ACLJ attorney Jay Sekulow’s bulletin of December 11, 2018 focused on complaints about Buddhist/Eastern meditation being forced on school kids. More from that in a minute.
Various “relaxation” programs have been appearing in the public schools for years. Most parents and teachers didn’t pick up on the religious implications because (1) parents often didn’t even know this was going on; (2) most of us are naïve/uneducated about Eastern religions/the occult/New Age; and (3) the language describing these programs has been deliberately disguised.
Clear back in 1981, Jack Canfield (the Chicken Soup for the Soul guy) was interviewed by Science of Mind magazine. He described how to blur the terminology to get these practices accepted in the schools: “If we…point out to educators that they have an ‘essence’ that can be invoked through ‘meditation’. . . they’ll be put off by the buzzwords. But if we give them an experience that leaves them feeling better about themselves . . .” (Dec 1981, p 108. Quoted in Ray Yungen’s For Many Shall Come in My Name).
Even before that, The Centering Book: Awareness Activities for Children, Parents and Teachers suggested calling these practices “quiet time” or “relaxation” (Hendricks and Wills, 1975, p 169, 171, quoted in Yungen above)—and not the Eastern mindfulness/meditation they really are. Ray Yungen, before 2007, had found schools (even in very rural areas) whose teachers instructed students to “focus on their energy centers” (Yungen, p 69 above).
I’ve said all that to emphasize that this isn’t some little thing that’s being exaggerated. There are now years of momentum; the situation is worse than it might appear. We need to take it seriously.
Now back to the Sekulow report. There’s also a two-minute video at the bottom of that page, and a one-hour talk-show episode is available too. From all that, these highlights stood out:
- There are many mindfulness/meditation programs, but one getting attention is MindUP. An Oregon professor has been given a $3 million Federal grant (your taxpayer dollars) to study the effects of MindUP on school kids. Parents are not informed. (It amounts to an experiment.)
- MindUP comes from Buddhist Goldie Hawn, who says we must bring in “contemplative practice.” (There’s another confusing/disguised term. Read my article on this topic.) Hawn mentions “His Holiness the Dalai Lama” to give credibility to all this. Interestingly, regarding his own mindfulness practice, the Dalai Lama elsewhere said, “I myself cannot claim with confidence to have made any remarkable progress over the years.” (Hmm. If it doesn’t work for the god-king of Tibetan Buddhism, what hope is there for us lowlies?)
- Sekulow’s lead researcher found that terminology is disguised (just as I described above)—changing, for example, “mantra” to “reflections.”
- School kids are sometimes in the lotus position, and they are most often following a live feed; there’s no way for parents to review the content beforehand.
- The researcher had trouble getting access to samples, but did obtain enough to hear things like “All the universe is sending out feelings of love and peace.”
- Some schools do this as often as three times a day.
- The ACLJ wonders why the ACLU and atheist groups aren’t complaining about this religion in the public schools. (Is this yet more evidence that only Christianity is to be pushed down?)
Hi,
Yes, I can testify to this. I work in public schools but in a different position as I rove from school to school, class to class, district to district. I see all of these ‘mindfulness’ practices being pushed everywhere I go, and the terminology is disguised. They turn on some program that has exercises and dances for kids on the internet and now it promotes mindfulness too. All of that is being done and more in the area of yoga. Often times when I walk into a school room I see random kids quickly shift into a ‘yoga’ position for whatever random reason, to ‘calm themselves’ or whatever. I also see whole classes doing yoga and announcements on the school schedule for it. It truly has invaded. It’s even worse than we think or this article reveals.
Thanks for this further evidence!
I work in a Catholic school in Canada as a Pre-kindergarten teacher. I can’t speak for other schools in the district. I know as soon as my students go into Kindergarten next year they will immediately be introduced to yoga and mindfulness. I know other pre-K teachers are into all of this as well. I on the other hand…am having to dodge and protect my students and their families.
New Age isn’t the only thing. Native Spirituality is being pushed as well. Did I mention it’s a Catholic school. I’m not even Catholic! I’m a born again believer and follower of Jesus.
Thank you for writing this article and being another support in this crazy world of the Education system. Some days I ask God why He has me there in this time in history. He always reassures me. Not always easy.
God Bless
~Sarah
I agree. I’ve lost church members over addressing this from my pulpit several years ago when the State College School District (State College, PA), contracted with a local provider for bringing “Mindfulness” (Buddhism 101), to kids as early as K-5, all the way up through Jr. High School. Multiple page and full page announcements in the local paper informing of the great responses kids were giving to these programs were almost celebrating this development. Pure ignorance; no critical thinking and evaporating biblical discernment among pastoral leaders has become pandemic. In calling it out, the wrath of more than a few came my way. But the saddest part is that when I contacted area pastors about the seriousness of this issue (included CEF leaders), I was shunned as the trouble maker on a witch hunt. So many pastors (I’m talking evangelicals here), not only don’t get it, they don’t care to even investigate it. My concerns were stuffed off as bogus.
Pastor Gregory Allen, State College, PA. (my large print John Hancock)
Pastor Greg,
What you wrote saddens me. Thirty years ago I feared that my children would learn yoga in school. Now I fear for my grandchildren. My youngest is three. Before he was conceived my son said he would never allow me to have him in my home because I would teach him my beliefs. He and his wife are careful not to allow any input from me I am allowed to play with him a few hours every five or six weeks. He is a sweet boyish little boy who is proud to show me his yoga poses learned at the Protestant pre-school he attends. His favorite color was green but is now rainbow and purple. His mother paints his toenails. And for Christmas Santa Claus brought a large lacy turquoise tent where he can go to be quiet. Please pray for this family. A few years ago I learned about Transcental Meditation entering our denomination. I took the information to my pastor who turned red because he was so angry with me. On another occasion my sharing the truth about the SBC caused him again to lose his temper. I have been using the tithe from an inheritance to send information about contemplative prayer and other apostasies to Southern Baptist pastors in my state. I have sent three mailings with two booklets in each to ask pastors to protect their sheep against the occultic practices with christianized names that are being brought into churches from the teaching of “Christian” celebrities. I pray you will continue to stand for truth even when all around you fall. I also pray for Lynn Lusby Pratt and all on this website who are also standing firm.
Unfortunately we are seeing it here in Australia as well.. I am sorry that your concerns were ignored Pastor Allen but take heart, they are recorded in heaven, you sounded the trumpet. It is a sad and very dangerous world for kids today..
Thank you, LHT and Lynn, for providing such an important piece of information on contemplative spirituality. Pastor Greg, I am sorry to hear of the difficulties you are having; prayers are being sent on your behalf, and on behalf of your congregation. May God open the eyes of the blind, and the ears of the deaf, to hear the truth, so that they may be set free!