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Michelle Obama

2017-01-02T19:07:49Z

Rtyughjbnm:

{{Officeholder
|name=Michelle Obama
|image=Michelle Obama.jpg
|party=Democratic
|spouse=[[Barack Obama]]
|religion=[[Protestant]]
|offices=

{{Officeholder/misc
|office=First Lady of the United States
|terms=January 20, 2009 -
|preceded=[[Laura Bush]]
|former=n
|succeeded=
}}
}}
'''Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama''' (born January 17, 1964) is SEXY LADY

Convicted terrorist [[Bill Ayers]] stated "Michelle Obama has become the com/t group id Axelrod]]'s company "ASK Public Strategies" and along with Valerie Jarrett, promoted the Urban Health Initiative. The hospital gave their approval. Some are calling for an investigation because the result was a patient-dumping scheme to avoid dealing with Medicare/Medicaid patients.<ref>[http://hotair.com/archives/2009/07/23/video-did-michelle-obama-start-a-patient-dumping-program/ Video: Did Michelle Obama start a patient-dumping program? Hotair.com, July 23, 2009]</ref> In March 2009, the ''[[American Thinker]]'' wrote:
{{cquote|Substantial coverage was given to a recent indictment of the program by the American College of Emergency Physicians. ACEP's president, Dr. Nick Jouriles, released a statement suggesting that the initiative comes "dangerously close to ‘patient dumping,' a practice made illegal by the Emergency Medical Labor and Treatment Act, and reflected an effort to ‘cherry pick' wealthy patients over poor."<ref>http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/03/michelle_obamas_patientdumping_1.html</ref>}}

In September 2011 it was revealed that a close friend, advisor and donor of Barack Obama, Chicago's Dr. Eric Whitaker is facing financial fraud charges. Dr. Whitaker left his job in the Illinois Department of Public Health in 2007 to work with Michelle Obama as executive vice president at University of Chicago Medical Center.<ref>[http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2011/sep/close-obama-pal-embroiled-grant-fraud-scandal Close Obama Pal Embroiled In Grant Fraud Scandal, Judicial Watch, September 22, 2011]</ref>

==Support for Late Term Abortions==
Michelle Obama wrote a fund-raising letter during her husband's 2004 US Senate campaign claiming the [[partial birth abortion]] ban "is clearly unconstitutional" and "a flawed law." <ref>[http://www.jillstanek.com/archives/2008/05/michelle_obamas.html Michelle Obama's partial birth abortion fund-raising letter, JillStanek.com, May 8, 2008]</ref> A late trimester abortion of a woman's pregnancy involves the jamming of scissors into the back of a child's head, Michelle describes it as "legitimate" medicine.

==Quotes While Campaigning==
* "Someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more." - 2008

* '''"For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback."''' <ref>http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/02/michelle-obam-1.html</ref><ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331288,00.html</ref>

*"Before we can work on the problems, we have to fix our souls. Our souls are broken in this nation."

*"There is still a lot of hard work that we as a country need to do. They can't look to any one individual, whether it's Barack or it's the next new hope that's going to appear to be that '''savior'''."

*"No matter what the outcome is, we have to keep our eyes on the bigger picture. We need some kind of change. We can't cut off our noses to spite our faces."

*"We have this window of opportunity; we have a chance to make something real happen. Something possible happen, to live beyond our fear, think about that, and help us. Help lift us up, help us fight this fight to change, - transform - this country in a fundamental way. This chance won't come around again."

*"Millions of Americans who know that Barack understands their dreams; that Barack will fight for people like them; and that Barack will finally bring the change we need."

*"In my own life, in my own small way, I have tried to give back to this country that has given me so much,” she said. “See, that’s why I left a job at a big law firm for a career in public service."

*"We had a miraculous victory in Iowa. '''Ain't no black people in Iowa!''' Something big, something new is happening. Let's build the future we all know is possible. Let's show our kids that America is ready for Barack Obama right now."

==Michelle Obama and Liberal Elitism==

''For more information please see:'' [[Michelle Obama and liberal elitism]] ''and also see'' [[Barack Obama and liberal elitism]]

In 2008, the Huffington Post was reported that Michelle Obama wore $540 sneakers to a food bank.
<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/michelle-obama-wears-silv_n_193138.html</ref>

[[Powerline]] offers the following criticism of Michelle Obama:
{{cquote|She says that she and Barack were born to parents of modest means, not with "silver spoons" in their mouths. Nobody knows the trouble they've seen. The burden of paying for her undergraduate education at [[Princeton]] and her law school education at [[Harvard]] has scarred her. It remains a motif of her stump speech. No one is accorded a chance to ask her if she thought about attending the University of Illinois, or if she's grateful for any of the financial assistance that facilitated her and her husband's attendance at the finest institutions of higher learning in the United States.<ref>http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2008/05/020456.php</ref>}}

Michelle Obama's [[liberal elite|liberal elitism]] is not surprising given the [[Barack Obama and liberal elitism|high degree of liberal elitism that Barack Obama continually displays]].

===Vacationing abuse on the taxpayers credit card===
While the average American suffers under Obamanomics of low wages, no job growth, higher energy costs and higher food prices, Michelle Obama is living the high life with White House parties and tens of millions of dollars worth of vacations.

Michelle Obama has taken 17 vacations since 2008 and plans to take her 18th vacation in [[Las Vegas]].<ref>[http://weaselzippers.us/2012/03/29/its-good-to-be-queen-mooch-heads-to-las-vegas-for-yet-another-vacation/ It’s Good To Be Queen: Mooch Heads To Las Vegas For Yet Another Vacation, WeaselZippers.us, March 29, 2012]</ref>

Other lavish vacations include:
*Honolulu, Hawaii
*Aspen, Colorado
*Martha's Vineyard
*Las Vegas
*Africa
*Spain
*Mexico
*Ireland
*China

==Fashion Disaster==

Michelle has been consistently ridiculed for her fashion choices. Since the age of television, the press has been keen to report on the First Lady's appearance by noting regal, stylish and elegant dresses she wears. The opposite can be said of Michelle. She makes headlines for sleeveless gowns, hideous color matching, $500 sneakers, always wearing torso belts, and exiting [[Air Force One]] in shorts and a T-shirt, among others. She gives the impression that she is trying to be a Diva, but in reality, she is far from being a trend-setter. In fact, reviews always return negative statements such as gaudy, tacky, and unbecoming of the role the First Lady inherits.<ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi-0226-sleeveless-michelle-obafeb26,0,3657652.story Some harrumph over Michelle Obama's sleeveless dress, Chicago Tribune, February 26, 2009]</ref><ref>[http://www.thehotjoints.com/2009/06/16/fashion-designers-keep-pretending-michelle-obama-has-style/ Fashion Designers Keep Pretending Michelle Obama Has Style, thehotjoints.com, JUNE 16, 2009]</ref><ref>[http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/huggett/090611 Michelle Obama: First Lady of fashion victims, RenewAmerica.com, June 11, 2009]</ref><ref>[http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/fashion/article6470675.ece Michelle Obama's Abbey outfit: stacked like a wedding cake – but nice colours, The Times, June 10, 2009]</ref>

It was noted in April 2011 that Michelle has already replaced her first two fashion stylists.<ref>[http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2011/04/michelle_obama_may_have_switch.html Michelle Obama May Have Switched Stylists Again, NYMag.com, April 13, 2011]</ref>

==First Grandmother==
Michelle's mother moved into the [[White House]] to help raise her grandchildren.

