A. Overall Lesson Objective

B. Learning Competencies

C. Lesson

The naturalistic world view (in pure form) has no place for morals. Development of the universe, then earth, and finally life, has no overseer or designer. There is no purpose to its start or its progress through time. It is amoral, or without moral content. In a sense, naturalism is morally bankrupt, since the elements of good or bad behavior for men only make sense if the aim is to advance, or be on top of the evolutionary heap. However, most adults consider this untenable for children. After all, most people want to impart some sense of good or bad behavior so the conduct of individuals, people groups, and even entire nations is civilized. But, what is left if God or any kind of deity is removed from consideration in most nations (especially in educational systems for children)? Cultural and historical norms become increasingly important. More courses than ever before, as a result, are designed to revitalize moral values that have been weakened by a God-deleted world view.

There is a problem with cultural or historical norms, however, because they are not always good and can change over time. Nevertheless, social behavior and social studies-related textbooks in most educational systems are guided by those norms. An indefinite concept of religion might be mentioned, but the trend is to remove this influence in most places. After all, an evolutionary world view, which is so embedded in other subjects, does not permit any form of deity to be considered.

There is another trend taking place that further affects moral behavior. Key countries, which are usually wealthy and produce the majority of educational materials, are also producing the majority of media that is proliferated worldwide. In these nations, like the United States, pleasure-centered material is heavily marketed and displayed. In some of the same countries, acceptable relationships are viewed as whatever is acceptable or pleasurable, regardless of gender-choice or age. Easily accessible media is hastening the changes world-wide. In key countries Christian views or standards are usually marginalized by the sheer magnitude of the media impact. This is often coupled with legal changes to accept relationships other than a husband and a wife. Social studies-related textbooks more often reflect the same changed views, and young children are being educated accordingly. So, a large part of the sense of what is acceptable for individual behavior and relationships is changing, and the change is occurring quickly. Cultural norms, because they are not static, are changing with the trends.

So, what is the overall result of typical children’s textbooks in secular education for primary and secondary schools? Family make-up is being defined in less clear terms (it may not be a husband and a wife) and moral good-bad guidance is much less clear. In societies already fully embracing naturalistic and evolutionary world views, where morals based on biblical standards have little influence, there is decreasing objection to this trend.

Media (especially mobile communication) is speeding changes. Thus, wider and more general effects of evolutionary or naturalistic thinking are proliferating quickly—jumping borders and regions within a generation. Cultural changes are quickening. Social behavior follows suit. Textbooks for the young are capturing the changes.

The net results in social studies textbooks for children around the world is a mixture of non-religious, generally acceptable norms of behavior that are based on quickly changing cultural norms. Those norms are driven by the largest producers of both media and textbooks, which apply pressure to accept non-traditional relationships—even among traditionally conservative countries.

New generations of adults increasingly behave very differently to previous ones, and it is increasingly in contrast with biblical standards. However, an evolutionary view of man provides no basis for objecting to amoral behavior because by definition it has no absolute moral authority or standard.

🦕 CT? Let us say that a country has a legislative body of politicians. In one period in the past, almost all of them were married and had children. One generation later, one half of them were married and the other half were living with someone (no legal relationship). A fraction of those with no legal relationship have relationships with people of the same gender. What effects on law making do you think this will have?

Social studies in biblical creation terms, using God’s declarations and standards, is the study of human behavior as individuals, people groups and nations in which God is the preeminent Authority and Overseer Who sets the standards. One’s relationship to Him is predicated on how one responds: does a person, region, and nation lean toward God or away? The same holds true for individuals as it does for cultures and people. For example, the Bible speaks to the subject in national or people-group terms in Proverbs 14:34 and Isaiah 40:15. Leaders are addressed in Proverbs 28:2, 15-16. A country’s attitude is addressed in Proverbs 28:2. God addresses the culture in the days of Noah in Genesis 6 (Unit 2, Lesson 4).

🦕 CT? In a quick discussion led by the teacher, suggest and vote on the students’ choice of best and worst nations in the world in terms of poverty, government stability, and attitude toward neighbors. Put the two nations side-by-side and apply Proverbs 14:34 and 28:2 as the measurement criteria between the two. Use your common knowledge of their recent history and reputation for each country in three categories. How do you assess them?

It ‘seems’ that God knows things better than mankind, who generally disregards the concept of an active god overseeing affairs. The Bible shows God has never stopped being an overseer. It should be apparent that God knows what makes a good nation or culture and what does not. Not all nations and cultures are the same, but God knows the differences, remembers them, and deals with people. He especially deals with those who call upon Him. This view of social studies is very hard to find in any textbook that is driven or influenced by an evolutionary foundation.

