as i travel thru ThisPilgrimLand

Nurturing Mother; aka Alma Mater pt. 2

As discussed in the previous entry on this topic, the walk toward the U.S. school system becoming the alma mater of children in the U.S. has been a slow and consistent one and one that has picked up steam in the past 150 years.  As asked in the previous post, why would such a name as ‘nurturing mother’ be chosen to represent our centers of learning.  To answer this question we must look closely at the origin of the word.

One of the first uses of the word alma mater to reference schools came in the early eighteenth century when in Alexander Pope’s satirical poem The Dunciad, Variorum, Pope writes:

Here Pope is using the term in a very unfriendly way.  Speaking of the the fact that the elders of Isis, many of whom were teachers at the time, were often drunk and their pupils took great delight or sport in watching them stagger about.  Pope was placing a warning that these activities by those who put hope and trust in philosophy and metaphysics were sure to dissolve the schools at that time as they would end up floating in a puddle of port, or strong liquor.  What is troubling though is Pope’s recognition of the teachers as elders of Isis.

Isis is an idolatrous goddess whose worship dates back as far as the earliest Egyptians.  Isis was thought to be the daughter of the god of the Earth and the goddess of the heavens.  If feminists had an idol, it would be Isis as she was the very embodiment of the perfect woman.  What set Isis apart from other gods throughout history though was the fact that Isis spent time with the people of Earth.  However, she did not just spend time with them, but she spent time teaching them certain things such as how to cook, clean, sew (all things that a Biblical mother teaches her daughters herself), and of course to train and/or tame men.  Isis was not only the first feminist, she may have been the first home economics teacher as well.  As Isis is considered a goddess of replenishing the Earth, she is of course on of the natural fits to be worshiped in today’s modern Wicca.  While the history and story of Isis is a very intriguing one, to go deeper into that topic would not fit our context here.  What does fit our context is the passing down and cultural changes to the idol of Isis and how she is important to the term ‘alma mater.’

The term ‘alma mater’ as previously discussed is a Latin term dating back to the sixteenth century in reference to it application to schools.  Quite literally the definition of the word is ‘mother who fosters/nourishes.’  Simply put alma mater = nourishing mother.  What history tells us is that the term was most widely conceived and used by the Romans.  They did not use the term to identify schools though, but rather to identify several of the goddesses they worshiped.  Two of the most widely recognized goddesses or alma maters were the goddess Ceres and the goddess Cybele.  In early Christian writings, the cults of Cybele are well documented and opposed by the early church.  For order’s sake though, the remainder of this post will focus on Ceres.

As earlier referenced, Isis was an idol that has been passed down from generation to generation, including our modern generation.  Dating back to the time of Christ though, it is important to recognize that the Romans, those who nailed Christ to the cross at the pleading of the Jews, also worshiped and held high Isis.  However, Isis was not always referred to as Isis in those times, she was often recognized by the name Ceres.  This is the same Ceres from which we get the name alma mater.  So who was this Ceres and why would the Romans worship her?

Ceres was known to the Romans as the goddess of grain and bounty.  We today, when using the word ‘cereal’ are using a word derived from the name of Ceres.  The root of the name Ceres though means to grow or give increase, hence the ‘nurture’ we find in alma mater or ‘nurturing mother.’  Strangely, Ceres was most widely regarded among the lower or middle class, also known as the plebs, in Rome and those who worshiped her often verbalized or feigned anger toward the rulers or Rome who, coincidentally, worshiped the idol of the other root of our alma mater, Cybele.  Consistent with our understanding of the goddess Isis earlier, Ceres became known among the lower and middle classes as  the epitome of the wonderful woman.  Please keep in mind that Ceres stands in contrast in many ways of the wonderful woman provided in Proverbs 31.  The most glaring difference being that in order for Ceres to provide harvest for her followers, they first must offer her praise.  The Proverbs 31 virtuous woman is praised because of her gifts given already (much like we praise God today due to what He has already done for the Christian, not for what we expect to get from Him).

There is much that can be said about the cults and dangers of Ceres, but in the context of our discussion, let’s look at a possible link between Ceres and our alma mater today.  Strangely, one of the most eloquent introductions of Ceres and the idea of multiple gods and goddesses into American schools came from an author who did not necessarily agree with the transcendental movement going on during his time.  Nathaniel Hawthorne, an author studied in almost all of America’s literature class rooms, held a much bleaker view of humanity than did the transcendentalists, but they agreed in the mystical aspects of the world and that God is experienced, not necessarily learned through proper teaching.  Hawthorne was a proponent of the fact that man could learn much about their spiritual life through their dreams.  This mystical similarity would have been cause for agreement among the transcendentals and Hawthorne.  So, when Hawthorne began penning his Tanglewood Tales a series of books that most American children today have read, they were quickly considered excellent teaching tools in the schools for young children.  I am sure that Peabody, who founded the first U.S. kindergarten had an inside track to Hawthorne’s work as well as Nathaniel Hawthorne was married to none other than her sister, Sophia Peabody.  Strange coincidence indeed.