==Bringing the Olympics to Chicago==
The First Lady, along with [[Oprah Winfrey]], traveled to [[Copenhagen]] to support Barack Obama's pitch for the Olympics in Chicago. She claimed that the trip was a sacrifice to visit for a few days.<ref>[http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Michelle-Obama-Its-a-sacrifice-to-travel-to-Europe-to-pitch-for-the-Olympics--For-Oprah-and-the-president-too--But-were-doing-it-for-the-kids-62928957.html Michelle Obama: It's a 'sacrifice' to travel to Europe to pitch for the Olympics. But I'm doing it for the kids, Washington Examiner, September 30, 2009]</ref> She would give a speech to Olympic officials saying, "Some of my best memories are sitting on my dad's lap, cheering on Olga and Nadia, Carl Lewis and others for their brilliance and perfection." <ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/02/michelle.obama.olympics/ Michelle Obama steals the show in Copenhagen, CNN, October 2, 2009]</ref> It was noted that either she was lying or that it was a strange occurrence for her to be sitting on her dad's lap, since she was 20 years old when Carl Lewis first competed in the Olympics.<ref>[http://michellemalkin.com/2009/10/02/quote-of-the-day-the-first-ladys-tall-olympic-tale/ tall tale of the day: The First Lady’s weird Olympic memory, Michelle Malkin, October 2, 2009]</ref>

==Healthy Eating Initiative==

''See also:'' [[Overweight Obama administration officials]]

Michelle made the liberal media news cycle by promoting healthy eating from the White House garden. The food network filmed “Iron Chef America" showcasing Michelle's healthy food, cooking five dishes using the secret ingredient: produce from the [[White House]] garden. The two-hour special showed the chefs picking sweet potatoes, broccoli, fennel and tomatillos from the White House garden. An issue came to light that the foods were actually prepared in [[New York City]], speculating that the entire show was just staged to look like produce from her garden.<ref>[http://michellemalkin.com/2010/01/14/everythings-staged-michelle-obamas-garden-food-was-fake/ Everything’s staged: Michelle Obama’s garden food was fake, Michelle Malkin, January 14, 2010]</ref> Also, her campaign against obesity has not stopped her and Barack from [http://conservapedia.com/Liberal_hypocrisy#The_Obamas_and_obesity taking their children out for ice cream while on vacation].

In Michelle Obama's first interview on the [[Fox News]] network, she would tout her responsible-eating initiative for kids. She would highlight the Obama Administration's $400 million Healthy Food Financing Initiative and her "Let's Move" campaign, which educates the danger of obese children and healthy eating.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61I5E820100219 U.S. launches program to end "food deserts", February 19, 2010]</ref> She would tie the promises of the program to saying it would create 5000 jobs and pointed out that childhood obesity is a threat to national security. She urges children and parents to just skip "food desserts".

She would promote healthy eating initiatives for schools. Barack sought and passed legislation costing more than $4 billion. It is a horrible example of nanny state politics with draconian requirements on what can or cannot be sold at school bake sales and at the school cafeteria.

Psychiatrist Keith Ablow called Michelle too fat to preach about nutrition, "And how well could she be eating? She needs to drop a few", and "We’re taking nutrition advice from who?" <ref>[http://dailycaller.com/2014/08/13/fox-news-doc-calls-michelle-obama-too-fat-to-preach-about-nutrition-video/#ixzz3AP4fs56N Below The Belt? Fox News Doc Calls Michelle Obama Too Fat To Preach About Nutrition [VIDEO], DailyCaller.com, August 13th]</ref>

===Healthy Eating Failure===

Michelle's proposals have destroyed the lunch program of this nation's schools. The children refuse to eat what was recommended. The children have stopped eating school lunch. Children go hungry due to the small size portions. School districts have suffered enormous financial losses.

In 2014, Republicans in Congress have decided to strip her signature program. She stated that was 'unacceptable'. What wasn't unacceptable was the lunch her kids are fed in a private school. The prestigious Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., serves the following to students,<ref>[http://www.ijreview.com/2014/05/141806-public-school-kids-eat-healthy-lunches-obama-girls-dine-lunches-designed-chefs/ While Public School Kids Eat ‘Healthy Lunches,’ Washington Elites Served Meatball Subs, Ice Cream, ijreview.com, may 27, 2014]</ref>

*BBQ wings
*Meatball subs
*Ice Cream
*Crusted tilapia
*Herb roasted chicken
*Pesto cream & garden-fresh marinara sauce
*Roasted edamame & Shitake mushrooms
*BBQ sliders
*Pesto pasta
*All-natural rosemary chicken
*All-natural beef nachos
*Baked three-cheese lasagna
*Pepperoni flatbread pizza

=== Michelle Obama Greeted an overweight U.S. Surgeon General for a MyPlate initiative ===

''See also:'' [[Overweight Obama administration officials]]

In June 2011, Michelle Obama greeted an overweight U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin as they introduce the MyPlate initiative.<ref>http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2011/06/06/food_guide_efforts_are_a_waste/</ref>

=== Barack and Michelle Obama and a burger joint ===

In August 2011, [[Barack Obama]] and his staff ate a high calorie meal at a burger joint. Obama said concerning his wife, "Michelle eats here all the time".<ref>http://www.theblaze.com/stories/obama-celebrates-debt-deal-with-1700-calorie-staff-lunch-at-burger-joint/</ref>

==First Lady's staff of 22==
American taxpayers are shelling out a staggering total of $1,591,200 annually for the First Lady’s 22 member personal staff.<ref>[http://www.westernjournalism.com/how-big-is-michelle-obamas-staffs-budget/?utm_source=Western+Journalism&utm_campaign=502f59131d-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email How Big Is Michelle Obama’s Staff’s Budget?, WesternJournalism.com, March 27, 2012]</ref>

*$172,200 - Sher, Susan (CHIEF OF STAFF)
*$140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
*$113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECRETARY)
*$102,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
*Winter, Melissa E. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
*$90,000 - Medina, David S. (DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
*$84,000 - Lelyveld, Catherine M. (DIRECTOR AND PRESS SECRETARY TO THE FIRST LADY)
*$75,000 - Starkey, Frances M. (DIRECTOR OF SCHEDULING AND ADVANCE FOR THE FIRST LADY)
*$70,000 - Sanders, Trooper (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
*$65,000 - Burnough, Erinn J. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY SOCIAL SECRETARY)
*Reinstein, Joseph B. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY SOCIAL SECRETARY)
*$62,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF SCHEDULING AND EVENTS COORDINATOR FOR THE FIRST LADY)
*$60,000 - Fitts, Alan O. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ADVANCE AND TRIP DIRECTOR FOR THE FIRST LADY)
*Lewis, Dana M. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT AND PERSONAL AIDE TO THE FIRST LADY)
*$52,500 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY TO THE FIRST LADY)
*$50,000 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT FOR SCHEDULING AND TRAVELING AIDE TO THE FIRST LADY)
*$45,000 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE FIRST LADY)
*Tubman, Samantha (DEPUTY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR,SOCIAL OFFICE)
*$40,000 - Boswell, Joseph J. (EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
*$36,000 - Armbruster, Sally M. (STAFF ASSISTANT TO THE SOCIAL SECRETARY)
*Bookey, Natalie (STAFF ASSISTANT)
*Jackson, Deilia A. (DEPUTY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE FIRST LADY) <ref>[http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/12652 First Lady requires more than twenty attendants] Canadian Free Press, July 7, 2009</ref>

===Staff Turnover Rate===
In just under three years, she has gone through three chiefs of staff, three secretaries, two communication directors and a press secretary.<ref>[http://www.theblaze.com/stories/expert-blames-michelle-os-staff-turnover-on-race/ EXPERT BLAMES MICHELLE O’S STAFF TURNOVER ON….RACE?, THEBLAZE, May 27, 2011]</ref>

== External links ==

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1k3lmCE3HI America is Hell, compilation of Michelle Obama speeches]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kiGjE4_k0jI Michelle's Last Four Years - Lest We Forget]
*[http://www.life-in-spite-of-ms.com/fraserrobinson.html Fraser Robinson III ~ Michelle Obama's Father]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obama, Michelle}}
[[Category:Women]]
[[Category:Obama Administration]]
[[Category:First Ladies]]
[[Category:Liberals]]
[[Category:Anti Second Amendment]]

John Birch Society

2017-01-02T19:06:31Z

Rtyughjbnm: Remove self-promotion

The '''John Birch Society''' is an American paleoconservative organization founded in 1958 by Massachusetts businessman [[Robert Welch]] (1900-1985). Until the collapse of Soviet Communism in 1991, it focused on Communism as the enemy of American values, warning that Communism already exerted a powerful control on the national government.

