The Many Faces, and Causes, of Unbelief - Apologetics Press

Indeed, it may “not be irrelevant” that as a youngster Stephen
Jay Gould was reared in a family that “abandoned all
theology and religious belief,” enthusiastically embraced
Marxism in their place, and subsequently immersed him in
the godless, dialectical materialism of that doctrine—thereby
producing one of the foremost evolutionists of our generation.
If children witness callous indifference, skepticism, or outright
infidelity on the part of their parents in regard to spiritual
matters, more often than not those children will exhibit
the same callousness, skepticism, or infidelity in their own
lives. And is it not also extremely likely that their children
will be reared in the same atmosphere? (Ask yourself—what
do you think Dr. Gould’s own son is being taught by his father,
and likely will grow up believing?) Thus, in the end, the
spiritual condition of not one, but several generations has been
affected adversely as a direct result of the instruction/example
of parents and the subsequent upbringing received at their
hands.
EDUCATION
Surely one of the most important causes of unbelief in the
world today relates to the kind of education a person receives.
[Please notice that I did not say unbelief “relates to the education”
a person receives; rather, I said unbelief “relates to the
kind of education” a person receives. I do not mean to “throw
the baby out with the bath water” by suggesting that all education
results in unbelief, for that most certainly is not the
case and is not representative of my position.] Generally speaking,
the educational system in America is the end product of
John Dewey’s “progressive education movement.” The renowned
humanistic philosopher, Will Durant, wrote that
“there is hardly a school in America that has not felt his influence”
(1961, p. 390). But it was not just American schools that
Dewey influenced. In his book, The Long War Against God,
Henry Morris discussed how the progressive education movement
“profoundly changed education not only in America
but also in many other countries” as well (1989, p. 38).
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