Tanglewood Tales was Hawthorne’s attempt to reproduce many of the mythological tales that formed Roman culture and belief and to make them relevant and readable for school-age children of his time.  One of the titles which Hawthorne penned was none other than The Pomegranate Seed, which tells the tale of none other than the goddess Ceres.  As a child who read several of the Tanglewood Tales, I find it more than ironic that one of the namesakes of our alma maters is famous in mythology for having lost her own daughter while she was off doing what?  She was off at work.  So much for that idea of her being the ideal mother and woman.

It is important to note that in no way am I blaming the problems in today’s school systems on Peabody and certainly not on Hawthorne.  I am simply seeking understanding and explanation of where this idea that he school is the nurturing mother came from and was so thoughtlessly placed into the minds of Americans without so much as a flinch.  Again, words are important and to prove such, simply look at modern day evidence of how the idol of Ceres is alive and well today in the United States and our school systems.

If you have child in public schools, you no doubt understand that the schools are being used to indoctrinate children with “green” environmentalist thinking.  On it’s face, there is nothing wrong with this.  I believe also that we should take care of the Earth and at no time has my thoughts on this matter been greater than now having just returned from the Gulf of Mexico and witnessing the devastation that careless treatment of the Earth causes.  However, children are being pushed further to believe that we and the Earth are one, a transcendental idea and one that leads to worship of Ceres.

That statement is not an assumption but a fact.  For proof, look at a little coalition that formed 20 years ago off the heels of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.  The Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economics on it’s face sounds like a good thing.  You would think that with a name like that, their goal would be to guarantee that companies are doing everything they can to cut down pollution and waste by corporations.  However, that is not the case.  As evidenced on the front page of their website, one of the primary goals of the coalition is to sustain a lasting global economy by the year 2020.  Anytime I hear the words global and economy used together I raise an eyebrow.  What does going green have to do with a global economy after all?  What does this have to do with our topic at hand?  Can you guess what the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economics calls itself?  Ceres is the name they have chosen.  They teach that if you follow their standards and rules, they can assure prosperity through economic gain.  Sounds like the idolatry and worship of Isis/Ceres is alive today and she is in our schools.

Again, I do not purport to be correct regarding the motives and ambitions of people, past or present.  I do feel that words matter though and that when we begin dusting old words off and looking at their meaning and placement in our heads, we don’t always find the prettiest of pictures.  We will continue this discussion in future posts when we explore the second half of the Roman goddesses who made up the term alma mater, Cybele.

The Nurturing Mother; aka Alma Mater

There are times that you learn things at what seems like just the right time.  Such a thing occurred in my life today.  As my wife was reviewing the Latin lessons that she will be teaching our children this year in their schooling, I was reading a very boring article about Bill Gates new experiment with helping to restore the education system in the U.S. (I will not bore you with Gate’s plans but he is planning to try to pay good teachers more money in a select number of school districts).  As I was reading, my wife looked at me and asked, “do you know what ‘alma mater’ in Latin means?”  I responded that I think I used to know but that I had forgotten.  “It literally translates to ‘nurturing mother’” she replied.  My only response I could conjure was a brief “wow.”  I went back to reading but then what she said resonated in my head and internally I said “WOW.”  I looked back at her and she was still looking at me with this look that seemed to say, “you see what I mean.”

To understand this unspoken understanding we had you must realize how often my wife and I think, discuss, fret, and pray over the state of the family in the United States.  We have become fully aware of the past and continuing dissolve of the family in this nation and even more so the unwitting fish-hooking of Christian families into what has become normal in the United States.  As we seem to march closer and closer to becoming a “nanny state (more on that to come)” the replacement of the mother seems to be a trend that will continue.  This being the case, the two of us study this issue often and consider ourselves somewhat learned on the issue.  Still, when a truth about what a word or phrase that we commonly teach our children and use in everyday life, often proudly, comes to light, it opens our hearts and minds to look deeper.

I am a believer in the fact that words matter.  For instance, if I am talking to you and in the middle of your sentence you use the word, ‘but,’ I immediately disqualify everything that you said previously in that sentence as that is what the word ‘but’ does.  It disqualifies.  That being a more extreme example, I believe that words are powerful and when measured carefully are more powerful than any weapon.  This of course comes from learning to study Biblical scripture.  When properly measured, the words of the Bible are the most scandalous and powerful non-organic items to have ever existed on this planet.  So, when I am reminded of what we call our schools and the meaning of those words, my first question is ‘why?’  Why in the world would someone make the decision to call a school a ‘nurturing mother?’  As I began to explore the original meaning of the words as they were first used though, the questions I had became not only broader but seemingly a gateway to questions that will definitely ask for more study. As of this posting, I plan to divide my posting about this word and it’s relation to our schools into several posts but will start today with simply posting about why just the surface meaning of this word is troubling.