On God’s part, He knows what is in man, and all men come from the same family (Genesis 8:21). That is why we need a Savior. In a biblical creation view, culture is subject to God’s examination just as people are. Not all cultural things are acceptable to God. The same is true for people. Read Romans 1:18-32 to review a brief but accurate description of the trends of sin or bad things according to God’s definition. It is an excellent reference among many like it in the New Testament. There are equivalent scriptures (like 2 Peter 1:3-9) that show what happens to individuals and people who are influenced by a relationship with God.

Social studies, which emerge from our sense of who we are in history, are the basis for our understanding of human relationships. In many nations, health and human behavior are being strongly affected by a recent shift in morals (some would say an ‘absence’ of morals) to cover the increasing acceptance of types of relationships outside of marriage between a man and a woman. It is not a surprise that in this kind of culture there is an increased need to deal with sexually transmitted diseases. Many modern texts go further: family representations are becoming devoid of mention of husband and wife. After all, it can be two women, two men, or nearly any other combination that might be suitable. Another trend is that the exposure to the changed views are presented in texts for younger and younger children. This is beginning to erode the age barrier on the same subjects.

While a naturalistic or evolutionary view of social studies seems neutral at first glance with respect to relationships, they are not. When coupled with the effects of media, the general erosion of culturally acceptable relationships is appearing more and more like the description in Romans 1:18-27. An evolutionary world view provides no basis for a desire to institute any absolute standards of sexual morality.

In contrast, the Bible has serious objection to an amoral approach to social relationships. Recall that biblical principles stem from biblical creation. If you recall Genesis 2, which is covered in Unit 1, Lessons 13-14, God described initial conditions and relationships that are ordained by Him. First, we, who were made in His image, were intended to walk with Him. Second, mankind was intended to reproduce and populate the earth based on His definition of marriage, which is the way in which reproduction was designed to occur. Genesis 3, of course, documents mankind’s disobedience and the Fall occurs. This event, however, does not change God’s standard in behavior and relationships, which is strongly and repeatedly affirmed as a major theme in the Bible. Genesis 6 records God’s assessment of the culture prior to the Genesis Flood. Genesis 19 includes a striking story about immorality in Sodom that leads to its destruction by God’s direct hand. Jesus affirms the institution of marriage in all four Gospels (Matthew 19:1-12, Mark 10:1-12, Luke 16:18, and John 8:1-11). Other books of the Bible deal directly with sexually immoral relationships (Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and Galatians 5:19, for instance). In conclusion, the biblical world view links our beginnings and history with His standards for human behavior. Furthermore, God references our behavior with specific examples: what is acceptable to God and what is not.

The issue for this part of the lesson is to see the difference between the foundation for a biblical creation and naturalistic world views on social studies in human behavior. The difference is striking. Recognize that the amoral evolutionary world view is increasingly entrenched, and media intensifies the rate of change by emphasizing non-traditional relationships and heightening the importance of pleasure. Meanwhile, God does not change. Today’s social studies textbooks and educational institutions, in most cases, have taken a popular direction that reduces the importance and fundamental building block for a family: a husband and wife. Instead, the position is now that the conduct of any relationship, regardless of form, must respect individuals and not hurt them, but moral underpinnings, especially those from the Bible, are generally removed. The change and trend is anti-biblical. The early conditioning that is occurring in children’s textbooks only intensifies in advanced education.

Changes are going further as some institutions and several nations, usually those with advanced technology or wealth coupled with easy access to media, have asserted an amoral approach by putting it into public law. Again, it has been at the expense of the central position of biblical standards for a husband and wife relationship. In this case, the plain biblical standard is gone; a family can be headed by any kind of relationship among adults. This opens the door for nearly anything to be practiced and explored when appropriate. The conditions have changed such that countries like the US and Canada have often specifically outlawed Christian standards of relationships to be taught in public schools (parallel to media trends). This presents very challenging conditions to young people and God-fearing teachers. The trends in some countries resemble what is described in Romans 1:18-27.

🦕 CT? If the biblical world view of husband and wife is no longer upheld in your school district where you have children, and you have no other school to choose from, what and when will you teach your child? How will you monitor what the child learns in school? Discuss a plan as if you, as a class, were acting as the parents. List at least 5 key points or considerations for your plan.

[Research notes: marriage, homosexuality, morals]

D. Assignment

Consider the simplest living cell. Recall the inherent functions. With any available reference, check the overall knowledge of the cell’s coding that permits or governs the cell’s functions. How is code written for the most rudimentary electronic device? What does it take to write the code? So, how was the code of a living cell written? Or, can the code write itself? Answer the questions within a half-page. Cite any reference you wish.

E. Learning Activity

🦕 CT? Divide by teams and examine a few selected social studies books that are used in modern industrialized nations. What do they portray as ideal behavior for people? On what authority do they make the assertion? Are biblical standards ever mentioned? Are religious views given any merit?

F. Concluding Assessment

Social studies-related subjects are treated quite differently with a biblical world view compared to an evolutionary world view. The former is God-centered and -defined; the latter is amoral.