Twitter User Shares Evangelical Homeschooling Materials Claiming Democracy Is Bad, Leaving Thousands Of People Concerned
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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Every time I see some Bible quotes presented as some "proof" on how society (or worse, biology or other science) "naturally" works, I can't even.
As a South African doing her entire schooling under the Apartheid Nationalist Party, i realised when we got to high school that we were being brain-washed, propogandised. Religious fundamentalist extremist teaching is wrong. The fact that is children, youth, and teenagers who take the brunt of this is shocking. I do not subscribe to any religion at all. I have seen the fundamentalists from extreme orthodox Jewish, fundamentalists from extreme orthodox Catholicism, fundamentalists from extreme orthodox Evangenicals & fundamentalists from extreme orthodox Islam. Buddhism, Sikhism, Shinto have also been tainted by extremist. People, please let us live in peace. As to Abrahamic religions please go back to the desert to fight this out and see who is the God of Gods. I know they will have no solution, as quite frankly there is no God.
Ironically, these are the same people screaming about sharia law and so Muslims must be banned. Because freedom of religion only applies to them. As much as they want to deny it, this country is not and never was a theocracy. Lucky for me, my mom was terrible at paperwork so I didn't get homeschooled - but my siblings did for a couple of years before she gave up. My childhood best friend was though- literally every moment of his day was dictated so when he graduated, he ended up as a "Soldier of God" in the army because he couldn't function without a strict schedule.
Why would god need soldiers? To fight the devil? Isn't the devil punishing the wicked and therefore being a good guy?
Load More Replies... Let me guess, the "Will of God" in their eyes was whatever the head of their particular brand of insanity fancied that day?
Correct! You've just won the grand prize! Off-brand Wotsits! CrispWhate...922e92.png 
This is so sad really... Those people should be refused the option of homeschooling their children. Send a community worker at home to take the children to the school.
Now justify the belief that indoctrination into your beliefs should take precedence over indoctrination into another's beliefs. Do you consider Mt Rushmore a legitimate national monument? What if I told you it was carved by a Klansman who thought it would be funny to put the likenesses of 4 Americans originally made famous for participating in massacring Native American women and children onto the largest Native American holy site in the Continental US? And this same Klansman also did the Confederate Memorial on Stone Mountain? What if I told you the "Pilgrims" weren't seeking religious freedom, but rather escaping it? King James (yes... That King James) was breaking the hold clergy had over the commoners by (among other things) commissioning a mass produced bible anyone could own... What if I told you the very first thing the US government did after gaining independence (even before holding elections) was increasing taxes across the board by about 500%?
Load More Replies...
My county in Ohio has a very high rate of homeschooling. White, evangelical Christians. The homeschooling parents have little or no education past high school. Ironically, they have little theological understanding, only knowing whatever claptrap they've been fed by their uneducated clergy. Ministers from the dominations that require a bachelors degree and a Masters degree from seminary (such as Lutheran, United Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic) struggle to fill the pews in a conservative county such as ours.
I guess it is a lit easier for less educated to followd other less educated. I can not imagine someone who never read a whole book outside school to follow a possibly complex sermon. Add to that that some people like to stay in the limited but stable view of life instead of being forced to examine their lifechoices what would be the case with elaborated complex speeches by preachers/ministers. (I am a total agnostic who choses atheist life because it is easier than constantly wondering "what if")
Load More Replies...
"Pure democracy didn't work in Greece, Rome, or France ..." Perhaps the most asinine statement I've ever heard. (1) Ancient Greece was NOT a democracy. Certain city-states like Athens practiced a form of democracy, where participation was limited to certain individuals, which lasted until they were defeated by Sparta. (2) Rome was also not a "pure" democracy in that, like Athens, participation was limited to certain individuals called "Gentes". The Genres were the eldest males of the citizen families, and originally there were only fifty. Family members and plebians (non-citizens) were not allowed to participate. Not exactly a "pure" democracy, but it did last nearly 500 years. (3) The French Republic has existed since 1870, although it was restructured after WW2 to allow for a stronger executive branch, which was deemed necessary because of how easily France was defeated by Germany.
I agree with Truth Monster who is saying that unfettered, "pure" democracy is not necessarily good. Same way that pure unfettered capitalism is not good., imo. He said, "Truth Monster 2 days ago So, we don't have a pure democracy and you really shouldn't want one. Think of the Civil Rights movement. If it was left to the majority of people in the 1960s, we'd still be segregated. Abortion: would still be illegal. A pure democracy is the enemy of liberty, free speech, and of reason itself. Its too easy for harassment campaigns to be launched and for people to get caught up in the baying for blood. A republic, such as we have in the US, creates a buffer and allows cooler heads a better chance to make a better decision. TL;DR, the literature shown is mostly quackery, but its right about pure democracy being bad." He got 4 downvotes (total). Not sure why. I thought this was a common view.
The "Pledge of Allegiance" was changed several times for several reasons... The final change was adding "under God" in response to SCOTUS eliminating mandatory school prayer. To make it even more interesting, originally children were required to do the Bellamy Salute while reciting it.
