Democracy is the cornerstone of many countries. It has a deep and extensive history, its ups and downs have been meticulously recorded, and yet modern societies still tend to prefer it to any other ruling method. After all, at its core, democracy gives power to the people, and what could be better than citizens themselves deciding which direction they want their nation to go?
However, lately, there have been many heated discussions and spirited debates when it comes to what it means to be democratic. And it appears the conversation should go even deeper, as there appear to be movements (or determined points of view) that deem democracy to be less than what it's made out to be. Twitter user QuiverfullTweets (@JClifto72622443) created a thread exposing the realities of evangelical homeschooling and its views on democracy, and it quickly went viral.
Evangelical homeschooling material claims that children taught democracy will fail
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Image credits: JClifto72622443
When thinking of homeschooling, many of us probably imagine the same material and information as one would get in school, only you receive all that at home. However, in truth, homeschooling can vary according to preference, with some sticking to the official curriculum and others choosing their own. That's exactly the case with QuiverfullTweets, who revealed she was homeschooled to believe democracy was fundamentally bad.
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Children are taught that democracy incites mobs and leads to anarchy
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Apparently, according to the homeschooling material, democracy is not allowed any setback, as the material teaches that will of the people will end up as mobs (citing the French Revolution as an example, despite the fact that the revolution was to get rid of absolute monarchy). The same revolution is also used to describe how democracy, in fact, causes a slippery slope towards dictatorship (such as Napoleon coming into power), and all this is framed as people straying away from God.
Democracy was corrupt from the very start and so not worth investing in
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Image credits: JClifto72622443
They argue that societies who started democratic movements—Greeks and Romans—likely corrupted the very idea of democracy because in their societies, they allowed men to have relationships with one another, and women were apparently oppressed. Therefore, the whole concept of democracy is bad because, in their eyes, Greeks were bad.
"God to government, husband to wife, parent to child": government should represent the will of God
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Homeschooling evangelicals believe that a country should hold God as the greatest authority, and so the idea of people having the power to rule themselves seems completely opposite from that. People should live in a godly nation, and the elected officials need to represent the interest of the higher power, not the common man. Additionally, democracy is deemed to be too lenient when it comes to punishment, especially since God was portrayed to mete out strict punishments.
Democracy is too lenient because it aims to avoid suffering
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Homeschooling material outright claims that God's punishment is deserved, while democracy is based on the rights of the people and would encourage them to avoid suffering (despite evangelicals believing it was deserved). Basically, democracy is too human-oriented, denying the firm and unchangeable punishment of the higher power. Rehabilitation of the criminals is also viewed unfavorably.
State and church cannot be separated and should both exist under God
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Another argument homeschooling evangelicals use against the democracy is that it separates the state and the church. In their mind, there should only be one nation under God, and some might argue this resembles theocracy, where God is recognized as supreme authority, but such term was also coined in ancient Greece (and ancient Greeks were bad!).
Such homeschooling causes real damage to actual government processes
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Image credits: JClifto72622443
Lastly, the Twitter user unapologetically warned that such ideas ultimately get in the way of actual government, as people who were raised with such ideals and notions that democracy is doomed to fail from the start become representatives of the nation. This divide between views and understanding ends up damaging elections, laws that are passed, and other fundamental processes.
Image credits: JClifto72622443
People thanked the Twitter user for bringing this issue to light
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