Siberia is "Land of Opportunity" Says 6th Grade Textbook
By Editorial Staff
Published April 2008
LONGVIEW, TX (FR) – The U.S. public education system is distributing Soviet propaganda in the guise of social studies textbooks.
Sixth graders are learning that Siberia is a land of opportunity, and not the location of slave labor camps for citizens who do not conform to Soviet wishes.
Mel Gabler, educational research analyst, recently gave a presentation to the Texas State Textbook Committee in Austin, Texas, concerning several social studies textbooks which give a radically different view of Soviet life. A few weeks after the presentation, the committee voted, without comment or discussion, to recommend for adoption all of the social studies texts that had been submitted by publishers.
According to the textbook, The World Past To Present, “Young Soviet workers go east much as young Americans used to go west to make their fortunes,” and “The Soviet government encourages these young people to do so. It offers them better wages, longer holidays, and life of adventure.”
After reading passages that describe Siberia as a “land of opportunity” and/or a “life of adventure” the student is assigned to write an essay that describes Siberia as a land of opportunity. Students are asked to include terms such as unexplored wilderness, life of adventure, and better wages in their passages.
Soviet satellite countries are termed ‘independent nations,’ although they are under Soviet control. The text does not indicate that the Soviets should divest themselves of their colonies (satellites) as is stressed for Western colonies. Angola, Congo, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are called independent nations.
The absence of civil rights in totalitarian Marxist nations is virtually ignored in the textbooks. The harsh regimentation in China is depicted as beneficial teamwork. Communism is not totalitarian, but midway between democracy and totalitarianism, according to the textbooks.
The textbook is also 20 years out of date with the civil rights situation in South Africa. Chief Buthelezi, a black moderate who is the elected leader of 7,000,000 Zulus and represents the vast majority of South African Blacks, is not mentioned, whereas Bishop Tutu who conveys the radical extremist position of the African National Congress is given prominence even though he represents only a tiny percentage of the Blacks in South Africa.
Regarding genocide, the textbook censors the fact that the Soviet Union has eliminated approximately 23,000,000 people. German atrocities are clearly set at 6,000,000. In China, the estimated number of persons eliminated in purges run from a minimum of 45,000,000 to over 80,000,000.
Traditional American values are considered a “moral equivalent” to Marxist values. The student is never told that the Marxist value system is directly opposite the values upon which our nation was founded, and which are still held by a vast majority of American citizens.
Mel Gabler and his wife, Norma, analyze and provide evaluations of textbooks and are based in Austin, Texas. For more information, write: The Mel Gablers, P.O. Box 7518, Longview, Texas 75607-7518.
Forerunner - Home » The Forerunner Newspaper » Education
Your comments are welcome!
The Four Keys to the Millennium (Book)
Foundations in Biblical Eschatology
By Jay Rogers, Larry Waugh, Rodney Stortz, Joseph Meiring. High quality paperback, 167 pages.
All Christians believe that their great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will one day return. Although we cannot know the exact time of His return, what exactly did Jesus mean when he spoke of the “sign of His coming” (Mat. 24)? How are we to interpret the prophecies in Isaiah regarding the time when “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:19)? Should we expect a time of great tribulation or reformation and revival before the Lord returns? Is the devil bound now, and are the saints reigning with Christ? Did you know that there are four hermeneutical approaches to the book of Daniel and Revelation? These, and more questions, are dealt with by four authors as they present the four views on the millennium. Each view is then critiqued by the other three authors.
$9.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
Martin Luther (DVD) 1953 Classic
Niall MacGinnis – Digitally Remastered
The dramatic classic film of Martin Luther’s life was released in theaters worldwide in the 1950s and was nominated for two Oscars. A magnificent depiction of Luther and the forces at work in the surrounding society that resulted in his historic reforming efforts, this film traces Luther’s life from a guilt-burdened monk to his eventual break with the Roman Catholic Church.
In spite of its age, this film continues to be a popular resource to introduce Luther’s life. This historical epic captures the life and times of the greatest figure of the Protestant Reformation with depth and clarity, while giving a glimpse at the private man in the eye of the storm. Luther’s protest against the established order of the Church gave birth to one of the largest religious and cultural movements history and serves as a prime example of how one man’s spiritual convictions can change the course of human events.
Running Time: 105 minutes
$9.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
Massacre of Innocence (DVD)
Exposing The Occult Roots of Abortion
This presentation looks at the spiritual roots of abortion and exposes the myths surrounding child killing. Little known historical facts about abortion and how they relate to modern feminism are presented logically and accurately. Has been effective in converting many to a pro-life position.
Massacre of Innocence goes where no pro-life presentation has gone before in “tearing the lid off abortion” to reveal the spiritual realities we must battle if we will bring an end to this crime. The presentation is absorbing, fast-paced, informative and incredibly devastating to any attempt to justify abortion.
“… an extraordinary statement … a powerfully articulate presentation about what abortion really means, and why a great and moral nation like the United States must not allow the slaughter to continue.”
— Congressman Robert K. Dornan
Running time: 85 minutes
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism (DVD)
Download the Free on-line Study Guide!
Just what is Calvinism?
Does this teaching make man a deterministic robot and God the author of sin? What about free will? If the church accepts Calvinism, won’t evangelism be stifled, perhaps even extinguished? How can we balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? What are the differences between historic Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism? Why did men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards and a host of renowned Protestant evangelists embrace the teaching of predestination and election and deny free will theology?
This is the first video documentary that answers these and other related questions. Hosted by Eric Holmberg, this fascinating three-part, four-hour presentation is detailed enough so as to not gloss over the controversy. At the same time, it is broken up into ten “Sunday-school-sized” sections to make the rich content manageable and accessible for the average viewer.
Running Time: 257 minutes
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
A Revival Account: Asbury 1970 (DVD)
What is true Revival and Spiritual Awakening?
Discover the answer in this eyewitness account by Dennis Kinlaw, President of Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky, who recounts the story of a visitation of the Holy Spirit in 1970. This is the presentation that has continued to spark the flames of Revival in the hearts of people around the world. Contains eyewitness footage from the Revival at Asbury College in 1970 in Wilmore, Kentucky.
Certain to challenge you to greater holiness and a deeper commitment to full-scale revival. Original news and private footage has been included. If you are a student who longs to see a spiritual awakening at your school, you must see this video!
“This simple video does a wonderful job of conveying something of God’s heart and power, Everyone we have ever shown this to has received an immediate impartation of faith for revival and the power of prayer.”
— Bob and Rose Weiner, Weiner Ministries Int’l
Running Time: 40 minutes
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