(A) Any form of human government opposes God's will according to 1Samual 8. (B) The US is not a democracy. It is a democratic republic. (C) If "evangelicals" actually stayed out of politics, no one would mind. (D) "Evangelicals" are many things, but they are seldom evangelical.
As someone who loosely could be considered an evangelical, I agree that Christians should never start (or end) a political argument with " because my religion says so." No one should want a theocracy. A government must be made to serve all its citizens, no matter who they do or don't pray to.
Load More Replies...
Every time I see quotes from religions about how the world should work I just shake my head and try to ignore it. I’m thankful my dad never did get around to sending me to a private Catholic School. Heck if he had the money if be there right now to fix my “wayward” beliefs (I’m an agnostic atheist)
evangelicals are nuts. They are also a great danger to our (your/my) way of life. Many home-grown terrorist are evangelicals. You can not debate an evangelical, it would be like trying to debate a pile of bullshit. They don't look forward to building a better life/world, they focus on the f*****g "END TIMES". How very constructive.
In another words, lets make a dictadorship to prevent a dictadorship
I love the Holy Trinity and the Bible. Should I say I can't wait for you to die off? You talk like a nazi. Should I find an attic to hide myself?
Load More Replies...
People are mixing terms a lot in the responses... DEMOCRACY: the ideal that the population rules itself. REPUBLIC: a form of government based on the ideal of Democracy. SOCIALISM: the belief that a government should govern based on the needs of its population. COMMUNISM: the ideal that people are entitled to the fruits of their labors.
Believe it or not, you can incorporate ALL of those into a single government... And believe it or not, most developed countries (even the US) do exactly that.
Load More Replies... So, we don't have a pure democracy and you really shouldn't want one. Think of the Civil Rights movement. If it was left to the majority of people in the 1960s, we'd still be segregated. Abortion: would still be illegal. A pure democracy is the enemy of liberty, free speech, and of reason itself. Its too easy for harassment campaigns to be launched and for people to get caught up in the baying for blood. A republic, such as we have in the US, creates a buffer and allows cooler heads a better chance to make a better decision. TL;DR, the literature shown is mostly quackery, but its right about pure democracy being bad.
Not all Christians (in fact most) think like that
Load More Replies... 
So I did more research than the BP staff here, apparently, and actually confirmed that it was ATI he was quoting. Capture11-...252af2.png 
You lost me at "America is not a democracy. It is a Republic"... Are you actually stupid? We live in a DEMOCRATIC Republic. DEMOCRATIC meaning DEMOCRACY.
Load More Replies...
While conveniently ignoring Norway, Canada, Sweden, Finland, and other Socialist success stories. It's easy to prove your argument when you cherry-pick.
Load More Replies...
Every time I see some Bible quotes presented as some "proof" on how society (or worse, biology or other science) "naturally" works, I can't even.
As a South African doing her entire schooling under the Apartheid Nationalist Party, i realised when we got to high school that we were being brain-washed, propogandised. Religious fundamentalist extremist teaching is wrong. The fact that is children, youth, and teenagers who take the brunt of this is shocking. I do not subscribe to any religion at all. I have seen the fundamentalists from extreme orthodox Jewish, fundamentalists from extreme orthodox Catholicism, fundamentalists from extreme orthodox Evangenicals & fundamentalists from extreme orthodox Islam. Buddhism, Sikhism, Shinto have also been tainted by extremist. People, please let us live in peace. As to Abrahamic religions please go back to the desert to fight this out and see who is the God of Gods. I know they will have no solution, as quite frankly there is no God.
Ironically, these are the same people screaming about sharia law and so Muslims must be banned. Because freedom of religion only applies to them. As much as they want to deny it, this country is not and never was a theocracy. Lucky for me, my mom was terrible at paperwork so I didn't get homeschooled - but my siblings did for a couple of years before she gave up. My childhood best friend was though- literally every moment of his day was dictated so when he graduated, he ended up as a "Soldier of God" in the army because he couldn't function without a strict schedule.
Why would god need soldiers? To fight the devil? Isn't the devil punishing the wicked and therefore being a good guy?
Load More Replies... Let me guess, the "Will of God" in their eyes was whatever the head of their particular brand of insanity fancied that day?
Correct! You've just won the grand prize! Off-brand Wotsits! CrispWhate...922e92.png
This is so sad really... Those people should be refused the option of homeschooling their children. Send a community worker at home to take the children to the school.
Now justify the belief that indoctrination into your beliefs should take precedence over indoctrination into another's beliefs. Do you consider Mt Rushmore a legitimate national monument? What if I told you it was carved by a Klansman who thought it would be funny to put the likenesses of 4 Americans originally made famous for participating in massacring Native American women and children onto the largest Native American holy site in the Continental US? And this same Klansman also did the Confederate Memorial on Stone Mountain? What if I told you the "Pilgrims" weren't seeking religious freedom, but rather escaping it? King James (yes... That King James) was breaking the hold clergy had over the commoners by (among other things) commissioning a mass produced bible anyone could own... What if I told you the very first thing the US government did after gaining independence (even before holding elections) was increasing taxes across the board by about 500%?
