The Danger of "the Tumultuous Torrent of Fugitive Ideas"

Stop and think!

I always enjoy reading Chronicles magazine. The article I read today described divisions in the political right. It isn't just the Dems who reflect chaos these days. The author made the point that language is being used on both sides of the aisle "less as an instrument of reasoning" and more as a justification for "tribal loyalty" with premises that "remain unexamined" resulting in "impoverished discourse in which both factions retain an appetite for shock and awe but very little for restraint, calibration, or discovery."

Wow! Too true!

What author Chloe Mastour describes isn't just evident in political disagreements. It seems to be the default position today in many areas and is particularly evident on social media. Many adopt fixed and unchangeable positions. No amount of reasoned argument can touch them. And sometimes those with opposite views, are equally fixed and unchangeable. 

Florida Atlantic University Apologizes for "Stomp on Jesus" Inciident

Once again, an event illustrates the power of one. ONE student (that we know of) stood up and refused to participate in the offensive violation of his religious rights. God bless this Mormon student. (Were there no Catholics in the class?) Stand up for the truth and for the respect our Lord and Savior deserves. And never underestimate the impact of one bold warrior for the truth!

Read more here.

It didn't hurt that Republican Governor Rick Scott got involved! Of course, this was no doubt a political blessing for him since the professor, Deandre Poole, is vice-chairman of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party -- nothing like a rep from the "party of sensitivity and tolerance" exhibiting insensitive intolerance. But how stupid can the professor be not to recognize such an act was likely to cause a firestorm? Suppose the student had asked the professor if he could write Martin Luther King on the paper? Or Allah? Or Ghandi? The exercise was obviously bigoted. So where was the professor's brain? Or has anti-Christian bigotry become so second nature to liberals that they are too blind to see it?

If you've ever seen the film Life is Beautiful, you may recall the Nazis using antisemitic and pro-Aryan items in student textbooks. Math word problems disparaged Jews with the stereotype of the greedy Jewish businessman. The classrooms of the U.S. today are following the Third Reich's hellish example as this episode (among many others) illustrates.

Parents, be vigilant, and raise your children to be critical thinkers who never obey an authority that orders something immoral!

Put These School Officials in Straightjackets

Hello Kitty assault weapon

Five-year-old designated "terrorist" because she challenged classmate to shoot it out with her Hello Kitty bubble gun (which was at home at the time).

Next thing we know Hello Kitty bubble guns will be designated assault weapons by Diane Feinstein.

The child was required to get a psych evaluation, but we all know who the real nuts are. Which just goes to show that working for the government makes you crazy. And the higher up you are, the more in need of the straight jacket and the padded cell.

This would be hilarious except for the serious ramifications for the child and her family. I hope they sue the dickens out of the school! Are teachers today really so silly that they can't solve a problem in the classroom between two five-year-olds? When my fourth graders were mean to each other, I always cited the golden rule and urged them to treat each other with respect (the BIG rule I had in my classroom). Did they always do it? Of course not, but their mistakes were learning opportunities. Today, respect has been replaced with correct, politically correct that is. Teach your children to be critical thinkers and question everything they are told by their teachers. If it doesn't stand the test of truth and common sense, ditch it. Just because someone is in a position of authority doesn't mean he's telling you the truth! And that goes for men in roman collars and miters.

More here. It's time the names of these people were published so they could be held up to the public ridicule they deserve. (Note the elementary school photo in the article. Doesn't it look like a jail? If it were my child or grandchild, she'd never go back. I'd home school in a nano-second for her mental health and safety.)

Critical Thinking Skills: Teach them to your children!

The discussion over Harry Potter (see yesterday's post) got me thinking about teaching children to be critical thinkers. I've been discussing the books with our oldest grandchild (16) who is pretty astute when it comes to seeing the right and wrong of things. I asked her once what Catholics believe and she replied that we have two creeds, the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed, that summarize our beliefs. We went on to discuss Holy Tradition and the Protestant focus on "sola scriptura" with no authority to back up their interpretation. It was an adult discussion and she held her own. Obviously, she didn't just memorize the prayers; she knows their importance. In a discussion on religion with a Protestant, I have no doubt she would be a good little apologist. I also am confident she could read Harry Potter and discuss its problems with insight and intelligence. Unfortunately, many of the children consuming the Potter ethic are much younger and more impressionable. Certainly some of the violence is inappropriate for middle school children regardless of what you think about the rest of the books.

But let's speak generally for a minute: what about "questionable" books, plays, movies, etc. Do they have a place in education? Well...I have mixed feelings. Obviously, some materials are so evil and perverse that no one, adult or child, should ever be exposed to them. The Marquis de Sade springs to mind. The lawyer husband of a good friend of mine was adamant that Silence of the Lambs was such a channel for evil, no one should ever watch it. I respected his opinion enough to steer clear. The devil cannot attack us directly through our reason, but our imagination offers him an open entrance if we fill it with evil images and pictures. He can draw on them forever as a source of temptation and seduction.

On the other hand, films can also be used to teach. I generally don't go to R movies, but a number of years ago I rented Philadelphia because it was being shown at a nearby Catholic high school that was always shilling for "tolerance" for homosexuals. The movie is a brilliant piece of propaganda for the "gay" lifestyle. Watching it with young adults and discussing the elements used to undermine the truth and promote the lie could be a valuable lesson in discernment.

The same can be true of books. I can see using Harry Potter as a lesson in how authors distort images and teach moral relativism and, of course, the occult (which has been discussed so often I'll not belabor it again.) Consider how the unicorn image is reversed from a symbol of Christ to a symbol that supports evil. Voldemort consumes the blood of the unicorn to strengthen his evil, but in medieval art, the unicorn is a Christ image. Christ's blood is the source of our salvation. And this isn't the only image in Harry Potter that is turned upside down. It's confusing and sowing confusion is a tactic of the enemy.

The series is also a study in moral relativism. The students at Hogwarts can justify anything for their "good" ends. Unfortunately, rationalization is endemic to frail, fallen humanity and Harry Potter defends it throughout the story -- especially in his relationships with his stereotyped relatives. In general the books preach gnosticism. Some characters, the magical ones, are higher than the unenlightened "muggles." They have special knowledge (of the occult) that makes them better than others. The ideas presented are seductive and it is not surprising that the books attract.

The heart of man longs for the spiritual and his curiosity tempts him to seek forbidden knowledge, for example about the future. It's not surprising for a faithless age to seek spiritual consolation in the wrong places. Harry Potter can be used to dissect these truths and recognize the seductive reasoning that makes man vulnerable to evil. The books also illustrate that the devil can appear as an angel of light. As Thomas Aquinas says, man always seeks the good. So, of course, there is good in the story. But evil is also portrayed as good when it's used to achieve a good end. That is a moral impossibility, an evil masquerading as good. That's a useful lesson for youngsters to learn if they, in fact, learn it. But that requires guidance for impressionable young minds that tend to read uncritically and soak up ideas like a sponge without filtering out whatever poison is in the glass.

So the question for parents is, do you have enough time to teach using Harry Potter? If you don't, what will your kids learn reading the series on their own and uncritically?

My final point is -- There is so much out there to read and study; we all have to make choices. Is it worth is to pass up the better and best to focus on Harry Potter and other questionable books like the Twilight series? That's a question parents need to reflect on and consider while monitoring their children's choices and teaching them to be critical thinkers and critical readers.