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EARTH AND EDUCATION

Summer is ending and school is beginning. This cycle of life in America is filled with the anticipation and excitement of memories made, and more in the making. The earth and the education of our children are topics having as much to do with the past as with the future. It's the present, however, which bears watching and involvement if we truly care about either of these.

While the public debate rages over the correctness and degree of separation of church and state in America, the blending of religion and state is moving quietly and effectively into place.

The quiet trend and effort to instill a "one mindedness" or "global mentality" in children is not the benign and Pollyanna perspective one might think. Teaching of the Gaia hypothesis has found a strong foothold in many schools. The core beliefs of this hypothesis are that earth is the giver of life, all life forms have equal intrinsic value, and humans immorally abuse the rights of other life forms on earth.

Parents in White Plains, New York had to go to court (Altman et al v. Bedford Central School District, et al) to successfully drive home the point that they did not want their children being forced to cut out images of creatures they considered to be pagan. Children in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas or the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York spend time being taught to howl like a wolf to teach them their oneness with the earth. This begs the question of who is teaching the wolves to speak as humans so their own lesson of oneness with the earth is as complete as ours. Anyway…

Not discounting the importance of various spiritual frameworks for different people; the significance of this teaching trend to the governing of people and natural resources has ramifications well into the next millenium. Man's relationship to natural resources, this planet and our universe are at the heart of public policies and the governing of people. As the people are governed, so are their resources governed.

A teaching fad this is not. The effort is to create an educational framework that does not instill a sense of nationalism, but does produce a global mindset contemptuous of competition and individualism. Students produced from such indoctrination are easily led and controlled. Such training does not necessarily lay the foundation of kindness and respect for one another-which genuine individualism does. Teaching earth science is very different then teaching earth religion.

Mr. Robert Muller highly profiles when one looks into this topic. Muller served for 30 years as Deputy-General of the United Nations. He developed the "World Core Curriculum". This "Curriculum" is the foundation of Outcome Based Education (OBE). World Core Curriculum endeavors to "…promote growth of the group idea……leading to group consciousness".

Robert Muller Schools are now in existence and will sponsor a Millenium Assembly for Kids - May 12, 13 2000 at Mountain View College in Dallas, TX. These "Muller" schools are fully certified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as participating institutions in UNESCO's Associated Schools Project in Education for International Cooperation and Peace. Cooperation and Peace should not, however, be confused with, or redefined as mindless compliance and silence by intimidation.

Earth Ethic in Education has also found its way into our schools. The limitations of space here do not allow for a complete background on this document. However, be aware that it does find its beginnings in a United Nations document EARTH CHARTER. The gaia hypothesis, World Core Curriculum, Earth Ethic in Education are pieces parts of educational icebergs which warrant further investigation and scrutiny by each of us-the private American citizens. We cannot make this the sole responsibility of elected officials just because it takes extra effort.

Our children and nation would be well served by paying attention to the religion of environmentalism, which is seeking control of mind and spirit. Let us not be totally diverted by the discussion of separation of church and state. The control of life supporting natural resources will have slipped out of our hands if we do not listen, reflect and respond to the education of our children.

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