Beck ‘historian’ David Barton: Illiteracy rates higher because students lack ‘fear of the Lord’

[KansDem]

By David Edwards
Wednesday, September 4, 2013 16:10 EDT

A so-called “historian,” who conservative radio host Glenn Beck has hired to teach at his online university, recently argued that scientists needed a “fear of the Lord” to do their job, and students’ test scores would increase if schools had “a daily Bible reading.”

During Tuesday’s Education a Higher Calling program on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, David Barton noted that Americans had gotten away from believing that a “fear of the Lord” was the beginning of all knowledge.

“If you wanted to be a good scientist, you had to start with fear of the Lord,” he explained. “If you wanted to be a good mathematician, if you wanted to be a good preacher, if you wanted to be a good artist — whatever knowledge you needed, you had to start with fear of the Lord.”

“And that’s what happens with a secular approach to education,” Barton continued. “When we had a God-fearing approach to education, our educational knowledge was so much higher than what it is now.”

--more--
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/04/beck-historian-david-barton-illiteracy-rates-higher-because-students-lack-fear-of-the-lord/

I couldn't find his explanation of why a "fear of the Lord" will help education, or why a "daily Bible reading" will boost test scores.

(I don't have sound now so maybe his explanation is in the video?)

[NuclearDem]

1. Where have I heard of this guy before...

Oh, right, the guy whose book about Jefferson was so completely full of shit even the Christian publisher decided to stop publishing it.

Using his name and "historian" in the same sentence is infuriating.

[longship]

2. Thorazine needed on Ward Five. STAT!

Don't forget the straight jacket.

[zbdent]

3. Glenn Beck has an online university?

Like Trump?

[Initech]

7. UBSCN = University Of Batshit Crazy Nutjobs

[Jim__]

4. Yeah, Beck's historian - and we all know how much Beck knows about history. - n/t

[alp227]

5. "School prayer/SAT scores" myth again I see?

http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/sepmyths.htm

SAT scores, for example, are lower today simply because more students from a wider variety of socio-economic backgrounds take the test. In the years preceding 1962, the SAT was taken almost exclusively by upper class, well-educated students from wealthy backgrounds.

Furthermore a Public Eye article about Dr. Barton-Simpson from 1996 shows that the guy has been a drone with this school prayer apologist shtick since the 80s at least.

[xfundy]

6. I lived with that Fear for years.

And it truly was FEAR. My mother left Chick Tracts™ all over the house in places I would find them. "You must believe, otherwise burn in hell for all eternity."

The preacher taught that FEAR as well, every Sunday. Apparently, the "Love" face they'd tried to wear for so long was replaced by the FEAR face, doubtlessly due to lack of "contributions" and "love offerings," "Lottie Moon" offerings and so much other bullshit derived to get money out of fearful people, who the church created.

I finally faced those fears, read the entire KJV-1611 for myself, saw it was filled with absurdities, slavery, violence, death, bigotry, and outright lies, and was able to cast it out of my belief system, though it still lingers there in small places, just like the racism I was taught, also in church, and must be fought with a pause for reason when what I guess are "automatic" responses appear when I read or hear something.

I expect that affliction will last my lifetime.

[XemaSab]

8. Proverbs 9:10

n/t

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. overwhelming fear destroys people.

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
― Plato

“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”
― John Lennon


“The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.”
― Elizabeth Cady Stanton


This guy obviously doesn't know Bean One about science. Because of Copernicus and Kepler we know that the moon doesn't eat the sun during an eclipse and the gods are angry.

He also doesn't know anything about correlation and causation.
Two things happening at the same time do not mean that one caused the other.