American Sentinel

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One of the distinguishing features of Christianity in Nazi Germany was its revisionist approach to the ancestry of Jesus. While traditional texts point to the Jewish ancestry of his mother, Nazi theologians rewrote biblical history so Jesus would have a Roman father and a Syrian mother.

Now, American textbooks with a leftist rather than socialist imprimatur have adopted the Nazi tactic of falsifying  Christianity’s early history for political purposes.

According to  World Net Daily there are now a host of textbooks that have adopted attitudes to Jews that run the gamut from dismissive to hostile. Even Scott Foresman, a major text book publisher has apparently put its presses at the disposal of individuals with a hidden agenda.

In a particularly outrageous example of biased history, a Scott Foresman textbook called “The World,” includes the following passage, “Christianity was started by a young Palestinian named Jesus.”

There is a disturbing tendency among textbook producers to take adherents of Islam at their word, producing texts which glorify their faith without a critical counterpoint.

By contrast, Christianity and Judaism are treated with a mega-dose of skepticism that crosses the border into contempt. It seems as though radical Islam has supplanted revolutionary Christianity as the newest religious fad among the radical chic set. Its infiltration into textbook production is particularly disturbing. Instead of promoting critical and discerning thinking, clear patterns of preference and bias are emerging with disturbing frequency in school textbooks across the nation.

The American Textbook Council has been addressing the issue of textbook bias since 1989. The growing frequency of reports that bias is to be found in textbooks adds to the challenge facing American parents in challenging hidden agendas being promoted  in schools that could well be classified as indoctrination.

Trouble With Textbooks.orgprovides a penetrating focus in particular on anti Israel and anti Jewish bias in the formulation of school curricula.

Christians often share Jewish concerns about these issues, using each other’s resources and networks to make progress in addressing this growing problem.

WND quotes Rev. John J. Keane, ecumenical officer for the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement as saying “The ‘Trouble with Textbooks’ is a very important book not only for Jews but for the entire Christian community,” said  “This volume is an excellent tool for anyone who is interested in balanced information that is fair and reliable concerning Judaism, Christianity and Islam.”

WND quotes “The Trouble With Textbooks as saying the following ideas have been stated or suggested.

• Jesus was a “Palestinian,” not a Jew.
• The Arab nations never attacked Israel. Arab-Israeli wars “just broke out,” or Israel started them
• Arabs nations want peace, but Israel does not
• Israel expelled all Palestinian refugees
• Israel put the Palestinians in refugee camps in Arab lands, not Arab governments
• Palestinian terrorism is nonexistent or minimal
• Israel is not a victim of terrorism, or terrorism against Israel is justified
• U.S. support of Israel causes terrorism, including 9/11
• The intifadas were children’s revolts not involving adults or terrorism

The report echoes the concern of many that “Judaism and Christianity are treated as matters of believing, while Islam is treated as a matter of fact.”

The report continues”In the glossary of “World History: Continuity and Change,” the Ten Commandments are described as, “Moral laws Moses claimed to have received from the Hebrew God Yahweh on Mount Sinai.” But the same glossary states as fact the Quran is a, “Holy Book of Islam containing revelations received by Muhammad from God.”

The report further elaborates “Islam is treated with a devotional tone in some textbooks, less detached and analytical than it ought to be. Muslim beliefs are described in several instances as fact, without any clear qualifier such as ‘Muslims believe.  . . .’”

Likewise, the Islamic empire of the Middle Ages was “a time of unqualified glory without blemishes,” and Muslims “always tolerated Jews,” unlike their Christian counterparts. The texts use terms such as “stories,” “legends” and “tales” to talk about Jewish writings.”

It is truly shocking to see the levels of bias found in American textbooks and teaching starting to resemble those found in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Addressing this problem will take concerted effort at the grass roots level. A vigilant public can ensure that critical thinking is promoted and facilitated rather than slyly packaged radical agendas.

It is not only the print and broadcast media that hidden agendas are packaged for unwitting consumption. Our schools have become the hunting grounds for ideological recruiters. We can not afford apathy.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 3rd, 2008 at 3:24 pm and is filed under Headline. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.