BAMBOOZLED

From My Perspective - - - 

The culture of the world loves to sit on its laurels and think that it has arrived at a place where it is the most intelligent; the most ingenious; the most capable; the most self-sufficient; the most important people in all human history. While it is true that there have been considerable advances in many important fields of study such as technology, electronics, medicine, science, etc., there are other basic areas where our nation has faltered. A major place to focus would be the education levels within our nation. Studies on public education show a consistent and persistent diminished level in mathematics, science, and reading skills. 

Those who conduct these studies come to the table with their presuppositions: (a) ethnic and racial groups will perform poorly, and (b) socio-economic factors contribute greatly to under-performance. One study concludes: “Achievement disparities are often attributed to socio-economic factors. According to 2009 data from the Census Bureau, of all children younger than 18 living in families, 15.5 million live in poverty…According to a seminal study of language development in 1995, by age 3, children in poverty have smaller vocabularies and lower language skills than children from middle-income families. Research has also shown that dropout rates tend to be higher for children who live in poverty. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s 2011 Condition of Education report, about 68 percent of 12th-graders in high-poverty schools graduated with a diploma in 2008, compared with 91 percent of 12th-graders in low-poverty schools. A recent study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (2011) found that children who both live in poverty and read below grade level by 3rd grade are three times as likely to not graduate from high school…”

Are the above references the actual cause for under-performance or are we being Bamboozled? One who is bamboozled is one who is easily deceived. Synonyms for the word are telling. Bamboozled is parallel with: "gyp, dupe,trick, cheat, swindle, defraud, flimflam, hoax, delude, mislead, fool." One consideration that should be factored in for any study of performance and/or under-performance should be the home and family. Does the home of any socio-economic group have a loving and caring Mother and Father who are supportive of a child’s educational achievement? Does such a home nurture the child in terms of social activity, Christian religious participation and educational achievement? Does the home and family provide motivation for the child to learn and to take pride in excellence and performance? If these and other matters are not part of the equation, then one is being bamboozled. One of the more important decisions within the bamboozled trend and process was the diminishing of Prayer, Bible Reading and Religious exercises (such as The National Day of Prayer) as being essential for the betterment of the individual and the nation. Once the emphasis on cultural pluralism emerged, the place for God, Prayer and the Bible faded. Pluralism means: “a condition in which minority groups participate fully in the dominant society, yet maintain their cultural differences; a doctrine that a society benefits from such a condition.” The mantra became: offend no one - everyone is equal.

This nation and culture need to give attention to Isaiah 46:8-13 (ESV - Selected), “"Remember this and…recall it to mind…I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying: My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose…Listen to me, you stubborn of heart, you who are far from righteousness…I bring near my righteousness…and my salvation will not delay…” If our nation had a fraction of the intelligence and common sense about which we boast, we would flee from being bamboozled and return to the Creator of the Universe, the Almighty and Eternal God. Our nation needs to implement Isaiah 55:6-7, “"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Consider these things with me.