At its peak in 1964 the Society claimed to have hundreds of chapters throughout the country, 100,000 members, 400 American Opinion bookstores to distribute and sell its magazine and pamphlets, and an active cadre of speakers that crisscrossed the country. Welch ruled with an iron hand,<ref>Schoenwald, (2001) pp. 83-91</ref> sending out his agents to make sure the local units never engaged in operations on their own, such as endorsing candidates or lobbying for legislation. All the dues went to national headquarters in Belmont, Massachusetts and the members were to spend their energy writing letters that echoed Welch's thesis that that Communists were already in power in Washington and were about to fully take over the country. Welch sponsored "Support Your Local Police"
campaign which opposed civilian review boards to monitor police brutality.<ref>Some chapters without Welch's approval did organize opposition to fluoridation of local water supplies or pushed a slate for election to local school boards.</ref> The one notable national campaign was to demand the impeachment of Chief Justice [[Earl Warren]]. Not a single member of Congress was willing to present an impeachment resolution, and over the years only three Congressmen were members, most notably [[Larry McDonald]] (1935-1983), the Society president when his plane, [[Korean Airlines Flight 007]],was shot down by the Soviet Air Force on Sept. 1, 1983 in international air space in between Soviet [[Moneron Island]] and [[Sakhalin]] island.<ref>Since June of 2012, there is a petition drive, supported by Senator [[Scott Brown]], to be presented to President Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner, to reopen the investigation into the shooting down of KAL 007 and reports of the survival of Congressman McDonald [http://www.change.org/petitions/president-barack-obama-speaker-of-the-house-john-boehner-conduct-an-investigation-of-flight-kal-007].

One of the society's most popular spokesmen was John Rousselot, a former Republican congressman from southern California. Another was John Schmitz (1930-2001), briefly a Congressman from Southern California.</ref>

==History==
The organization was founded by [[Robert Welch]] in 1958 to fight subversive infiltration of the United States.<ref>Welch said he named the Society after [[John Birch]], the first American to die in the [[Cold War]].</ref> He designed the Society like the Communist movement, with a strong leader at the top (himself), with each lower level following the orders they were given. Society literature denounced collectivist infiltration from Communists, the [[United Nations]], and various front groups.

==Conspiracies==
As leader of the society, Welch decided that the root cause of most of the troubles was a two-century-long conspiracy of the "Illuminati," a group supposedly founded in Bavaria in 1776. He declared it was responsible for the French and Russian Revolutions and the two world wars, as well as evils of Lincoln's income taxes, Wilson's Federal Reserve, and Roosevelt's New Deal. Most insidious of all was the United Nations. It also controlled the Communist party and the Trilateral Commission. The only member of the Illuminati he could identify by name was [[Nelson Rockefeller]]. Reagan was suspect because he picked for vice president the choice of the Illuminati, [[George H.W. Bush]]. Welch argued that the Illuminati was subversive of good government, destructive of religion, and used professional agitators and massive terror to destroy the good people, while manufacturing smears to destroy the brave souls who tried to expose it.<ref>There's more; see Stewart (2002).</ref>

In October, 2009, it exposed the diabolic totalitarian schemes of the Department of Homeland Security's TSA:
:''It’s not enough that the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) gropes us at checkpoints in airports, photographs passengers naked, steals from them, and even killed one. Now it’s recruiting the nation’s truck- and bus-drivers as snitches against us in a scheme it calls First Observer. The logic is diabolical, totalitarian, and simple...."<ref>Becky Akers, "Eyes on the Road" Oct. 15, 2009 [http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/opinion/948-becky-akers/1988-eyes-on-the-road on JBS official website]</ref>

===Eisenhower and Johnson===
Welch wrote in a widely circulated statement, ''The Politician,'' "Could Eisenhower really be simply a smart politician, entirely without principles and hungry for glory, who is only the tool of the Communists? The answer is yes." He went on. ""With regard to ... Eisenhower, it is difficult to avoid raising the question of deliberate treason."<ref>Quoted at [http://www.jbs.org/jbs-news-feed/1375-glenn-beck-talks-with-jbs-president-john-f-mcmanus "Glenn Beck talks with JBS President John F. McManus" Aug. 15, 2006]</ref>

In the 1960s Welch insisted that the Johnson administration's fight against communism in Vietnam was part of a communist plot aimed at taking over the United States. Welch demanded that the United States get out of Vietnam, thus aligning the Society with the far left.<ref>Stephen Earl Bennett, "Modes of Resolution of a 'Belief Dilemma' in the Ideology of the John Birch Society," ''Journal of Politics'' 1971 33(3): 735-772</ref>

==Rejected by most conservatives==
It was moderately active in the 1960s with numerous chapters, but rarely engaged in coalition building with other conservatives. Indeed, it was rejected by most conservatives because of the outlandish conspiracy theories of its leader [[Robert Welch]]. [[William F. Buckley]] and his ''National Review'' regularly attacked Welch, and by 1965 was attacking the Society as well. Starting with Welch considered conservative President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] a Communist stooge, it was deeply distrustful of all presidents since Franklin Roosevelt.

Eisenhower cabinet member [[Ezra Taft Benson]], a leading Mormon, spoke in favor of the John Birch Society, but in January 1963 the Mormon church issued a statement distancing itself from the Society.<ref>Gregory A. Prince, "The Red Peril, the Candy Maker, and the Apostle: David O. Mckay's Confrontation with Communism," ''Dialogue: a Journal of Mormon Thought'' 2004 37(2): 37-94,</ref>

==Liberal target==
The John Birch Society has always been a favorite target of liberals who want to embarrass the conservative movement by citing some ridiculous conspiracy theory on the right. Some liberals just laugh and employ misinterpretations of social anxieties to warn that Birchers are misfits; most warn darkly that the John Birch Society is a dangerous manifestation of the "radical right" that aimed to subvert democracy. In practice, the Society actually did little more than publish pamphlets and sponsor local discussion groups.

Historian [[Richard Hofstadter]] claimed the Birch Society was the leader of the right wing in the 1960s.<ref>Hofstadter himself later turned right. Hofstadter, ''The Paranoid Style in American Politics and Other Essays'' (1967) p. 70</ref> In 1968 Governor Pat Brown of California, about to be defeated for reelection by Reagan, unleashed a 13-page report calling Reagan a puppet of the John Birch Society. (Reagan considered the JBS leaders to be kooky and kept them out of his campaign.)<ref>Rick Perlstein, ''Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America'' (2008) p. 113</ref> As late as 1980, House Speaker [[Tip O'Neill]] warned that "John Birchers control the Republican Party," overlooking the fact that the only Birch Society member in Congress at the time was a Democrat from Georgia, [[Larry McDonald]] who caucused with O'Neill. In fact the John Birch Society never controlled the Republican party in any state at any level at any time.<ref>Steven F. Hayward, ''The Age of Reagan: The Fall of the Old Liberal Order, 1964-1980'' (2001) pp 101, 675;</ref> The John Birch Society has Been smeared as "racist" targeted by liberal YouTuber [[Reich-Wing Watch]] in his video "Rachel Maddow Exposes RACIST John Birch society" and by the Marxist [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] but the Society was never a hate group and explains it expels members showing bigotry and racism. The society accepts non-whites, Jews and Freemasons and the reason it was called "racist" by leftists is its opposition to some aspects of the civil rights movement due to its minor communist influence.

==Ideology==
The Society works towards educating Americans about the original intent of the [[Founding Fathers]]. The John Birch Society strongly believes that the United States is a [[Constitutional Republic]], not a democracy.

Although the JBS is considered to be "right-wing", the group has vigorously attacked President [[George W. Bush]] as a pawn of neo-conservatism seeking a "New World order" that would swallow up America. That is only the latest of a long line of conspiracy theories it has promoted.

Since June 2012, there is a petition drive, supported by Senator [[Scott Brown]], to be presented to President Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner, to reopen the investigation into the shooting down of KAL 007 and reports of the survival of Congressman McDonald [http://www.change.org/petitions/president-barack-obama-speaker-of-the-house-john-boehner-conduct-an-investigation-of-flight-kal-007].

==Publications==
The official magazine of the John Birch Society since 1985 ''[[The New American]]''. It replaced ''American Opinion'', which was published from 1958 to 1985.

The Birch Society has an active publication and reprint program. Reflecting its distrust of national leadership over the last 70 years, many of the books blame the White House and national leaders for deliberately damaging the national interest—for example, by encouraging the Japanese to sink the American fleet at Pearl Harbor.
==Members==
There are unofficial JBS chapters on many college campuses throughout the United States.

