Sterilizing American History
The following true account illustrates how secular revisionists are rewriting our nation’s public school books to remove any reference to Christianity as it pertains to the founding of our nation, and how they are inserting an alternate, false view of American history into the pages.
This true account also illustrates how Christianity is being vehemently persecuted in the public school system, while other religions, such as New Age and Satanism, are being allowed to flourish within the same public schools. What you are about to read is not the exception in our public school system. It has become the norm.
In October 1988, I was a substitute teacher at a public middle school in Ocala, Florida. My first assignment was to substitute for the eighth grade history teacher. I was to teach on the major accomplishments of King James of England.
King James is directly responsible for today’s English version of the Bible, having authorized the translation of the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts into the English language of his day. Scholars readily agree that this was his greatest accomplishment; on this there is no debate. For no other book has impacted Western Civilization as has the Authorized King James Version of the Bible. This translation, authorized by King James, was begun in 1604 by forty-seven of the best Biblical scholars and linguists of his day.
It took these scholars and linguists seven years to complete the task.
Let’s consider for a moment the significance of the King James Version of the Bible.
The Ten Commandments, in the Book of Exodus, Chapter 20, verses 1-17, form the basis for the legal code of Western Civilization. This includes Great Britain and the United States. The Ten Commandments are the Common Law of the United States. [see Outlawing the Ten Commandments]
In addition, the influence of the King James Version of the Bible is clearly seen in all
of our nation’s founding documents, such as the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration
of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and our fifty state constitutions.
From our nation’s very beginning, civil servants were required to take an oath of office that stated they believed in the God of the Bible, and would uphold the principles taught in the Bible. Our public schools taught Bible instruction in the classroom, and encouraged prayer in the classroom from 1607 until 1962.
The King James Version of the Bible has also had a profound impact on literature.
The works of famous authors such as Herman Melville, William Wordsworth, C.S. Lewis, John Milton, John Bunyan, and John Dryden are full of inspiration derived from the King James Version of the Bible.
And because the King James Version of the Bible is easily understood by the average reader, it has, since its appearance in 1611, been considered a building block of learning early Modern English. To this day, every year, the King James Version of the Bible remains one of the world’s top selling books, and one of the most widely read literary works.
My first day on the job at that public middle school in Ocala, Florida, as I began my first period history class, I told my students to open their school texts to the appropriate chapter, and I began to teach from the required text on the major accomplishments of King James.
The required text pointed out many of his accomplishments, even that he raised horses. However, to my shock and great surprise, the text failed to mention that King James had commissioned his English version of the Bible--his greatest accomplishment according to scholars.
So I said to my students, “Your textbook has left out King James’ most important accomplishment. Do any of you know what it might be?” None of the students could
tell me. So I began to give them hints. “This accomplishment of King James forms the foundation for all the laws of Western Civilization.” None of the students could tell me
the answer. After giving them several more hints, after which they still couldn’t guess
the answer, I said, “It’s a book. You probably have one of these sitting on top of your coffee table at home.”
“Is it the Bible?”
“Yes.” I then briefly explained to them--for thirty to sixty seconds--how King James had gathered the best Biblical scholars and of his day to translate the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts into the English language so that the Bible could be read and understood by the common people. No longer would the English people need to hear
the scriptures being read to them in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Because of King James,
the scriptures became accessible to everyone who spoke and read English. And I explained to my students how his Authorized Version has impacted Western Civilization more than any other book in the history of the world.
Everything I related to my students was an historical fact. At no time did I preach
the gospel to them or try to proselytize them into the Christian religion. At no time did
I mention the word God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. I simply mentioned the greatest accomplishment of King James--according to scholars--which the required school text
had omitted.
As I relayed this information to my students, the eighth grade Science teacher, whose classroom was adjacent to mine, stood outside in the hallway, listening. Evidently, he had been on break and had been returning to his classroom. He then quickly disappeared.
Five minutes later, the bell rang to dismiss class. The next group of students entered
my room. But before I could finish taking attendance, a woman from the office entered
the room and told me that the Principal wanted to see me—right now. And to the Principal’s office I went.
After taking a seat in her office, the Principal said, “Mr. Painter, I’ve been informed that you are teaching students about the Bible. This school does not allow teachers to mention God, Jesus, or the Bible in the classroom.” She pulled a sheet of paper from a manila folder. “This is a copy of your lesson plan for today. You are to teach on the
major accomplishments of King James of England.”
“That’s what I was doing. I was following the lesson plan.”
“No, you were teaching students about the Bible.”
"Principal, the school text listed many of King James’ accomplishments, but omitted his most important one. So I mentioned that fact to the class.”
“Mr. Painter, this school does not allow its teachers to mention God, Jesus, or the Bible. Just stick to the text. That will be all, Mr. Painter.”
And I returned to my classroom.
Several days later, at this same school and with the same eighth grade students, my lesson plan for the day was to teach about the Pilgrims first thanksgiving in America.
