breakdown of people in the U.S. practicing different religions. You can see that people who identify as black are underrepresented in the religion of atheism. 3% as compared to a national percentage of 12%. I have not conversed with any African Americans about this, but assume that this underrepresentation is not due to a lack of welcoming in the congregation or history of segregation as is probably the reason behind things we see in this chart such as the United Methodist Church being 94% white whereas the African Methodist Episcopal Church is 94% black. Atheism doesn't really have weekly gatherings as the majority of the rest of this list does, although all U.S. public school students are introduced to atheism. I would assume that this underrepresentation of African Americans as atheists stems from the fact that they know that they are not a less evolved race and that the theory of evolution (large scale evolution as an explanation for the origin of man, that is), is based on that argument.
This article from The Journal of Negro Education, (a Howard University quarterly review), claims that this scientific racism that Darwinism promotes is a main factor in why people of the dominant group have found Darwinism so appealing, as opposed to actual scientific merit. This is serious stuff! "Science has often been used as a justification to propose, project, and enact racist social policies. The philisophical and political underpinnings of ideas associated with racial superiority and inferiority were first given scientific legitimacy and credence with the publication of Charles Darwin's (1859) revolutionary book, The Origin of Species." If society is to ignore this and continue to uphold Darwin and his teachings during this time where all of history is being examined, scrutinized, and cleaned out, then the hypocrisy will be too much to bear.
The theory of evolution as the origin of man directly contradicts the statement in the U.S. Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal", which is an important American doctrine. A few posts ago, I wrote about this topic. I argued that in an attempt for U.S. government to keep religion out of the schools, they are actually promoting the religion of atheism. There is not enough scientific proof to teach evolution as any sort of explanation for the origin of man. That itself is a faith based idea, not a scientific one. What is scientifically proven about evolution? What has actually passed the scientific method? Whatever has actually passed is what should be included in science class.
More Doubts
Furthermore, as I watch these interesting documentaries with my kids, I find that many claims highly contradict much of what I learned in law school. Scientists make claims to things that happened tens of thousands or even millions of years ago as if they are fact. However, if you look at how evidence is presented in the courtroom to protect the discovery of the truth, stating that anything happened before any eye witnesses were able to give testimony highly contradicts the way we seek to prove things in the courtroom. Even with modern day forensics, you do not rely on pieces of physical evidence alone to figure out the truth.
Someone might reply to that by saying that scientists know that such theories are not proven. Even if you hear them state something as if it's a fact, they recognize that there is a lot of guess involved. I would say that if they know it's a guess, then they should not ever speak of it as if it's a fact. Doing so hurts their accredibility altogether and may contribute to people not trusting highly important things that do have more proof, such as global warming.
Another life experience that has caused me to have an even more critical view of such statements making claims to things that happened long ago is the fact that I've spent the past 13 years of my life immersed in the Haitian community in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. One of the biggest differences between this life I have experienced and the life I experienced in the U.S. has to do with space. In the U.S., we often have a large amount of personal space. Haitians often live and interact in much closer quarters. It has an effect on so many aspects of life.
In the U.S., I often engaged in conversations where people told me things that happened between others, gossip basically, and I assumed it to be true. I found Haitians to generally be more careful about making such claims. Children are often taught to say they don't know when questioned. Sometimes this is bad because perhaps they do know something but are afraid of getting in trouble, but I would say that more often than not, it comes from a more humble point of view that has developed from gossip reaching the ears of the subject of the gossip in a more direct manner due to living in closer quarters. The lack of space and distance between people creates a higher level of accountability and awareness of "the other side of the story". As I observed this way of interacting, I realized that I had probably believed all sorts of gossip throughout my life that either wasn't true or was only partially true because I had never heard the other side of the story.
Therefore, after having gone through law school and learning in detail about the specific care taken by U.S. courts to protect the truth by objecting to things such as hearsay, and also becoming accustomed to a culture that is constantly reminded that there are two sides to every story, I react to these claims of things that happened millions of years ago with laughter. It seems ridiculous to me to even say such a thing as if it's proven. It also seems highly arrogant.