One survey in the early 1970s found the typical John Birch Society member was middle or upper-middle class, Republican and Protestant. He was also fairly young and well educated: the majority of the sample was under 40 at time of recruitment and had completed at least three years of college. A later survey in the mid 1980s found the membership then was disproportionately Southwesterners, young, urban, male, and Catholic. They were consistently conservative on secular issues, antigovernment, and negative toward communism. The evidence does not support liberal notions that irrationality, social strains, or status anxiety explained their beliefs.<ref>Stone (1974); Wilcox (1988)</ref>

==Further reading==
* Grigg, William Norman. "Global Gun Grab: The United Nations Campaign to Disarm Americans". John Birch Society, 2001.
* Jasper, William F. "The United Nations Exposed". John Birch Society, 2001.
* McManus, John F. "Changing Commands: The Betrayal of America's Military". John Birch Society, 1995.
* Perloff, James. "The Shadows of Power: The Council on Foreign Relations and the American Decline". Western Islands, 1988.
* Smoot, Dan. "The Invisible Government". Western Islands, 1962.
* Stewart, Charles J. "The Master Conspiracy of the John Birch Society: From Communism to the New World Order," ''Western Journal of Communication'' (2002) v.66#4 pp 424+ [http://www.questia.com/read/5002503885?title=The%20Master%20Conspiracy%20of%20the%20John%20Birch%20Society%3a%20From%20Communism%20to%20the%20New%20World%20Order online edition]
* Stone, Barbara S. "The John Birch Society: a Profile," ''Journal of Politics'' 1974 36(1): 184-197,
* Wilcox, Clyde. "Sources of Support for the Old Right: a Comparison of the John Birch Society and the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade." ''Social Science History'' 1988 12(4): 429-450,
===Primary sources===
*Robert W. Welch Jr. ''The Blue Book of the John Birch Society''. Boston: Western Islands, 1961.
*Robert W. Welch Jr. and the John Birch Society ''The White Book of the John Birch Society for 1964.'' Belmont: John Birch Society, 1961.
*Robert W. Welch Jr. ''The New Americanism and Other Speeches.'' Boston: Western Islands, 1966.
*Gary Allen. ''None Dare Call It Conspiracy.'' G S G & Associates, Inc., 1971.
*[[Korean Airlines Flight 007]] - Congressman [[Larry McDonald]], the 2nd President of the JBS, was a passenger of this flight downed by the Soviets on Sept. 1, 1983 in international waters near [[Moneron Island]] west of Sakhalin Island. Since June 2012, there is a petition drive, supported by Senator [[Scott Brown]], to be presented to President Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner, to reopen the investigation into the shooting down of KAL 007 and reports of the survival of Congressman McDonald [http://www.change.org/petitions/president-barack-obama-speaker-of-the-house-john-boehner-conduct-an-investigation-of-flight-kal-007].

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.jbs.org/ The John Birch Society Website]
*[http://www.thenewamerican.com/ The New American]
*[http://johnbirchsocietyvolunteers.org/ The JBS Volunteers]
*[http://www.thenewamerican.com/node/8694 "KAL Flight 007 Remembered" New American Magazine]
*[http://www.rescue007.org/ Website of the International Committee for the Rescue of KAL 007 Survivors]
*[http://politicalgraveyard.com/group/john-birch-soc.html members prominent in politics]
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/2012/11/lawrence-patton-mcdonald-b_15.html A Forgotten Man: Congressman Larry McDonald]

[[Category:Political Organizations]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Cold War]]
[[Category:1960s]]
[[Category:Conspiracy Theorists]]
[[Category:Conservative Organizations]]
[[Category:Conservatism]]
[[Category:Anti-Communism]]
[[Category:Pro Second Amendment]]

Trinity

2017-01-02T19:05:25Z

Rtyughjbnm:

{{Christianity}} JESUS IS SOCK OF FATHER
[[File:El Greco The Holy Trinity 1577.jpg|thumb|left|175px|''The Holy Trinity'' by [[El Greco]]]]
The Christian '''Trinity''' consists of [[God the Father]], [[Jesus Christ|God the Son]], and God the [[Holy Spirit]], as established by the [[Nicene Creed]] of 325 AD. The Trinity refers to the three parts that make up the one God, all co-equal, and all forming one God.

Although it is never made explicit in the [[Bible]], the concept of the Trinity is embraced by the [[Roman Catholic Church]], the [[Orthodox Church]], and nearly all [[Protestantism|Protestant]] denominations. The name was coined by the Church Father Tertullian (145-220 AD). It is based on inferences from texts emphasizing the closeness of God-the-Father and Jesus (such as Rom. 8:31-34), the role of the Holy Ghost, and especially the baptismal formula in Matt. 28:19
:Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

A good illustration is [[water|H<sub>2</sub>O]]. It can take three forms, all of which are considered water. In the same way, God exists as three distinct but united persons.

==Denials==
The [[Arian]]s of the 4th century denied the Trinity. They were condemned as heretics and they died out, but Arian ideas appeared in Europe after 1500. [[Isaac Newton]] was secretly an Arian. By the mid-18th century [[Unitarianism]] had emerged in England, and it spread to the U.S. by 1800. It dominated schools like Harvard by 1820.

In the 20th century [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] do not believe in the Trinity, and see it as contradicting the commandment to have no god but the one God.<ref>Watchtower, July 2008</ref> Jehovah Witnesses disparage the Trinity by depicting it as a three-headed creature and claim the doctrine as a corrupt addition by [[Satan]] to Christianity.

[[Islam]] has taught that the Trinity is Father, Son, and Mother (the [[Virgin Mary]]).

==Trinity Sunday==
The Trinity is remembered in [[worship]] in liturgical churches each year on Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after [[Pentecost]]. In 2013, this will be May 26.

==Further reading==
* Joyce, George. "The Blessed Trinity." ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 15. (1912) [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15047a.htm online edition]
*Kirn, O. "Trinity, Doctrine of the" in ''New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge'' (1911), [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc12.toc.html Vol. 12: pp18-22], Protestant interpretation
* Slovan, Gerald S. ''The Three Persons in One God'' (1964) scholarly study [http://www.questia.com/read/98585702?title=The%20Three%20Persons%20in%20One%20God online edition]

==See also==
*[[Arianism]]
*[[In the midst of a Maelstrom: the Holy Spirit and silence: an essay]]
*[[Johannine Comma]], rejected text of John
*[[Seven Spirits of God]]

== References ==

<references/>

[[Image:Murillo Two Trinities.jpg|frame|left|The Two Trinities by [[Bartolomé Esteban Murillo]], about 1675-1682.]]

{{trinity}}

[[Category:Christianity]]
[[Category:Theology]]

Sunday School

2017-01-02T19:04:51Z

Rtyughjbnm:

{{Christianity}}A '''Sunday School''' is traditionally a meeting together of [[Christian]]s within a [[church]] setting for the purpose of receiving instruction about the [[Bible]] or [[God]].

While Sunday School is often thought of as being for children, this is not always the case. Sunday School differs from a church service in that the teacher is not usually the main [[pastor]] and the setting is usually more informal and smaller and open to more questions or interaction from those attending. It usually is also broken down by groups, either by age, gender, or marital status.

Many churches have Sunday school classes before or after the main church service.

Attending Sunday School is often the only opportunity for children in secular countries to learn about the Bible. There are, however, some countries that do allow religious classes in public schools.

Sunday Schools often have an informal curriculum, but in many instances there is a formal schedule in place. This way, Sunday School courses can replace religious classes that were once allowed in public schools.

[[Sabbath|Seventh-day Sabbatarian]] churches and sects have adapted the Sunday School by presenting religious education on Saturdays with Sabbath School enrollment and attendance.

== Origin ==

Sunday Schools originated in about 1780 with Robert Raikes and Thomas Stock in Gloucester, England. Raikes (1736-1811), a newspaper publisher and devout [[Church of England|Anglican]] involved in prison ministry, served many who were waiting to die, and he had begun to realize that there was a need to begin earlier with prevention in order to be most effective in Christian outreach. The aim was to provide basic schooling to the working class, who could not otherwise afford any kind of education.

The Sunday schools, led by Christians, were taught on Sundays as this was the only day that the prospective students were not required to go to work. The Industrial Revolution had resulted in many children spending all week long working in factories, and Saturday was a normal part of the ordinary work week. Christian philanthropists wanted to free these children from a life of illiteracy. Scriptural texts were used as lessons, to teach reading and other subject matter; and the schools also served to give the Gospel to the unchurched poor.

Among the obstacles and challenges this kind of ministry faced from the beginning was the fact that the activities were conducted separately from worship services. Moreover, Sunday schools ministered to the poor. Feelings of class distinction were at a very high level in England at the time, so some were afraid it would break down what they considered to be God-given class distinctions. Working on Sunday was also strongly disapproved, so many churches and pastors resisted this ministry as Sabbath-breaking, and an ungodly defilement of the Lord's day. The teachers and their students were not able to meet in facilities that were geared to education (homes, factories, warehouses, empty, abandoned buildings), also it was free and thus non-income producing.