As I covered the required material from the school text, I noticed that, at the bottom of
the left page, there was a drawing of several Pilgrims and Indians sitting together at a table in a wooded area, obviously saying ‘grace’ before eating their meal. However, the caption read, Pilgrims giving thanks to the gods of corn. I couldn’t believe my eyes! So I read the caption a second time. Sure enough, that’s what it said: Pilgrims giving thanks
to the gods of corn. So I pointed out the error to my students.
“Class, let me have your attention for a moment. On the left page, there’s a drawing of some Pilgrims eating Thanksgiving dinner with some Indians. However, your book has a misprint, the caption is wrong. The Pilgrims weren’t praying to the ‘gods of corn.’ They were praying and giving thanks to Almighty God, the God of the Bible.”
As the words left my lips, I noticed the Science teacher, who had been standing outside my classroom in the hallway, disappear from view. Five minutes later, a woman from the office entered the room and told me that the Principal wanted to see me--right now. And to the Principal’s office I went.
“Mr. Painter, we had this same conversation several days ago. As I explained to you then, I will reiterate now. You are not to mention God, Jesus, or the Bible in the classroom.”
“But the textbook is wrong. The Pilgrims never prayed to the ‘gods of corn’. I corrected the error with accurate history.”
“You are to stick to the text.”
“But the text is wrong! And just so you’ll know, I wasn’t preaching the gospel or trying to proselytize the students into the Christian religion. I was teaching History, accurate history.”
“Just stick to the text. Is that clear?”
“Yes, it’s clear. Not accurate, but clear.”
“And Mr. Painter, if we have this conversation again, I’ll have to ask you not to teach at this school. Is that clear?”
“Yes, ma’am.” And I returned to my classroom.
Two weeks later, this same public school asked me to substitute teach for a group of students that had been classified Special Ed. Most of these twenty students had learning disabilities, like dyslexia or attention deficit disorder. A few were just slow learners, and
a handful simply didn’t like to follow rules and had been placed in this class so as not to disrupt their other classes.
My assignment that day was to oversee this Special Ed class--more to baby-sit the class than to teach it, for I had been informed by the office that a man from Social Services would be working with my students that day. He had been working with this particular class for the past two months, one day a week.
The man from Social Services arrived promptly at nine o’clock. He told me to have a
seat at my desk and enjoy my break, that he would be teaching my students a lesson in Behavior Modification. What I observed will shock you.
He had the students clear the desks and chairs from center of the room, and instructed them to sit cross-legged, Indian-style, in a circle in the middle. He told them to close their eyes, and stretch their hands toward the ceiling. He then said, “I want you to calm yourself. I want you to relax. I want you to hum, softly, and feel the inner peace this exercise brings. I want you to get in touch with the universe.”
One of the students asked, “Like last week?”
“That’s right, just like last week.”
And as these public school students sat in the middle of the room, eyes closed, hands stretched toward the sky, humming to themselves, this employee from Social Services walked between them, encouraging them to get in touch with the universe. This exercise in New Age religion went on for more than thirty minutes. This was not an option for the students. It was mandatory.
As I watched these public school students being instructed in New Age religion
by a representative of the State, this question repeated in my mind: Why am I being admonished in the Principal’s office for teaching historical truth? Yet this man is
being allowed to teach these same students a New Age religious doctrine?
Two weeks later, Halloween took over that public school. And, once again, I was
asked to substitute teach. The classrooms and hallways were decorated with goblins and demons, and several teachers dressed up as witches and warlocks. I reported for work and taught my classes that day and again the following day.
Keep in mind that the U.S. Supreme court ruled in 1977 [Theriault v. Sibler] that Satanism is a legitimate religion, lawfully equivalent to Christianity. And that the Church of Satan proclaims in their Satanic Bible that Halloween is one of the most important religious holidays of that church. As I entered homeroom to begin my day, here's the question that ran through my mind...
Since it's against the law for a Christian teacher in a public school to display the Ten Commandments, even as historical facts [Stone v. Graham, 1980], or talk about God, Jesus, or the Bible in the classroom, [Engle v. Vitale, 1962; Abington Township v. Schemmp, 1963; Murray v. Curlett, 1963] why is it permissible for other teachers and students in that same public school to dress as witches and warlocks and decorate the hallways and celebrate Halloween? [Notice the dates on the lawsuits listed above. Prior to 1962--from 1620 until 1962--America's public school system was Christ-centered, and Bible instruction was a regular, integral part of public school.]
The morning after Halloween, during homeroom, one of my students asked, “Mister Lou, what did you do last night? Did you go to a Halloween party? Did you go trick-or-treating?”
Not wanting to get in trouble with the office, I simply answered, “No.”
“Then what did you do?”
“I can’t tell you. I’ll get in trouble.”
Everyone pleaded, “Please! Tell us what you did for Halloween! What did you do last night, Mister Lou?”
