California's New Curriculum Makes Children Aware of Pre Christian Gods


Christian pundits are up in arms about a proposed elementary curriculum change for California's public schools. If there is something similar it is Texas where Christianity is crammed into elementary books.

In California, the curriculum will present the history of the North American continent accurately. It will explain native people lived here and were conquered by white Europeans. In religion, the white Europeans God replaced the gods the native people worshipped previously. It will name these gods. Children will, I assume, be required to learn and remember these gods and what each one of the stood for. According to a right wing Christian site children will learn chants made to these gods. 

Some state legislatures have mandated their school systems teach "religion." I suppose the legislators who advocate this assume children will be properly indoctrinated with Christianity. That is, they are not aware of any other religions except Christianity. They also assume atheistic thought will not be included since it is not called a "religion." In addition, probably many legislatures are not aware there are indigenous religions. These include the religions carried by slaves into southern U.S.

When I was a Mayor, the various religious groups in the small city of Fargo, ND, came by for courtesy calls. Almost everyone of them would leave as a gift their religious tome. I think I had eight at one point. Today I'm sure there are more of them. There were a thousand or so Native Americans in the City at that time and they did not come by to discuss their native religions. I heard from others these were practiced. 

To me it seems a little risky to teach elementary or high school students comparative religion or any much about religion at all. Many teachers, I would guess, would be accused to indoctrination even if they tried never to do this. Inevitably there would be teachers who would indoctrinate. 

But teaching students the truth of history is a good for everyone. That native and black people were force to abandon their indigenous religions at the point of a gun is information all citizens should know.

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