During the first 150 years of this educational ministry, it was taught only in the English-speaking world, and was primarily aimed at alleviating social conditions.

==19th penalty==

Beginning in the 1770s, increasing numbers of slaves in the Southern states had begun converting to evangelical religions such as the Methodist and Baptist denominations. Many clergy in their churches actively promoted the idea that all Christians are equal in the sight of God, a message that provided hope and support to the slaves. Many white owners and clergy preached a message of strict obedience, and insisted on slave attendance at white-controlled churches, fearful that if slaves were allowed to worship independently in black churches they would ultimately plot rebellion against their owners. These white churches, in which ministers promoted obedience to one's master as the highest religious ideal, were seen by black slaves as a mockery of the "true" Christian message of equality and liberation in Christ. Around the turn of the century, basic reading, writing and math started being taught to the slaves in Sunday School.

Well into the 19th century, working hours were long for adults and children alike. The first modest legislative restrictions came in 1802. This resulted in limiting the number of hours a child could work per day to '''''12 (!)'''''. Moreover, Saturday was still part of the regular work week. Sunday, therefore, was the only available time for these children to gain some education, religious or otherwise.

After the War of 1812, Sunday school spread widely in the United States through the independent efforts of unorganized individual groups seeking to educate the poor. In the U.S. the emphasis of the Sunday school was primarily on the Bible because of the availability of [[public schools]] which taught more general subject matter.

From 1820 to 1835, the [[Second Great Awakening|Great Revival]] in the U.S. changed the denominational face of much of the U.S. from [[Congregationalism|Congregational]] and [[Reformed Churches|Reformed]] to [[Baptist]] and [[Methodism|Methodist]]. This was reflected in the varied doctrinal content of the individual Sunday schools, based on particular [[Catechesis|catechisms]].

Catechisms were intended by their authors to teach the whole system of Christian doctrine, but were summaries of the Christian faith according to the particular interpretation of each denominational group. They relied on questions and memorized answers.

The first ''national'' Sunday School effort began in America during this period, in 1824; its stated purpose was to organize, evangelize and civilize. The focus was intentionally [[Evangelical Christians|evangelical]], and so within the next 100 years the Sunday School had become the primary outreach arm of the Protestant churches.

By 1832 there were more than 8000 Sunday schools in the United States.

As the relatively novel concept of [[Theology|theological]] [[pluralism]] also began to take hold about this same time in 1832, one of the biggest Sunday school unions, ''The Union'', decided to establish non-denominational Sunday schools in the "New West", the area of the Louisiana Purchase, as a [[missionary]] enterprise. Small communities would select a neutral place and Christians of many backgrounds would come together in what were called Union Schools. They decided to teach the Bible, because "the Bible unites", but catechisms divide. Because of this religious pluralism, Sunday school lessons focused on Bible stories rather than on doctrine, and on application rather than on interpretation. Publication of catechisms began to slow as a result. Sunday school students were often encouraged to memorize large portions of the Bible, earning prizes and incentives for doing so. This idea was dropped when it was realized that the students were more interested in the prizes than in God’s word!

Most of the lay leadership of ''The Union'' was [[Presbyterian]] and non-Presbyterians—[[Lutheranism|Lutherans]], Methodists, [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]], Baptists, [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopalians]]—worried that the movement might be a plot to bring the western youth into Presbyterianism under the guise of a non-denominational movement.

Meanwhile, the [http://spartacus-educational.com/IR1844.htm 1844 Factory Act] lowered the 12 hour limit that a child could be worked to six and a half hours.

European immigrants during the 1800's found little land available to them to farm on the east coast, so they quickly re-migrated to the west. Many were [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]s so some Catholic leaders saw the Sunday school movement as a Protestant plot to capture the Catholic youth of the west. Many private Catholic schools were founded during this period as an answer to the Protestant education that then dominated the nation’s public schools. In fact, the First Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1852 specifically urged every Catholic parish in the country to establish its own school for just that reason. In answer to this call, scores of schools were established throughout the country.

Sunday School organization began expanding to include all ages. Sunday School became a way for unbelievers to be introduced to, and then assimilated into, the life of the church.

In 1873 the [[Methodism|Methodist Episcopal Church]] started the first VBS (Vacation Bible School) under Bishop John H. Vincent in New York when he offered "summer Sunday school institutes that included educational and cultural components". Other churches quickly saw the benefits of including this kind of program.

By 1875 there were more than 65,000 Sunday schools in the U.S.. By 1889 there were ten million children in American Sunday schools and it was performing the heavy task of public education, sponsored by Christians out of their own pockets.

By the late 1800’s, Sunday School was looked to as the main hope for church growth, a view that continued until the mid-twentieth century.

In 1898, Mrs. Walker Aylette Hawes established her “Everyday Bible School” to minister to the immigrant children who spent their summer days running the streets of New York City’s East Side. She rented a beer parlor that was not used during the day (it was the only space available), and for six weeks, she gathered the neighborhood children together for worship music, Bible stories, Scripture memorization, games, crafts, drawing and cooking.

== 20th and 21st century ==

With the turn of the century, from about 1900 on, church catechisms were used more than the Bible for [[Religion|religious]] education.

The most well-known catechisms widely used within the continental U.S. at the beginning of the twentieth century were:
*Martin Luther's Large Catechism and Small Catechism, the standard catechisms of the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran Church]], first published in 1529.
*Institutes of the Christian Religion, the standard catechism of the [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] churches, first published in 1536.
*The Heidelberg Catechism, the standard catechism of the Dutch and German [[Reformed Churches]] of America, first published in 1563.
*The Roman Catechism (or Catechism of the Council of Trent), the standard catechism of the Roman Catholic Church (up to 1997), first published in 1566.
*The Westminster Larger Catechism and the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the standard catechisms of the [[Presbyterian]] churches, first published in 1648.
*A Holy Catechism, or Explanation of the Divine and Holy Liturgy, and Examination of Candidates for Ordination, by Nicolas Bulgaris, Revised and Edited, the standard catechism in English of the Eastern Orthodox Church, first printed in Venice in 1681.
*The Episcopal Catechism, from the Book of Common Prayer, the standard catechism of the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America]], first compiled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and published in 1789.
*A [[Puritan]] Catechism, by [[Charles Haddon Spurgeon|Charles Spurgeon]], the standard catechism of the [[Congregationalism|Congregationalist]] churches, first published in 1885
*The Baltimore Complete Catechism, The Baltimore Larger Catechism, The Baltimore Smaller Catechism, of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, Maryland, the standard catechisms of the Roman Catholic Church throughout the United States through 1962, first published in 1885.
*Conflict of the Ages, by Ellen G. White, a five-volume book series, the primary catechetical source of the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]], first published in parts 1890–1917.
*''[[Fundamentalism|The Fundamentals]]: A Testimony to the Truth'', a series of pamphlets first published between 1910 and 1915.
Age-specific, doctrinally-centered, denominational Sunday School Lesson Plans and study materials were developed from these sources according to multiple levels of understanding and need.

By 1910, the Baptist and Presbyterian Churches had really taken up the banner of Vacation Bible School, formalizing the process and method of instruction, and publishing their own VBS textbooks.

Beginning in the 1920's the CCD program (Continuing Catholic Development) was developed for those children whose parents could not afford to enroll them in the Catholic educational system (parochial schools and high schools). The CYC (Catholic Youth Council) grew out of this program, and the later Catholic TEC weekend retreat program for teens (Teens Encounter Christ) which emphasized moral conversion and commitment to Christ in the Church.

In 1941, the children's program at the North Side Gospel Center in Chicago laid the foundation for the principles of the AWANA program (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed - [http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/2_timothy/2-15.htm 2 Timothy 2:15]). Lance Latham, North Side's senior pastor, collaborated with the church's youth director, Art Rorheim, to develop weekly clubs that would appeal to churched and nonchurched kids. As a pioneer in children’s ministry, Art created new and innovative ways to reach kids with the gospel and lead them to know, love and serve Jesus Christ. Other churches learned about the success of the program and inquired about its availability. In 1950, Latham and Rorheim founded Awana as a ''parachurch'' organization. By 1960, 900 churches had started Awana programs.