While the Egyptians and Hebrews had learning centers in the earliest days of history, it would not make sense to call them centers of public education.  The first publicly available schools date back to around 500 B.C. when the philosopher Confucius introduced learning centers that were mostly available to the public.  As we study the history of the alma mater Confucius’ school and the eastern roots of what has evolved to the U.S. school system will become a key component.  As we move through history, Confucius’ model moves West even as the apostle Paul and the Gospel moves East.   Plato, Socrates, and other great thinkers added to and built upon Confucius’ model in the Roman world but for the most part, a good education was something reserved for primarily the wealthy, and even more accurately, those to be groomed into future church leaders.

Fast forward to the seventeenth century and the newly established colony of Virginia.  While many parents were continuing to educate their children at home or with private tutors within the home, public or “free schools” have been established in the U.S.  While there continued to be private schools for future church leaders, the door for educating youth in America was opened and it was free.  Add the founding of Harvard University and their printing press, the educating of America and her citizens was underway and has not looked back sense.  Although the methods and availability of education changed often, the heart of reasoning behind schooling remained the same.  Teach children right from wrong while grooming their ability to read and understand scripture.  That is a simplistic statement but looking to summarize the first 200 years of education in the U.S., sufficient.

While Benjamin Franklin’s fervor for the Europen Enlightenment (with Italian roots, also important as we advance in this study) helped to remove the Christian focus from America’s schools, what seems to me to be one of two turning points away from Christian teaching in America’s early history took place in the middle of the nineteenth century.  In 1856, Elizabeth Peabody opened her first kindergarten.  This seems as if it would be an innocent act until one looks at Peabody’s thought and views of God and the nature of mankind.  Up to this point, reformed theology & Catholic teaching were the primary teachings in the U.S. and great influences on the teaching allowed in schools.  During this time though, transcendental thought and philosophy had begun to creep into the accepted teachings in U.S. churches and was becoming very popular in the contemporary literature at that time.  Peabody was a contemporary of many of the leaders in the transcendental movement and a believer in this philosophy herself.  Peabody, like many at the time, was no longer satisfied with the doctrine of man’s fallen state and was drawn to the transcendental idea that men were themselves little gods and that the holiness of God was meant to be experienced in the world today, not studied in scripture.  See today’s mysticism being taught in many post-modern churches to fully understand transcendental thought.  Peabody believed and thought that education was to be drawn out of individuals rather than drilled in.  Truth in America was becoming subjective and the first kindergarten in the U.S. helped to fuel this movement.

The second turning point of education in America occurred shortly after Peabody began her kindergarten or day care if you will.  In the year 1859 a little book known as The Origin of Species was published by author Charles Darwin.  Readers of this blog are educated on this matter as the debate regarding this book rages today, 151 years later.  The introduction of evolution being taught as fact in the U.S. schools though mean a great deal toward our ideas of the school becoming the nurturing mother.

Since that time though, through Civil War, segregation, women’s suffrage, and many other important issues that have faced America, none have been at the heart of more American debate than the right to education.  However, what has taken place is a steady march of removing the mother from the role of nurturer in the home and as education has been made a right, the costs, financially and morally, to provide that education have become astronomic.  The question Christians face though is this: despite social change, financial crisis, or even patriotism (referring to the mother’s leaving home to support the war effort of WWI), do we want an institution, a government run and now man-made philosophy-driven, school system being the nurturer of our children?

This discussion will continue on this blog as we will look at the meaning and mythological roots of the alma mater in the next post.

The Mystery is Solved

…make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:25-27

Has there ever been a better cartoon than that old classic Scooby Doo?  Watching the young group of crime fighters and their cowardly dog travel from place to place in their Mystery Machine to solve ghostly mysteries week after week was a highlight of my childhood.  Personally, I always really enjoyed the episodes in which the Harlem Globetrotters made cameo appearances.  The Scooby Doo crew fought witches, sea creatures, ghosts, and mummies in each episode and there was always one thing in common at the end of each episode.  The unveiling always took place.  It was the time when Daphne, Fred, but normally Velma would stitch all the evidence together to explain the mystery and then, the monster would have it’s face torn off only to reveal a sinister man or woman who had something to gain, monetary gain seemed to be the most common.  The unveiling was the time when the villain would utter the now famous words, “…and I would have gotten away with it too if it hadn’t been for you {insert adjective} kids.”  Everything was then peaceful and calm and the crew could move on to their next mystery, show over.

