A WORLDWIDE PAPAL SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

The true object of education is the restoration of the image of God in the soul. CE236. Any system of education that is not geared towards this objective is false education. The source of true education is clearly given in Col 2:3, In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Moreover Christ said, I am the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6. It is, therefore, utter folly to seek an education apart from Christ. Since the Scriptures are they which testify of Christ, they ought to have a central, and indeed, highest place in education. We also learn that The Heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork (Ps 19:1) and the whole earth is full of His glory (Isa 6:3), hence nature should also have a place in education. Instead of confining their studies to that which men have said or written, let the students be directed to the sources of truth, to the vast fields opened for research in nature and revelation. Ed 17. The dark ages were an age of intellectual and moral darkness. Except among the Waldenses, the Bible was locked in the language of the learned and this was, to a great extent, the reason for the dark ages. The reformation owed its success to giving the world the Bible in the languages of the common people; and this caused a great stir among the Catholic hierarchy. Like the Waldenses, the reformers also appreciated the value of training the young along Christian principles. Melancthon said, To neglect the young in our schools is just like taking the spring out of the year. He steadily directed his efforts to the advancement of education and the building up of good Christian schools. He declared, The cause of true education is the cause of God. On a similar note, Luther wrote thus of the universities: "I am much afraid that the universities will prove to be the great gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, and engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not unceasingly occupied with the word of God must become corrupt." GC 141,142. Emphasising the importance of the Bible in Education, Wycliffe wrote, There is no subtlety in grammar, neither in logic, nor in any other science that can be named, but that is found in more excellent degree in the Scriptures. In 1528, when Melancthon drew up the Saxony Plan which served as the basis of organisation for many schools throughout Germany, he was concerned with a multiplicity of studies that were not only unfruitful, but even hurtful. He asserted that The teacher should not burden the children with too many books. It was to counter the reformation that the order of the Jesuits was formed in about 1541, about the same time that the Council of Trent convened. Under various disguises the Jesuits worked their way into offices of state, climbing up to be the counsellors of kings, and shaping the policy of nations. They became servants to act as spies upon their masters. They established colleges for the sons of the princes and nobles, and schools for the common people; and the children of protestant parents were drawn into the observance of popish rites. All the outward pomp and display of the Romish worship was brought to bear to confuse the mind and dazzle and captivate the imagination, and thus the liberty for which the parents toiled and bled was betrayed by the sons. The Jesuits rapidly spread themselves over Europe, and wherever they went, there followed a revival of popery. GC235 Such were the means which Rome had invoked to quench the reformation, to withdraw from men the Bible, and restore to them the ignorance and superstition of the Dark Ages. GC235. It is evident from the quotation just read that the end results of the education provided by the Jesuit schools and colleges was to quench the reformation, withdraw from men the Bible, and restore to them ignorance and superstition of the Dark Ages. The lurking question is, What attributes of this education were essential to achieving these goals? Here, inspiration has given us key to unlocking the secret of a revival of the Papacy. We notice that there is a papal system of education that is used to accomplish the healing of the papacy. In this message, we shall explore the identifying marks of a papal system of education, and we will find out that

this system of education is worldwide. At the same time, we will highlight principles of true education; an education that Gods people ought to follow if they are to have a part in the loud cry and a place in the Kingdom of God. By the grace of God, we shall understand why inspiration says, Now as never before, we need to understand the true science of education. If we fail to understand this, we shall never have a place in the Kingdom of God. A man called John Sturm could be singled out as the one most responsible for introducing a papal system into education into protestant schools and, indeed worldwide. His educational system was met with favour by the successors of Luther and Melancthon. It was an educational system that appeared Christian, but was Papal in spirit. We go through these point by point. 1. It offered mediaeval and classical literature with a thin slice of scripture. Human philosophy took the place of divine revelation. But we are admonished that Instead of confining their study to that which men have said or written, let the students be directed to the sources of truth, to the vast fields opened for research in nature and revelation. Ed 17. Indeed was told that The Holy Scriptures are the perfect standard of truth, and as such should be given the highest place in education. Ed 17. Hence, one should Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Col 2:8. Its course of study was impractical. They promised what was impractical; they despised what was practical. But inspiration tells us that As parents and teachers try to teach these lessons, the work should be made practical. Ed 111. Indeed An education derived chiefly from books leads to superficial thinking. ED 220. Life is too generally regarded as made up of distinct periods, the period of learning and the period of doing--of preparation and of achievement. In preparation for a life of service the youth are sent to school, to acquire knowledge by the study of books. Cut off from the responsibilities of everyday life, they become absorbed in study, and often lose sight of its purpose. The ardour of their early consecration dies out, and too many take up with some personal, selfish ambition. Upon their graduation, thousands find themselves out of touch with life. They have so long dealt with the abstract and theoretical that when the whole being must be roused to meet the sharp contests of real life, they are unprepared. Instead of the noble work they had purposed, their energies are engrossed in a struggle for mere subsistence. Its methods of instruction were mechanical. The teachers found their function in teaching the prescribed text, not harmoniously developing the human being. On the contrary, True education is not the forcing of instruction on an unready and unreceptive mind. The mental powers must be awakened, the interest aroused. Ed 41. Memory work was exalted. The students were obliged to learn, but they were not educated to see and hear, to think and prove. Indeed, For ages education has had to do chiefly with the memory. This faculty has been taxed to the utmost, while the other mental powers have not been correspondingly developed. Students have spent their time in laboriously crowding the mind with knowledge, very little of which could be utilised. The mind thus burdened becomes is weakened and is content to depend on the judgement and perception of others. Ed 230. Clearly, such an education prepares one to receive the mark of the Beast, the image of the Beast, or the number of his name. But true education recognises that Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with power akin to that of the Creatorindividuality, power to think to do. Ed 17. Its government was arbitrary and empirical. The students were not led to true independence and personal perfection. Yet Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with power akin to that of the Creatorindividuality, power to think to do. Ed 17. Moreover, The wise educator, in dealing with his pupils, will seek to encourage confidence and to strengthen the sense of honour. Children and youth are benefited by being trusted. Many, even of the little children, have a high sense of honour; all desire to be treated with confidence and respect, and this is their right. They should not be led to feel that they cannot go out or come in without being watched. Suspicion

