Prov 1:7: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge , but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (NIV)
While our public schools are filling students’ heads with progressive propaganda, they neglect teaching our children and grandchildren much about the history of the United States. A “YouGov.com” poll taken in 2018 asked more than 1,000 young people, who would fall into either the “millenial” or “generation-z” age demographic, about their knowledge of the country’s history and institutions and their patriotic feelings toward the U.S. This nationwide survey, sponsored by the Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness, produced results that, if reliable, don’t bode well for America’s future. The survey found that 87% of high school students flunked a simple five-question test of basic knowledge about American history. This was the worst showing of any age group.
High school students were also least likely to know who is on Mount Rushmore. Only 35% of them got it right, compared with 71% of “baby boomers.” Only 11% could name the rights enumerated in the First Amendment. And more than half of today’s high schoolers believe Barack Obama was a more consequential president than George Washington.
The survey revealed that younger generations are less likely to love and respect the country that has given them so much. They tend to be less informed about American history and are much more likely to view socialism favorably, in spite of its many failures through history. Many would dismiss this as youthful ignorance. I believe it’s the result of a school system that indoctrinates children in leftist ideology? Without boring the reader with too much in the way of empirical data, here is a brief summary of the poll’s findings:
- Older Americans tend to take pride in their nation and also tend to be more patriotic.
- Older Americans tend to know more of the nation’s history than younger Americans, many of whom are still in high school.
- Younger Americans are more tolerant of protests such as professional athletes kneeling during the National Anthem, and they are less likely to show respect for the flag.
- Those who are still in school or are recent graduates are also far more likely to consider America a racist and sexist country. They believe what they have been told repeatedly and, since critical thinking and objectivity are discouraged, they ignore the obvious contradiction of an allegedly “racist” people electing an African American to two terms in the White House.
One fairly bright spot is that nearly three quarters of young people believe in GOD, and 51% of them do so with absolute certainty, according to a study done by the “Pew Research Center.” But again, the destructive influence of public education rears its head. The same study also revealed that over three quarters of those surveyed do not believe that right and wrong are absolute. Instead they tend to believe that what is right or what is wrong depends on a given situation. This is moral relativism and utilitarianism, plain and simple, and it leaves those who will lead this nation one day drifting in a sea of moral uncertainty without an anchor.
But we can and should pray for our young people, and we should take comfort in the words of the Prophet Jeremiah: (Jer 31:16-17): This is what the LORD says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the LORD. “They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your future,” declares the LORD. “Your children will return to their own land. (NIV)