In the early 1960's problems began to develop as newer Sunday school curriculums failed to emphasize personal [[conversion]] of life style and [[Corporal and spiritual works of mercy|works of mercy]], and neglected [[Christian apologetics]] in favor of a more entertaining style of witness with a "feel-good" approach which contained nothing about personal sacrifice and commitment in the face of doctrinal confusion, [[indifference]], [[Secular|secularism]], [[pop culture]], the [[new age movement]] and worldly opposition. The realities of [[sin]], the [[Last Judgment|last judgment]] and [[hell]] were ignored. Christian educators began to be at a loss to explain why young people began to leave their churches, and why so many of them entered colleges and universities unprepared to meet [[liberal]] and [[atheist]] challenges to belief in Jesus Christ as the only Savior of the world and the Bible as the inspired word of God.

In 2002 the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) hosted the First Annual Pan-Orthodox Youth and Camp Workers Conference.

Most recently, well-informed, committed conservative Christian apologists and veteran Sunday School teachers having decades of experience have pointed out that to be effective in equipping young people and professionals to face the challenges of a highly educated secular society, the church needs to redefine the mission of pastors and youth leaders to include training in apologetics and worldview, devout reverence for God and forms of genuinely sincere [[prayer]] and [[Meditation#Christian meditation - Contemplation|contemplation]] ([http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/1_peter/3-15.htm 1 Peter 3:15]), along with more practical ways of effectively demonstrating and imparting all of this to their students. See [[Awe]].

They assert that when America was a young nation, the [[clergy]] were often the most highly educated members of the community. The congregation looked up to them and respected their intellectual expertise. They argue that it is imperative for seminaries today to broaden the education of pastors to include courses on intellectual history, training future pastors to critique the currently dominant anti-Christian ideologies, and that [[pastor]]s must once again provide intellectual leadership for their congregations, teaching apologetics from the pulpit, instructing the congregation in ways to defend scripture against the major objections they are likely to encounter, and not to avoid this intellectual task. They warn that a religion that retreats to the [[Counseling|therapeutic]] realm of personal relationships and feelings will not survive in today's spiritual battlefield.

See [[Home schooling]] and [[Seminary|Seminaries]], also [[Martyr]].

==Sunday School Songs==

20 Classic Sunday School Songs:
*Arky Arky
*Down in My Heart
*The B-I-B-L-E
*God Is So Good
*He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
*If You're Happy and You Know It
*I'm in the Lord's Army
*Trust and Obey
*All Day Song
*The Light Medley
*The Jesus Medley
*O Be Careful Little Eyes
*The Lord Is My Shepherd
*The Birdies In The Treetops
*This Train
*Whisper a Prayer
*Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man
*Father Abraham
*Kum Ba Ya
*The Wise Man Built His House
Hear audio recordings of the All Star Children's Chorus singing:
*[http://www.allmusic.com/album/25-sunday-school-songs-kids-love-to-sing-mw0000066215 25 Sunday School Songs Kids Love To Sing (allmusic.com)]
A listing of the lyrics of 30 classic children's Bible songs can be found at:
*[http://childbiblesongs.com/song-30-jesus-loves-the-little-children.shtml Jesus Loves the Little Children: 30 Children's Bible Songs (childbiblesongs.com)]

== External links ==

[http://teachingforafrica.com/files/Christian%20Education/HISTORY%20OF%20THE%20SUNDAY%20SCHOOL%20MOVEMENT.pdf History of the Sunday School Movement (teachingforafrica.com) pdf]

[http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2008/august/when-did-sunday-schools-start.html When did Sunday Schools start? Timothy Larsen (christianitytoday.com)]

[http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/sunday/hist1.htm Historical Background: The Sunday School Movement (digital.library.mcgill.ca)]

[http://www.drurywriting.com/keith/sunday.school.history.htm A Short History of the Sunday School (drurywriting.com)]

[http://ministry-to-children.com/history-of-sunday-school/ A Brief History of Sunday School, Jeri Tanner (ministry-to-children.com)]

[http://www.docsouth.unc.edu/church/intro.html The Church in the Southern Black Community (docsouth.unc.edu)]

[http://www.nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/nromcath.htm Roman Catholics and Immigration in Nineteenth-Century America, Julie Byrne, Dept. of Religion, Duke University, National Humanities Center (nationalhumanitiescenter.org)]

[https://oca.org/history-archives/oca-history-intro A History and Introduction of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org)]

[http://www.internationalstudent.com/student-news/articles/catholic-schools-usa/ Catholic Schools in the USA (internationalstudent.com)]

[http://www.biblestudytools.com/history/creeds-confessions/catechisms/ Catechisms (biblestudytools.com)]

[http://www.recongress.org/ccd-beginings.htm The History of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD for the poor) (recongress.org)]

[http://church.stmatt.net/ministries/ccd.php Continuing Catholic Development (CCD) (church.stmatt.net)] ''ages 3 through 18''

[http://www.aboutthechildrensdepartment.com/2010/12/when-and-where-did-vbs-first-begin.html When and Where Did Vacation Bible School First Begin? (aboutthechildrensdepartment.com)]

[http://owensboroliving.com/features/history-vacation-bible-school/ The History of Vacation Bible School (owensboroliving.com)]

[https://www.gotquestions.org/Vacation-Bible-School.html What is Vacation Bible School? (gotquestions.org)]

[http://www.cycstl.net/history/cyc-sports-history History of Catholic Youth Council - CYC (cycstl.net)] ''began 1941''

[https://www.awana.org/about/history History of AWANA (awana.org)] ''began 1941''

[http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/awana.htm Awana Clubs: Ecumenical Children's Clubs?] ''warning against AWANA doctrines.''

[http://www.joywbennett.com/2012/10/how-some-churches-are-misleading-our-children/ How Awana and Children's Songs are Misleading Our Children (joywbennett.com)] ''a critique of the misleading Awana teaching that Christians are always happy and never sad.''

[https://www.gotquestions.org/parachurch-ministries.html Is There Biblical Support for Parachurch Ministries? (gotquestions.org)]

[http://blindbeggar.org/?p=416 Parachurch vs. Church: A False Dichotomy, Rick Meigs (blindbeggar.org)]

[https://oca.org/news/headline-news/oca-hosts-14th-annual-pan-orthodox-youth-and-camp-workers-conference OCA hosts 14th Annual Pan-Orthodox Youth and Camp Workers Conference (oca.org)] ''began 2002''

[http://www.orthodoxcamps.org/directory Listing of Orthodox Christian Camps in the United States and Canada (orthodoxcamps.org)]

[http://childrensministry.com/articles/is-sunday-school-dying/ Is Sunday School Dying? (childrensministry.com)]

[http://tektonics.org/gk/indictment.php On the Failure of the Church to Educate (tectonics.org)]

[http://www.kidssundayschool.com/255/gradeschool/lessons.php Sunday School Lessons for Grade School Kids (kidssundayschool.com)]

[http://www.catholicmom.com/lesson_plan.htm Catholic Sunday School Lesson Plans for Gospel and Readings (catholicmom.com)]

[http://www.rsbaptist.org/Online_Bible_Class/Young_Adult_and_College_Age_Bible_Lessons/ Young Adult and College Age Bible Lessons: Baptist (rsbaptist.org)]

[http://www.nationalpres.org/adults Adult Sunday School - National Presbyterian Church (nationalpres.org)]

[http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/catechesis/adult-faith-formation/ USCCB - Adult Faith Formation (usccb.org)]

[http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/educators-and-youth-leaders/lesson-plans/ Lesson Plans - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (''educators and youth leaders'') (usccb.org)]

[[Category:Christianity]]
[[Category:Education]]

Sunday School

2017-01-02T18:59:57Z

Rtyughjbnm:

{{Christianity}}A '''Sunday School''' is traditionally a meeting together of FAVO IS SOCK OF BUSH [[Christian]]s within a [[church]] setting for the purpose of receiving instruction about the [[Bible]] or [[God]].

While Sunday School is often thought of as being for children, this is not always the case. Sunday School differs from a church service in that the teacher is not usually the main [[pastor]] and the setting is usually more informal and smaller and open to more questions or interaction from those attending. It usually is also broken down by groups, either by age, gender, or marital status.

Many churches have Sunday school classes before or after the main church service.

Attending Sunday School is often the only opportunity for children in secular countries to learn about the Bible. There are, however, some countries that do allow religious classes in public schools.

Sunday Schools often have an informal curriculum, but in many instances there is a formal schedule in place. This way, Sunday School courses can replace religious classes that were once allowed in public schools.

[[Sabbath|Seventh-day Sabbatarian]] churches and sects have adapted the Sunday School by presenting religious education on Saturdays with Sabbath School enrollment and attendance.

