I did not know any families that were divorced when I was a little girl. Everyone I went to public school with attended church or temple with their family. When people talked about preachers, priests, and rabbis, there was a respect in the tone of their voice.
But times are a-changin' and in my lifetime, I have seen sweeping changes throughout the nation and the world. The Bible is bashed, parents are dishonored, divorce is rampant, and Christians are ridiculed.
Secular Humanism
So how did these changes occur? Humanism was "reborn" in the Renaissance (the word Renaissance means "rebirth") that occurred in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The Ancient Greek culture was "rediscovered" along with their preoccupation with human perfection.
Since that time, man has fallen more and more in love with man. Now, we see a preoccupation with self instead of genuine concern for the welfare of others. Instead of "What does God think about this?" we ask, "What will make me feel good?" If divorce will get rid of an unwanted husband, then a woman will divorce him, not thinking about the effect on her children.
With God no longer in people's minds as the Supreme Authority, people do what is right in their own eyes. The theory of evolution, popularized by Charles Darwin in the 1800's further eroded man's accountability to God. If we just evolved from a pool of slime by chance, why do we need to obey God?
Universities
Secular Humanist ideas spread throughout American universities. Our grandparents were learning of the "foolishness" and "naiveté" of our Founding Fathers because they trusted in God and longed for His favor on our fledgling nation.
However, for the most part, secular humanist ideas remained within the confines of the universities and the intellectual elite. Mr. and Mrs. Average America did not buy into these ideas. That changed in the 1960's.
The ideas of Western Culture on which our nation was founded were simply not taught. Judeo-Christian ideas were treated as if they did not exist. New ideas were introduced without sharing where they were coming from. Drugs were popularized by college professors who bought into Aldous Huxley's ideas about mysticism, pacificism, and psychedelic drugs. College students jumped on the bandwagon, joining protest marches, engaging in "free love," and experimenting with drugs.
Universities were no longer just a place to undermine Christian young people's faith, now they were promoting a lifestyle of rebellion against God's Word. Christian young people from then until now attend college and listen to Christianity ridiculed in their classes while being tempted 24/7 to fall into a lifestyle of drinking, drugs, and sexual immorality.
The Media
But times are a-changin' and in my lifetime, I have seen sweeping changes throughout the nation and the world. The Bible is bashed, parents are dishonored, divorce is rampant, and Christians are ridiculed.
Secular Humanism
So how did these changes occur? Humanism was "reborn" in the Renaissance (the word Renaissance means "rebirth") that occurred in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The Ancient Greek culture was "rediscovered" along with their preoccupation with human perfection.
Since that time, man has fallen more and more in love with man. Now, we see a preoccupation with self instead of genuine concern for the welfare of others. Instead of "What does God think about this?" we ask, "What will make me feel good?" If divorce will get rid of an unwanted husband, then a woman will divorce him, not thinking about the effect on her children.
With God no longer in people's minds as the Supreme Authority, people do what is right in their own eyes. The theory of evolution, popularized by Charles Darwin in the 1800's further eroded man's accountability to God. If we just evolved from a pool of slime by chance, why do we need to obey God?
Universities
Secular Humanist ideas spread throughout American universities. Our grandparents were learning of the "foolishness" and "naiveté" of our Founding Fathers because they trusted in God and longed for His favor on our fledgling nation.
However, for the most part, secular humanist ideas remained within the confines of the universities and the intellectual elite. Mr. and Mrs. Average America did not buy into these ideas. That changed in the 1960's.
The ideas of Western Culture on which our nation was founded were simply not taught. Judeo-Christian ideas were treated as if they did not exist. New ideas were introduced without sharing where they were coming from. Drugs were popularized by college professors who bought into Aldous Huxley's ideas about mysticism, pacificism, and psychedelic drugs. College students jumped on the bandwagon, joining protest marches, engaging in "free love," and experimenting with drugs.
Universities were no longer just a place to undermine Christian young people's faith, now they were promoting a lifestyle of rebellion against God's Word. Christian young people from then until now attend college and listen to Christianity ridiculed in their classes while being tempted 24/7 to fall into a lifestyle of drinking, drugs, and sexual immorality.
The Media
The media followed by hopping on the band wagon. You can pinpoint the cut-off date when movies were no longer wholesome, promoting family values. Ozzie and Harriet and other healthy families on television gave way to sitcoms that ridiculed morality and portrayed fathers as foolish. The newspapers, movies, art, and music began to propagate anti-Christian values. Soon secular humanist ideas were embraced by the general culture. Today, there is not an area of life untouched by these ideas.
For American history last year, I showed our history co-op class a series of sitcoms to give them a feel for America in the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's. We watched Ozzie and Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, Dick Van Dyke, and Brady Bunch. After the four shows were over, I asked my children what stood out to them the most as far as differences between the shows they had watched and today's shows and movies. Their response surprised me. I expected them to mention language (lack of swearing) or clothing (more modest than today!), but they mentioned manners. "People were so kind to one another back then." Ah, good old-fashioned manners. How quickly we forget them when we move into a post-Christian culture.
Our Response
Yes, we are homeschooling in terrible times, but we have in our home schools the brightest hope for the future. Now, more than ever, we need to see homeschooling as a calling and ministry, not a lifestyle choice. Let's raise our little ones according to God's Word for the glory of God! Our children can grow up to be world-changers. It is never too late for revival. That revival may just start in your home school.
Don't give up!
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
For American history last year, I showed our history co-op class a series of sitcoms to give them a feel for America in the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's. We watched Ozzie and Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, Dick Van Dyke, and Brady Bunch. After the four shows were over, I asked my children what stood out to them the most as far as differences between the shows they had watched and today's shows and movies. Their response surprised me. I expected them to mention language (lack of swearing) or clothing (more modest than today!), but they mentioned manners. "People were so kind to one another back then." Ah, good old-fashioned manners. How quickly we forget them when we move into a post-Christian culture.
Our Response
Yes, we are homeschooling in terrible times, but we have in our home schools the brightest hope for the future. Now, more than ever, we need to see homeschooling as a calling and ministry, not a lifestyle choice. Let's raise our little ones according to God's Word for the glory of God! Our children can grow up to be world-changers. It is never too late for revival. That revival may just start in your home school.
Don't give up!
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
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