Highlighted in a fancy block, with a font one might find in the Bible, is a short clip of a famous poem taken out of context.  Dumped in the center of a section about Christopher Columbus, a man of faith, the 5^th grade textbook states,

“They sailed and sailed as winds might blow;

Until at last the blanched mate said,

“Why, now not even God would know

Should I and all my men fall dead.
These very winds forget their way,

For God from these dread seas is gone.

Now speak, brave Admiral, speak and say-“

He said; “Sail on! Sail on! And on!”

- Joaquin Miller, from “Columbus”

(pg 111 “America Will Be”)

Why are 10-year-old children reading a dressed up verse stating God doesn’t know about men dying and that God is gone? The poem in context shows Columbus to be a man of faith, but this twisted EXCERPT is all the school children read, stating God is dead and would not know! Houghton Mifflin doesn’t state “God is gone” but it cleverly conveys that belief by quoting others.

This ploy continually resurfaces.  In the textbook “Patterns of Interaction” also by Houghton Mifflin, on page 627, Karen Armstrong is applauded for her explanation as to why religion is such a powerful force in people’s lives.  She is quoted,

“Human beings are spiritual animals….   Men and women started to worship gods as soon as they became recognizably human; they created religions at the same time they created works of art…  Like art, religion has been an attempt to find meaning and value in life…”

Why are children forced to read atheist philosophy by authors applauded for it, then asked questions leading them to regurgitate the atheist lesson?

On pg. 464 in the Christian section of the 6^th grade textbook “A Message of Ancient Days”, Tacitus is quoted to say that he shared the Roman view that Christians should be convicted [death] for their “hatred of mankind.”  There is no explanation offered, children are just left hanging with that thought.  The section on Christianity is titled, “Christians and the Fall of Rome”.  One might assume these two events were combined due to the time frame studied, but in fact, the Christian section is titled to indicate Christians as responsible for the fall of Rome. 

Page 480 lists various reasons, with Christianity at the top of the list, adding,

“Christians were more devoted to their faith and to the church than to the Roman state.” 

Did it matter as they fed Christians to the lions whether they were loyal to Christ or Rome?  How is it that Christians are criticized whether empires rise or fall?  Why are Christian children being forced to read negative comments and blame about their faith in public school?

On page 466 it quotes Pliny as saying not to hunt Christians down, but to kill them if they profess Christianity. Then it states:

“As the above exchange shows, Romans did not generally seek out Christians for punishment.  In fact, Christian settlements existed in North Africa for 100 years before the first Christian was executed.” 

North Africa was clear across the sea from Rome and the section being studied! These "historians" had to really reach to make it seem Christians were not persecuted!

The textbook actually appears to excuse the torture of Christians because it states,

“Some Christians were even put into an arena to fight lions as entertainment for Romans.  Later Christian writers attached great importance to these events.  They used the events to reinforce the suffering endured by Christians who remained faithful to their beliefs.  However, historians do not believe that many Christians were actually sent to the lions.  Overall, most Christians lived in peace until the AD 200s.” 

I ask, “Where does Houghton Mifflin find historians?”

In a Message of Ancient Days, the 6th grade textbook states,

“The prophets were not  fortune tellers
 who predicted the future. 
Instead they preached a message about
 how the people should act in the present.” 

Jeremiah, Danial, Isaiah, etc., gave EXACT prophesies about the future.  False prophets were stoned to death if they prophesied wrongly just one time. It was that important that the people not be misled by false prophets.

 Muhammad is the only prophet that could not relay the future.  It seems we must redefine “prophet” because Muhammad did not rightly prophesy. 

 The textbook states: 

“However, by accepting the prophets’ explanation
 for the disaster,
the Jews could keep their faith in God and survive exile.” (pg 311)

 The Jews had faith because they knew God!  Not because any prophet attempted to explain away their circumstances. Unbelievably, Houghton Mifflin is giving alternative atheist reasons for Jewish faith and claiming the prophets were false prophets!

Houghton Mifflin’s blatant promotion of Islam continues to be taught in public school. Houghton Mifflin shows no preference to which belief is accepted as long as Judeo-Christian beliefs are systematically twisted, falsified, criticized and destroyed.  All other beliefs are enticingly offered as a rich smorgasbord, spoon-fed to children with an atheist topping.  Our tax dollars pay for the restaurant but our children are handed the check for their souls.    

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See also detailed report about textbooks maligning Christianity

Profile:  Jen Shroder is a common soccer mom seeking public awareness of public school education through her website BlessedCause.org.  She has appeared on Fox news and countless radio interviews.

see also: 
Atheist Education in State Standards
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