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demoralizes, producing the very evils it seeks to prevent. Instead of watching continually, as if suspecting evil, teachers who are in touch with their pupils will discern the workings of the restless mind, and will set to work influences that will counteract evil. Lead the youth to feel that they are trusted, and there are few who will not seek to prove themselves worthy of the trust. Ed 290. The Jesuits exploited this faulted Protestant educational system by making schools and colleges that closely shadowed it. Unsuspecting and blinded, Protestants called their children from afar to put them in the Jesuit schools. This conquest went through nearly all European countries and is, indeed now worldwide. Sturms methods of education are in every respect Jesuit. Moreover, in the Jesuit system of education: a. b. c. The memory is cultivated as a means of keeping down free activity of thought and clearness of judgment. Their method of discipline is a system of mutual distrust, espionage and informing. They make much of emulation. He who knows how to excite emulation has found the most powerful auxiliary in his teaching. Nothing is more honourable than to outstrip a fellow student, and nothing more dishonourable than to be outstripped. Inspirations indictment on this kind of education is, From the child's earliest years it is an appeal to emulation and rivalry; it fosters selfishness, the root of all evil. Thus is created strife for supremacy; and there is encouraged the system of "cramming," which in so many cases destroys health and unfits for usefulness. In many others, emulation leads to dishonesty; and by fostering ambition and discontent, it embitters the life and helps to fill the world with those restless, turbulent spirits that are a continual menace to society Ed 225-226. Prizes are distributed to the best students with the most solemnity. In our institutions of learning there was to be exerted an influence that would counteract the influence of the world, and give no encouragement to indulgence in appetite, in selfish gratification of the senses, in pride, ambition, love of dress and display, love of praise and flattery, and strife for high rewards and honours as a recompense for good scholarship. All this was to be discouraged in our schools. It would be impossible to avoid these things, and yet send them to the public schools, where they would daily be brought in contact with that which would contaminate their morals. FE 286. It seeks showy results with which to dazzle the world; a well rounded development is nothing. They do not aim at developing all the faculties of their pupils, but merely the receptive and reproductive faculties. But true education is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come. Ed 13. Originality and independence of mind, love of truth for its own sake, the power of reflecting and forming correct judgments are not merely neglected; they are suppressed. On the contrary, true education recognises that Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to that of the Creator-- individuality, power to think and to do. Ed 17. It is the work of true education to develop this power, to train the youth to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors of other men's thought. Instead of confining their study to that which men have said or written, let students be directed to the sources of truth, to the vast fields opened for research in nature and revelation. Ed 17. It develops class distinction, aristocracy and imperialism with its courses and degrees. On one occasion when Zwingli, the Swiss reformer, was appointed to a cathedral, he was told, You should administer the sacraments to none but persons of note, and only when called upon; you are forbidden to do so without distinction of persons. GC 176. But true education holds it before the world that all men are created equal. Indeed the conferring of degrees was originated by a Pope.

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A lot more could be said about the Papal system of education, but this brief overview should suffice to convince one that this system of education is indeed worldwide. It could be said that spring of this

education was the University of Paris when it was under Papal control and was thus wholly papal. When England sent her children there for learning, they brought the educational system to Eton, Oxford and Cambridge. The American universities, notably Harvard and Yale, borrowed this education system from Oxford and Cambridge and then carried this education to the rest of the world. Paris University borrowed her educational system from Pagan Rome. Pagan Rome took the educational system from Grecian and oriental cultures. The Grecian schools drew their wisdom and learning from Egypt. Greece sent to Egypt her illustrious philosophers and lawgivers, among them Phythagoras and Plato. Hence Papal education is nothing other than Egyptian education wearing Christian garments. The current worldly education in its various forms may not manifest all the attributes discussed here, but that does not make it any better. It is without exception geared towards destroying individuality and originality. It puts students and pupils through the grind to create social cohesion and a homogenous society. Students are treated en mass. It crowds the moments with that which is not essential and effectively removes the Bible from the people. Indeed we may rightly say, Such are the means which Rome have invoked to quench the reformation, to withdraw from men the Bible, and restore to them the ignorance and superstition of the Dark Ages. GC235. Nearly all that is called Christian education has been taken over by this papal system of education. Even the curriculum found in what is termed Christian schools has been wholly influenced by this papal system of education. It requires a cross for Christian parents to take a stand and free themselves from this papal system of education because, Now, as never before, we need to understand the true science of education. If we fail to understand this, we shall never have a place in the kingdom of God.