== Origin ==

Sunday Schools originated in about 1780 with Robert Raikes and Thomas Stock in Gloucester, England. Raikes (1736-1811), a newspaper publisher and devout [[Church of England|Anglican]] involved in prison ministry, served many who were waiting to die, and he had begun to realize that there was a need to begin earlier with prevention in order to be most effective in Christian outreach. The aim was to provide basic schooling to the working class, who could not otherwise afford any kind of education.

The Sunday schools, led by Christians, were taught on Sundays as this was the only day that the prospective students were not required to go to work. The Industrial Revolution had resulted in many children spending all week long working in factories, and Saturday was a normal part of the ordinary work week. Christian philanthropists wanted to free these children from a life of illiteracy. Scriptural texts were used as lessons, to teach reading and other subject matter; and the schools also served to give the Gospel to the unchurched poor.

Among the obstacles and challenges this kind of ministry faced from the beginning was the fact that the activities were conducted separately from worship services. Moreover, Sunday schools ministered to the poor. Feelings of class distinction were at a very high level in England at the time, so some were afraid it would break down what they considered to be God-given class distinctions. Working on Sunday was also strongly disapproved, so many churches and pastors resisted this ministry as Sabbath-breaking, and an ungodly defilement of the Lord's day. The teachers and their students were not able to meet in facilities that were geared to education (homes, factories, warehouses, empty, abandoned buildings), also it was free and thus non-income producing.

During the first 150 years of this educational ministry, it was taught only in the English-speaking world, and was primarily aimed at alleviating social conditions.

==19th century==

Beginning in the 1770s, increasing numbers of slaves in the Southern states had begun converting to evangelical religions such as the Methodist and Baptist denominations. Many clergy in their churches actively promoted the idea that all Christians are equal in the sight of God, a message that provided hope and support to the slaves. Many white owners and clergy preached a message of strict obedience, and insisted on slave attendance at white-controlled churches, fearful that if slaves were allowed to worship independently in black churches they would ultimately plot rebellion against their owners. These white churches, in which ministers promoted obedience to one's master as the highest religious ideal, were seen by black slaves as a mockery of the "true" Christian message of equality and liberation in Christ. Around the turn of the century, basic reading, writing and math started being taught to the slaves in Sunday School.

Well into the 19th century, working hours were long for adults and children alike. The first modest legislative restrictions came in 1802. This resulted in limiting the number of hours a child could work per day to '''''12 (!)'''''. Moreover, Saturday was still part of the regular work week. Sunday, therefore, was the only available time for these children to gain some education, religious or otherwise.

After the War of 1812, Sunday school spread widely in the United States through the independent efforts of unorganized individual groups seeking to educate the poor. In the U.S. the emphasis of the Sunday school was primarily on the Bible because of the availability of [[public schools]] which taught more general subject matter.

From 1820 to 1835, the [[Second Great Awakening|Great Revival]] in the U.S. changed the denominational face of much of the U.S. from [[Congregationalism|Congregational]] and [[Reformed Churches|Reformed]] to [[Baptist]] and [[Methodism|Methodist]]. This was reflected in the varied doctrinal content of the individual Sunday schools, based on particular [[Catechesis|catechisms]].

Catechisms were intended by their authors to teach the whole system of Christian doctrine, but were summaries of the Christian faith according to the particular interpretation of each denominational group. They relied on questions and memorized answers.

The first ''national'' Sunday School effort began in America during this period, in 1824; its stated purpose was to organize, evangelize and civilize. The focus was intentionally [[Evangelical Christians|evangelical]], and so within the next 100 years the Sunday School had become the primary outreach arm of the Protestant churches.

By 1832 there were more than 8000 Sunday schools in the United States.

As the relatively novel concept of [[Theology|theological]] [[pluralism]] also began to take hold about this same time in 1832, one of the biggest Sunday school unions, ''The Union'', decided to establish non-denominational Sunday schools in the "New West", the area of the Louisiana Purchase, as a [[missionary]] enterprise. Small communities would select a neutral place and Christians of many backgrounds would come together in what were called Union Schools. They decided to teach the Bible, because "the Bible unites", but catechisms divide. Because of this religious pluralism, Sunday school lessons focused on Bible stories rather than on doctrine, and on application rather than on interpretation. Publication of catechisms began to slow as a result. Sunday school students were often encouraged to memorize large portions of the Bible, earning prizes and incentives for doing so. This idea was dropped when it was realized that the students were more interested in the prizes than in God’s word!

Most of the lay leadership of ''The Union'' was [[Presbyterian]] and non-Presbyterians—[[Lutheranism|Lutherans]], Methodists, [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]], Baptists, [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopalians]]—worried that the movement might be a plot to bring the western youth into Presbyterianism under the guise of a non-denominational movement.

Meanwhile, the [http://spartacus-educational.com/IR1844.htm 1844 Factory Act] lowered the 12 hour limit that a child could be worked to six and a half hours.

European immigrants during the 1800's found little land available to them to farm on the east coast, so they quickly re-migrated to the west. Many were [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]s so some Catholic leaders saw the Sunday school movement as a Protestant plot to capture the Catholic youth of the west. Many private Catholic schools were founded during this period as an answer to the Protestant education that then dominated the nation’s public schools. In fact, the First Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1852 specifically urged every Catholic parish in the country to establish its own school for just that reason. In answer to this call, scores of schools were established throughout the country.

Sunday School organization began expanding to include all ages. Sunday School became a way for unbelievers to be introduced to, and then assimilated into, the life of the church.

In 1873 the [[Methodism|Methodist Episcopal Church]] started the first VBS (Vacation Bible School) under Bishop John H. Vincent in New York when he offered "summer Sunday school institutes that included educational and cultural components". Other churches quickly saw the benefits of including this kind of program.

By 1875 there were more than 65,000 Sunday schools in the U.S.. By 1889 there were ten million children in American Sunday schools and it was performing the heavy task of public education, sponsored by Christians out of their own pockets.

By the late 1800’s, Sunday School was looked to as the main hope for church growth, a view that continued until the mid-twentieth century.

In 1898, Mrs. Walker Aylette Hawes established her “Everyday Bible School” to minister to the immigrant children who spent their summer days running the streets of New York City’s East Side. She rented a beer parlor that was not used during the day (it was the only space available), and for six weeks, she gathered the neighborhood children together for worship music, Bible stories, Scripture memorization, games, crafts, drawing and cooking.

== 20th and 21st century ==

With the turn of the century, from about 1900 on, church catechisms were used more than the Bible for [[Religion|religious]] education.

The most well-known catechisms widely used within the continental U.S. at the beginning of the twentieth century were:
*Martin Luther's Large Catechism and Small Catechism, the standard catechisms of the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran Church]], first published in 1529.
*Institutes of the Christian Religion, the standard catechism of the [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] churches, first published in 1536.
*The Heidelberg Catechism, the standard catechism of the Dutch and German [[Reformed Churches]] of America, first published in 1563.
*The Roman Catechism (or Catechism of the Council of Trent), the standard catechism of the Roman Catholic Church (up to 1997), first published in 1566.
*The Westminster Larger Catechism and the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the standard catechisms of the [[Presbyterian]] churches, first published in 1648.
*A Holy Catechism, or Explanation of the Divine and Holy Liturgy, and Examination of Candidates for Ordination, by Nicolas Bulgaris, Revised and Edited, the standard catechism in English of the Eastern Orthodox Church, first printed in Venice in 1681.
*The Episcopal Catechism, from the Book of Common Prayer, the standard catechism of the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America]], first compiled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and published in 1789.
*A [[Puritan]] Catechism, by [[Charles Haddon Spurgeon|Charles Spurgeon]], the standard catechism of the [[Congregationalism|Congregationalist]] churches, first published in 1885
*The Baltimore Complete Catechism, The Baltimore Larger Catechism, The Baltimore Smaller Catechism, of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, Maryland, the standard catechisms of the Roman Catholic Church throughout the United States through 1962, first published in 1885.
*Conflict of the Ages, by Ellen G. White, a five-volume book series, the primary catechetical source of the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]], first published in parts 1890–1917.
*''[[Fundamentalism|The Fundamentals]]: A Testimony to the Truth'', a series of pamphlets first published between 1910 and 1915.
Age-specific, doctrinally-centered, denominational Sunday School Lesson Plans and study materials were developed from these sources according to multiple levels of understanding and need.