Load More Replies... My county in Ohio has a very high rate of homeschooling. White, evangelical Christians. The homeschooling parents have little or no education past high school. Ironically, they have little theological understanding, only knowing whatever claptrap they've been fed by their uneducated clergy. Ministers from the dominations that require a bachelors degree and a Masters degree from seminary (such as Lutheran, United Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic) struggle to fill the pews in a conservative county such as ours.
I guess it is a lit easier for less educated to followd other less educated. I can not imagine someone who never read a whole book outside school to follow a possibly complex sermon. Add to that that some people like to stay in the limited but stable view of life instead of being forced to examine their lifechoices what would be the case with elaborated complex speeches by preachers/ministers. (I am a total agnostic who choses atheist life because it is easier than constantly wondering "what if")
Load More Replies... "Pure democracy didn't work in Greece, Rome, or France ..." Perhaps the most asinine statement I've ever heard. (1) Ancient Greece was NOT a democracy. Certain city-states like Athens practiced a form of democracy, where participation was limited to certain individuals, which lasted until they were defeated by Sparta. (2) Rome was also not a "pure" democracy in that, like Athens, participation was limited to certain individuals called "Gentes". The Genres were the eldest males of the citizen families, and originally there were only fifty. Family members and plebians (non-citizens) were not allowed to participate. Not exactly a "pure" democracy, but it did last nearly 500 years. (3) The French Republic has existed since 1870, although it was restructured after WW2 to allow for a stronger executive branch, which was deemed necessary because of how easily France was defeated by Germany.
I agree with Truth Monster who is saying that unfettered, "pure" democracy is not necessarily good. Same way that pure unfettered capitalism is not good., imo. He said, "Truth Monster 2 days ago So, we don't have a pure democracy and you really shouldn't want one. Think of the Civil Rights movement. If it was left to the majority of people in the 1960s, we'd still be segregated. Abortion: would still be illegal. A pure democracy is the enemy of liberty, free speech, and of reason itself. Its too easy for harassment campaigns to be launched and for people to get caught up in the baying for blood. A republic, such as we have in the US, creates a buffer and allows cooler heads a better chance to make a better decision. TL;DR, the literature shown is mostly quackery, but its right about pure democracy being bad." He got 4 downvotes (total). Not sure why. I thought this was a common view.
The "Pledge of Allegiance" was changed several times for several reasons... The final change was adding "under God" in response to SCOTUS eliminating mandatory school prayer. To make it even more interesting, originally children were required to do the Bellamy Salute while reciting it.
(A) Any form of human government opposes God's will according to 1Samual 8. (B) The US is not a democracy. It is a democratic republic. (C) If "evangelicals" actually stayed out of politics, no one would mind. (D) "Evangelicals" are many things, but they are seldom evangelical.
As someone who loosely could be considered an evangelical, I agree that Christians should never start (or end) a political argument with " because my religion says so." No one should want a theocracy. A government must be made to serve all its citizens, no matter who they do or don't pray to.
Load More Replies... Every time I see quotes from religions about how the world should work I just shake my head and try to ignore it. I’m thankful my dad never did get around to sending me to a private Catholic School. Heck if he had the money if be there right now to fix my “wayward” beliefs (I’m an agnostic atheist)
evangelicals are nuts. They are also a great danger to our (your/my) way of life. Many home-grown terrorist are evangelicals. You can not debate an evangelical, it would be like trying to debate a pile of bullshit. They don't look forward to building a better life/world, they focus on the f*****g "END TIMES". How very constructive.
In another words, lets make a dictadorship to prevent a dictadorship
I love the Holy Trinity and the Bible. Should I say I can't wait for you to die off? You talk like a nazi. Should I find an attic to hide myself?
Load More Replies... People are mixing terms a lot in the responses... DEMOCRACY: the ideal that the population rules itself. REPUBLIC: a form of government based on the ideal of Democracy. SOCIALISM: the belief that a government should govern based on the needs of its population. COMMUNISM: the ideal that people are entitled to the fruits of their labors.
Believe it or not, you can incorporate ALL of those into a single government... And believe it or not, most developed countries (even the US) do exactly that.
Load More Replies... So, we don't have a pure democracy and you really shouldn't want one. Think of the Civil Rights movement. If it was left to the majority of people in the 1960s, we'd still be segregated. Abortion: would still be illegal. A pure democracy is the enemy of liberty, free speech, and of reason itself. Its too easy for harassment campaigns to be launched and for people to get caught up in the baying for blood. A republic, such as we have in the US, creates a buffer and allows cooler heads a better chance to make a better decision. TL;DR, the literature shown is mostly quackery, but its right about pure democracy being bad.
Not all Christians (in fact most) think like that
Load More Replies... So I did more research than the BP staff here, apparently, and actually confirmed that it was ATI he was quoting. Capture11-...252af2.png
You lost me at "America is not a democracy. It is a Republic"... Are you actually stupid? We live in a DEMOCRATIC Republic. DEMOCRATIC meaning DEMOCRACY.
Load More Replies... While conveniently ignoring Norway, Canada, Sweden, Finland, and other Socialist success stories. It's easy to prove your argument when you cherry-pick.
Load More Replies... 
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