Proposed Modifications in Schools
My experience with K-12 U.S. public school from a child's point of view is that God was a taboo subject. I graduated from high school in 2003 so perhaps things have changed somewhat. Nonetheless, kids spend the majority of their time at school and the fact that God is "not allowed" is saying a lot. I appreciate the separation of church and state and the reason behind it. I honestly believe that God appreciates it too as he never wanted to force anyone to follow him but gave choice. But I do wonder if in an effort to honor the separation of church and state in order to refrain from pushing a state mandated religion, the opposite extreme hasn't been taken. Maybe it's time to balance out a bit.
I like the Alcoholics Anonymous approach to the topic of God from a human development perspective. As one of the steps to recovery, people going through the process have to put faith in God as they understand him. This is the second step, after they have admitted that they are powerless over the hold that alcohol has on them.
I find this to be a religiously open and universally healthy approach. Looking back at the list of religions practiced in the United States. most do believe in a higher power or admit to not knowing whether or not a higher power exists (agnostic). This link gives the breakdown of percentages of Americans (regardless of race) that practice each religion. Looks like at least three quarters of the U.S. believe in a higher power. Why, then, would there be an agenda to reflect otherwise in U.S. public school curriculum? That doesn't seem to make sense. We run a summer English camp here called Change My Stars. During the school year, our students are used to praying each morning. However, camp volunteers come from different faiths, mainly from the U.S. and Canada. It was a non-Christian volunteer, if I remember correctly, who suggested we start each day with the following prayer which she found online:
Thank you for the food we eat
Thank you for the friends we meet
Thank you for the birds that sing
We give thanks for everything
Amen.
I personally think that such an approach to spiritual life and child development makes more sense than removing all mention of spirituality altogether. I think engaging the intellect and spiritual life together is important. I myself sometimes felt like I was living a double life where my spiritual life was always a very real and important part of my life, but it was basically hidden at school, I felt. I can only assume that others experience or experienced a similar conflict and it could lead to a dichotomy where people feel like spiritual life and intellectual life are in opposition to one another.
I remember being delighted in college when my Sociology textbook included a snippet about a study where two groups of cancer patients were observed over the course of some constant period of time. The independent variable was that one group was being specifically prayed for while the other group was not. They had no idea they were being prayed for, but the recovery rate of those in the group receiving the experimental prayers was significantly higher.
We now know that the healthiest way to educate a multi-cultural group of children is to try to have representation of each children's culture and their family's native language in the classroom. We now know that it is better for parents who speak another language to continue speaking that language with their children at home rather than only communicate to their children in English, often at a lower level than they would in their native language. It's healthiest to celebrate those differences kids bring, rather than try to exclude their varying cultures and languages to promote a culture that only reflects majority American culture. This changes students from being disengaged, feeling as though part of them is unwanted and unwelcome, to feeling comfortable and able to engage at school. It's directly correlated to their success at school. I think the issue of spirituality can be viewed similarly. Rather than an approach that attempts to remove it or block it out, an all inclusive engagement may be best.
Here in the Dominican Republic, God is referred to as common practice in every day language, unlike in the United States. I was corrected many times for saying, "See you tomorrow" or stating any future plans as if I hold the future, before I finally got into the habit of saying "God willing" or as it's directly translated from both Creole and Spanish, "if God wants" or "if God allows". I love it. I absolutely love it. You also tell someone to "go with God" as they leave or "stay with God" if you are the one leaving. You say "sleep with God" as they head off to sleep.
As Albert Einstein said, "There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Which view gives people more purpose and hope? Growing up, I had peers who committed suicide and family members of peers who committed suicide. During a short visit over Christmas, my brother told us about multiple neighbors of his who committed suicide recently. I have lived here full time now for over 13 years. I spent a few years before that in transition between the U.S. and here. As I reflect, I can only think of two men I know of who have committed suicide, and both were European men. There is much more to say about that, but as I pondered the subject, I found that to be a point worth mentioning.
