Steve Farrell
Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Witness the NEA's 406-page 1941 "American Citizens Handbook," a text written to prepare children and parents, immigrants and lifetime residents for responsible and productive citizenship.

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From cover to cover, the book was unabashedly God- and Christ-centered. In it the NEA unflinchingly asserted:

The American concept of ... government had its roots in religious belief. This ideal of the brotherhood of man roots down into the fundamentals of religion. The teachings of the Hebrew Prophets and of Jesus Christ inculcate the idea of brotherhood. The growth of the idea gave us the concept of democracy in government. It ennobled home life. It emphasized the sacredness of human personality.

Hard to believe, isn't it?

Hard to believe or not, since publishing my first article on this NEA gem two weeks ago, a number of retired schoolteachers have come forth to confirm to this writer that this inspiring handbook was, in fact, used in the public school system as late as the 1950s and in some cases much later, perhaps into the '70s.

And while I am sure the NEA won't like this, isn't it time we ‘outed' them over this? These bums, these frauds, these inventors of tales about our forefathers once knew the very truths that they refuse to let our kids learn today.

Let's read on. The NEA wrote regarding the troubles we faced in 1941:

Is it not plain that what the world needs just now is a new devotion to the great religious ideals? In statecraft, in business, in industry, in law, in the church, in science, or in teaching, can anything be more intensely fruitful and practical than a renewed faith in the higher and finer things of life? As Woodrow Wilson points out in "The Road Away From Revolution":

‘Our civilization cannot survive materially unless it be redeemed spiritually. It can be saved only by becoming permeated with the spirit of Christ and being made free and happy by the practices which spring out of that spirit. Only thus can discontent be driven out and all the shadows lifted from the road ahead.'

Imagine that: If our civilization is to survive, if discontent is to be driven out, if all the shadows are to be lifted from the road ahead, the NEA said, we must be redeemed spiritually, and particularly by the spirit of Christ.

Then by way of a more fuller explanation, this NEA handbook notes, "The following quotations from the Bible are perhaps best expressive of the religious spirit:"

Hold on to your hats! Here they come:

The Golden Rule

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. – Matthew 7:12

The Lord's Prayer

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen – Matthew 6:9-13.

The Ten Commandments

1. Thou shalt have no other God's before me.

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

5. Honor thy father and thy mother.

6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

10. Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy neighbor's. – Exodus 20: 3-17.

The Great Commandment

Jesus said unto him, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' – Matthew 22: 37-39

The Greatest Thing In the World

Tho I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And tho I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and tho I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And tho I bestow all my good to feed the poor, and tho I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth: But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see thru a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13.

Yes, the world would have been and would still be a better place if such a spirit were inculcated in the classroom. Then teachers would inspire, and young men and young women would come forth eager and ready to serve God, Family and Country, instead of Self, Self and Self.

Just don't let the NEA know about it. They'll probably hunt down the last remaining copies, burn them, and then deny they ever existed, perhaps even present a friend of the court brief against the posting of the Ten Commandments in a trophy shelf in some obscure school district that hasn't been rooted out yet.

In the meantime, if you have a copy, guard it with your life, even as you share it with your family, your friends, and your local school district.

More next time.

Contact Steve

Come hear Steve speak on God & Country at the annual meeting of the Organization of Competitive Markets in Omaha, Nebraska, on August 12, 2005, at the Double Tree Hotel. For more information or to pre-register, visit competitivemarkets.com.

Visit Steve's Daily Blog at LibertyLetters.blogspot.com.

NewsMax pundit Steve Farrell is associate professor of political economy at George Wythe College, press agent for Defend Marriage (a project of United Families International), and the author of the highly praised inspirational novel "Dark Rose" (available at amazon.com).

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Heroes of 1942 – the year that turned the tide in World War II
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