Since they initiated the question, I saw no harm in answering them. “All right. Since you asked, I’ll tell you.” Thirty students leaned forward in their seats. “On my way to school this morning, I heard on the radio that, as kids across the country were trick-or-treating last night, several of them were kidnapped.”
“I heard that, too,” said one of the students.
I nodded and said, “I also heard that a little boy in Texas was given an apple. When
he got home and bit into the apple, he bit into a razor blade and cut his mouth pretty badly.”
“I heard that, too,” said a student.
“Last night, I was concerned about all of you.”
“Thank you, Mister Lou!”
“I used to celebrate Halloween, but I don’t anymore. About a year ago, I became a Christian. And now, I don’t celebrate Halloween. Instead, last night, I went to a prayer meeting, and I asked God to protect each one of you from harm.”
Seven students gave me a standing ovation! And every one of my thirty students thanked me over and over for keeping them in my prayers. At that moment, the bell rang to end homeroom.
As my homeroom class filed out, I stood outside my door to welcome the entering class. And I could hear my homeroom students saying, very excitedly, to the other students they passed in the hallway, “You won’t believe what Mister Lou did last night! He was at a prayer meeting! Praying for us!”
Before I had finished taking attendance of my first period class, a woman from the office entered my room and told me that the Principal wanted to see me—right now. And to the Principal’s office I went. This time there was no discussion. The Principal never even asked me how the subject of Halloween came up. She told me that my classes would be covered for the rest of the day, and that I was to leave the school, that instant.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Two weeks later, as I was grocery shopping, several aisles away, I heard a young boy shout, “Mister Lou! Look Mom! It’s Mister Lou!”
It was one of my eighth grade students from the public school. He was smiling ear to ear, walking quickly toward me, dragging his mom along with him. His mother smiled warmly and said, “It’s nice to finally meet you! My son loved you as a teacher!”
“Thank You. That means a lot to me.”
“He told me what happened. We’re both very sorry.”
“Thanks. I really enjoyed teaching those kids.”
“Have you heard from the school? I mean, after the students filed the petition?”
“No, what petition?” I had no idea what she was talking about.
“After the school let you go, the students started a petition to bring you back. They
all signed it and gave it to the Principal. We’re hoping the school will bring you back.”
I was deeply touched by the gesture. But that public school never asked me to return.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
If you are a Christian, and teach in the public school system in the United States, I hope you will not allow the school administration to bully you because of your Christian beliefs. I was a relatively new Christian when I first became a teacher. I accepted at face value what that Principal told me. I did not understand that, as a Christian, I, too, had Constitutional rights.
Today, should I be called to the Principal’s office for teaching historical truth, or for answering a student’s question about how I spent Halloween, I would reach for my cell phone and say, “Excuse me a moment, Principal, while I call my attorney. My First Amendment rights are being violated.” And I’d dial 1-727-399-8300 and speak with the Christian Law Association.
This law firm gives free legal counsel to Christians who are facing harassment or discrimination for practicing their biblical faith. After making that phone call, I would return to my classroom and continue to teach my class.
If you are a teacher in the public school system, and you are being intimidated or harassed for your Christian beliefs, I encourage you to stand your ground, make that phone call, and return to your classroom and teach. The Constitution of the United States will back you up. Two hundred years of legal precedents will back you up. And the will of the American people will back you up.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
If you are the parent of a public school student in the United States, I strongly recommend that you examine your child’s textbooks for historical accuracy. Christianity is being sterilized from our public school textbooks to exclude contributions it has made
to American history, particularly contributions pertaining to the founding of America. Should you discover false revisions or important omissions, I encourage you to sound the trumpet. Sterilizing American History is a dangerous propaganda technique that should not be tolerated in the United States.
If you believe this has occurred in your child's textbook, notify your local newspaper, your local news station, and your elected local, state, and federal representatives. Most communities have a local television news channel that does investigative reporting. In the town where I live, Wilmington, North Carolina, it’s called, Six on Your Side, meaning local channel six. Your community has one, too. Call them if you find your child’s history book is being rewritten with false information.
You may be wondering, But where would I begin to look to uncover such propaganda? The answer: your child’s History book. Though every history book in America refers to Patrick Henry’s famous quote that helped spark the American Revolution, most public school texts have been sterilized to exclude his reference to Almighty God.
Patrick Henry’s famous quote is accurately documented by History as being:
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what others may do, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.
Today, revisionists have sterilized most texts to read:
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
I know not what others may do, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.
See the difference?
The major accomplishment of King James of England was his Authorized Version the Bible; Pilgrims never gave thanks to the gods of corn, they prayed to Almighty God; and during the Revolutionary War, at Valley Forge, George Washington did kneel and pray and ask for God’s help during our nation’s darkest moment. And God answered his prayer.
The sterilization of historical references to Christianity from our public school textbooks—and the inclusion of Atheistic propaganda into these books--is a serious national problem that We, the People, can correct.