3 Extremes to Avoid
I personally think there are three extremes on this topic that should be avoided. I find these three extremes to be harmful religious beliefs that exclude others and cause conflict. I hope I don't offend anyone in saying this and that even if someone reading falls into one of these extremes, they are open to reading a critique, knowing that even if their beliefs or religion is critiqued, it is not a critique on them personally.
One extreme is atheism. I think it is arrogant and closed minded to ignore the spiritual experiences of so many people simply because they haven't experienced them themselves. I've already explained the problems I have with the theory of evolution. I can fully appreciate those who admit to not knowing or not reaching a conclusion, agnosticism, but for those who have concluded that God does not exist altogether, I see that as a premature conclusion and wish they would keep their options open a bit more.
The second extreme is any belief or underlying notion that God is working for you or your people. Christian nationalism is a good example. I would say that I've seen the same attitude in what I would call church going Haitian Christian nationalists. God is seen as being there to defend their personal cause and it doesn't seem to be considered that God may want them to practice more patience or understanding. God is weaponized. Prosperity gospel could maybe fall into this category as well.
The third extreme is anything that uses spiritual forces to bring about harm. In 2006 I first came to Puerto Plata and ran a street census along with other volunteers. We collected information on 140 boys working in the streets of Puerto Plata, 95% of whom were from Haiti. We then began supporting a school for Haitian immigrant kids, started a program for those working on the streets, and began housing a dozen or so. My husband actually has this background and some of the boys in the program have become like family to us. You can see an interview I did with one of our closest friends here:
These stories that Willy is sharing are what I have heard endlessly throughout the years from dozens of boys, although this exact topic was actually new to me during the interview. Some admitted to being raised to give food offerings to Satan. I have kept note of direct references to Satan as some who study world religions try to convince that Haitian voodoo does not involve Satan worship. This might not be what you read when you study an anthropology summary of voodoo, but these are the stories I have been told from those who have grown up in this religion. All boys sleep with the light on all night, at least until they get comfortable, and have an intense fear of evil spirits. Adoptive parents of Haitian children in the US and Canada have reported the same in a Facebook group I am a part of.
Pretty much any time a Haitian dies, family, friends, and acquaintances have an explanation or theory that ties the death to a voodoo attack from someone who didn't like the person. This is true whether the person died of sickness or a motorcycle accident. It is always attributed, at least in part, to spiritual warfare. Of course not all Haitians practice voodoo. Many are devout Christians. But even if someone does't practice voodoo, it doesn't mean that they don't suspect others who practice it. Therefore, there is always this division; these accusations and suspicions. People are always watching their backs and also have their guard up against others using magic to steal from them. I have found very little, if anything I would call good in all of this. If you watch Willy's interview, you'll see the fear he embodies over the subject and the gratefulness he shows having come to know God, a loving father, who he learned wants us to love others as we love ourselves.
I realize that my testimony claiming that Haitians accuse acquaintances of murdering their loved ones through spiritual warfare on a regular basis may seem to directly contradict my previous claim that Haitians are generally more careful to spread gossip than compared to what I observed in the U.S., as the use of space creates a higher level of accountability. However, I maintain that they both are true observations. Haitians are a complex folk that cannot be understood easily. They are also incredibly intelligent and multiply and divide by five on a whim while doing money transactions in an imaginary money system. Read more about that here or here. I've been intrigued watching children vendors do this.
Conclusion
Anyway, need I say more? I think we should stay away from those three extremes. Other than that, I would say that regardless of religious differences, we should be able to respect, appreciate, and unify. Separation of church and state means that no one religion is pushed by the state. It doesn't mean that most religions should be ignored or hidden by the state, because in doing so, the state is pushing atheism.
That is my positively honest opinion about the subject of religion, faith, and spirituality in U.S. public schools. Now to all of us who believe in a loving God or have hope that he exists, let's cancel Charles Darwin!
Also, did you hear that they recently found Dead Sea scrolls with texts from the books of Zacharias and Nahum? Pretty cool! Here's more info on that.
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