As we look around the Christian landscape today, what we see is a large population of Christians who are looking to solve mysteries.  Emergent and post-modern thought consists of this never ending search for answers to questions that we want answered.  Are people born gay and if so how could a loving God punish them?  Why does a loving God allow bad things to happen to small children?  What happens to the spirit after we die?  If I am raped and get pregnant, is it a sin to have an abortion?  The list goes on and on and there are no definite answers to be found in scripture that give us answers that everyone will believe in.  Therefore, the post-modern  idea  that there is no real truth has been allowed to breed in the minds of not only our universities and science labs, but in our churches as well.  We want to solve the mysteries and we all want to be the ones who get to rip off the veil at the end of the next episode of Scooby Doo.  It’s almost as if we have taken God and turned him into a villain who is going to utter that he would have gotten away with something if it hadn’t been for the many pesky theologians.

I have bad news for all of these supposed sleuths though.  The mystery has already been solved.  All of the answers to the questions we have and want answered have been answered and God Himself withdrew the veil.  Through Christ, all of the questions we have are answered.  Through the good news that God once haunted his children with a rigorous demand of perfection and annual sacrifice but made that demand void through His Son’s death, the greatest mystery, “Who is God,” has been solved.  God is our Father, God is our Keeper, God is the Loving One who understands that our minds cannot fathom even an ounce of understanding about who and what He is and who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can see who He is.  God is love and Christ’s blood lying at the foot of the cross on Calvary is confirmation and evidence of this fact.

All of our questions that we want answered and that are not specifically and wholly answered in scripture are not even worth asking and at the end of our lives, will not matter in the least.  All of the evidence has been gathered and presented and and the veil of the mystery is lifted, but we want to go back and have someone explain why in a haunted medieval castle there was a kitchen full of hamburgers that Scooby and Shaggy feasted on.  It doesn’t matter.  Does it make sense, not at all, but at the end of the day, where the hamburgers came from, why they were there, and who put them there are all inconsequential to the mystery being solved.  The mystery for all of mankind is over and all the evidence points to Jesus Christ.  These questions that we allow to flood our minds are all answered in scripture where God unveils that Christ and our faith in Him is the answer.

As discerning Christians, let us look closely at the evidence that men are presenting to us.  Should what is being taught not match the gospel of Christ, lift the veil yourself.  What will be found is that just as in the old Scooby Doo shows, there will be man, not God, but man.  Twisting words, coming up with great pyrotechnics and optical illusions, setting moods with music, and using scare tactics, man will be beneath the mask when lifted.  Just as the villain on the old cartoon, many of those who look to gain financially or in status by abusing God’s word and people, they play on the fears or learned preconceived notions of people in order to invoke a response that will work favorably in their quest.  I challenge you as you read this to listen to what you are being taught and lift the mask off of it.  You will find one of two things; God as presented in the Holy text, or man.  If it is man, you will be sent off to the next mystery, always seeking but never arriving at truth (2 Tim. 3:7), or you will find the gospel of Jesus Christ as presented in the scripture.  If it is Christ, you will find Him inside of you, confirming what you have been taught and seeing the direct link back to the cross where He died. This is the promise given by God and as presented in Colossians 1.

The mask is in your hand if you own a Bible and to find the answers that we need to know, simply lift the cover.  The next time you open your Bible and begin reading scripture, don’t look for answers to great unsolved mysteries that are inconsequential to your salvation.  Look for Christ!  In each and every passage, link the evidence that is in the scripture back to Christ.  The mystery is solved.

BOOK REVIEW: “The Naked Gospel” by Andrew Farley

I recently completed Andrew Farley’s book The Naked Gospel.  I really enjoyed this stripping away of theological debate and fuss about the gospel and Farley’s reliance on scripture to form his opinion. Let me start by saying this: this book cover and jacket are really great and very pleasing to view.  In this book, Farley aimed to summarize and present the heart of Christ’s gospel in a way that someone who is new to the faith could easily pick up and understand.  Farley strips away doctrine in many instances and presents the scriptures in their purest form.  Time and time again I found myself going back and reading paragraphs a second and third time so that I could better remember what it was that Farley was saying.  Farley’s often personal analogies to help explain concepts he discussed in the book were not only timely and well written, but often entertaining and worthy of repetition.  While there would be a few things I would like to ask Farley for further discussion on after completing this book, Farley presents the gospel of our Lord and Savior in a manner that would increase the faith and understanding of Christ in both a new Christian or one who has had their mind flooded with years of religion and legalistic teaching. I would recommend this book to almost anyone and it would be good for a small group or book club review as there are questions at the back of the book that correspond with each chapter.  I look forward to reading more of this young author and you should do yourself a favor and click one of the links below to purchase this book.

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