By 1910, the Baptist and Presbyterian Churches had really taken up the banner of Vacation Bible School, formalizing the process and method of instruction, and publishing their own VBS textbooks.

Beginning in the 1920's the CCD program (Continuing Catholic Development) was developed for those children whose parents could not afford to enroll them in the Catholic educational system (parochial schools and high schools). The CYC (Catholic Youth Council) grew out of this program, and the later Catholic TEC weekend retreat program for teens (Teens Encounter Christ) which emphasized moral conversion and commitment to Christ in the Church.

In 1941, the children's program at the North Side Gospel Center in Chicago laid the foundation for the principles of the AWANA program (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed - [http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/2_timothy/2-15.htm 2 Timothy 2:15]). Lance Latham, North Side's senior pastor, collaborated with the church's youth director, Art Rorheim, to develop weekly clubs that would appeal to churched and nonchurched kids. As a pioneer in children’s ministry, Art created new and innovative ways to reach kids with the gospel and lead them to know, love and serve Jesus Christ. Other churches learned about the success of the program and inquired about its availability. In 1950, Latham and Rorheim founded Awana as a ''parachurch'' organization. By 1960, 900 churches had started Awana programs.

In the early 1960's problems began to develop as newer Sunday school curriculums failed to emphasize personal [[conversion]] of life style and [[Corporal and spiritual works of mercy|works of mercy]], and neglected [[Christian apologetics]] in favor of a more entertaining style of witness with a "feel-good" approach which contained nothing about personal sacrifice and commitment in the face of doctrinal confusion, [[indifference]], [[Secular|secularism]], [[pop culture]], the [[new age movement]] and worldly opposition. The realities of [[sin]], the [[Last Judgment|last judgment]] and [[hell]] were ignored. Christian educators began to be at a loss to explain why young people began to leave their churches, and why so many of them entered colleges and universities unprepared to meet [[liberal]] and [[atheist]] challenges to belief in Jesus Christ as the only Savior of the world and the Bible as the inspired word of God.

Most recently, well-informed, committed conservative Christian apologists and veteran Sunday School teachers having decades of experience have pointed out that to be effective in equipping young people and professionals to face the challenges of a highly educated secular society, the church needs to redefine the mission of pastors and youth leaders to include training in apologetics and worldview, devout reverence for God and forms of genuinely sincere [[prayer]] and [[Meditation#Christian meditation - Contemplation|contemplation]] ([http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/1_peter/3-15.htm 1 Peter 3:15]), along with more practical ways of effectively demonstrating and imparting all of this to their students. See [[Awe]].

They assert that when America was a young nation, the [[clergy]] were often the most highly educated members of the community. The congregation looked up to them and respected their intellectual expertise. They argue that it is imperative for seminaries today to broaden the education of pastors to include courses on intellectual history, training future pastors to critique the currently dominant anti-Christian ideologies, and that [[pastor]]s must once again provide intellectual leadership for their congregations, teaching apologetics from the pulpit, instructing the congregation in ways to defend scripture against the major objections they are likely to encounter, and not to avoid this intellectual task. They warn that a religion that retreats to the [[Counseling|therapeutic]] realm of personal relationships and feelings will not survive in today's spiritual battlefield.

See [[Home schooling]] and [[Seminary|Seminaries]], also [[Martyr]].

==Sunday School Songs==

20 Classic Sunday School Songs:
*Arky Arky
*Down in My Heart
*The B-I-B-L-E
*God Is So Good
*He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
*If You're Happy and You Know It
*I'm in the Lord's Army
*Trust and Obey
*All Day Song
*The Light Medley
*The Jesus Medley
*O Be Careful Little Eyes
*The Lord Is My Shepherd
*The Birdies In The Treetops
*This Train
*Whisper a Prayer
*Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man
*Father Abraham
*Kum Ba Ya
*The Wise Man Built His House
Hear audio recordings of the All Star Children's Chorus singing:
*[http://www.allmusic.com/album/25-sunday-school-songs-kids-love-to-sing-mw0000066215 25 Sunday School Songs Kids Love To Sing (allmusic.com)]
A listing of the lyrics of 30 classic children's Bible songs can be found at:
*[http://childbiblesongs.com/song-30-jesus-loves-the-little-children.shtml Jesus Loves the Little Children: 30 Children's Bible Songs (childbiblesongs.com)]

== External links ==

[http://teachingforafrica.com/files/Christian%20Education/HISTORY%20OF%20THE%20SUNDAY%20SCHOOL%20MOVEMENT.pdf History of the Sunday School Movement (teachingforafrica.com) pdf]

[http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2008/august/when-did-sunday-schools-start.html When did Sunday Schools start? Timothy Larsen (christianitytoday.com)]

[http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/sunday/hist1.htm Historical Background: The Sunday School Movement (digital.library.mcgill.ca)]

[http://www.drurywriting.com/keith/sunday.school.history.htm A Short History of the Sunday School (drurywriting.com)]

[http://ministry-to-children.com/history-of-sunday-school/ A Brief History of Sunday School, Jeri Tanner (ministry-to-children.com)]

[http://www.docsouth.unc.edu/church/intro.html The Church in the Southern Black Community (docsouth.unc.edu)]

[http://www.nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/nromcath.htm Roman Catholics and Immigration in Nineteenth-Century America, Julie Byrne, Dept. of Religion, Duke University, National Humanities Center (nationalhumanitiescenter.org)]

[https://oca.org/history-archives/oca-history-intro A History and Introduction of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org)]

[http://www.internationalstudent.com/student-news/articles/catholic-schools-usa/ Catholic Schools in the USA (internationalstudent.com)]

[http://www.biblestudytools.com/history/creeds-confessions/catechisms/ Catechisms (biblestudytools.com)]

[http://www.recongress.org/ccd-beginings.htm The History of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD for the poor) (recongress.org)]

[http://church.stmatt.net/ministries/ccd.php Continuing Catholic Development (CCD) (church.stmatt.net)] ''ages 3 through 18''

[http://www.aboutthechildrensdepartment.com/2010/12/when-and-where-did-vbs-first-begin.html When and Where Did Vacation Bible School First Begin? (aboutthechildrensdepartment.com)]

[http://owensboroliving.com/features/history-vacation-bible-school/ The History of Vacation Bible School (owensboroliving.com)]

[https://www.gotquestions.org/Vacation-Bible-School.html What is Vacation Bible School? (gotquestions.org)]

[http://www.cycstl.net/history/cyc-sports-history History of Catholic Youth Council - CYC (cycstl.net)] ''began 1941''

[https://www.awana.org/about/history History of AWANA (awana.org)] ''began 1941''

[http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/awana.htm Awana Clubs: Ecumenical Children's Clubs?] ''warning against AWANA doctrines.''

[http://www.joywbennett.com/2012/10/how-some-churches-are-misleading-our-children/ How Awana and Children's Songs are Misleading Our Children (joywbennett.com)] ''a critique of the misleading Awana teaching that Christians are always happy and never sad.''

[https://www.gotquestions.org/parachurch-ministries.html Is There Biblical Support for Parachurch Ministries? (gotquestions.org)]

[http://blindbeggar.org/?p=416 Parachurch vs. Church: A False Dichotomy, Rick Meigs (blindbeggar.org)]

[https://oca.org/news/headline-news/oca-hosts-14th-annual-pan-orthodox-youth-and-camp-workers-conference OCA hosts 14th Annual Pan-Orthodox Youth and Camp Workers Conference (oca.org)] ''began 2002''

[http://www.orthodoxcamps.org/directory Listing of Orthodox Christian Camps in the United States and Canada (orthodoxcamps.org)]

[http://childrensministry.com/articles/is-sunday-school-dying/ Is Sunday School Dying? (childrensministry.com)]

[http://tektonics.org/gk/indictment.php On the Failure of the Church to Educate (tectonics.org)]

[http://www.kidssundayschool.com/255/gradeschool/lessons.php Sunday School Lessons for Grade School Kids (kidssundayschool.com)]

[http://www.catholicmom.com/lesson_plan.htm Catholic Sunday School Lesson Plans for Gospel and Readings (catholicmom.com)]

[http://www.rsbaptist.org/Online_Bible_Class/Young_Adult_and_College_Age_Bible_Lessons/ Young Adult and College Age Bible Lessons: Baptist (rsbaptist.org)]

[http://www.nationalpres.org/adults Adult Sunday School - National Presbyterian Church (nationalpres.org)]

[http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/catechesis/adult-faith-formation/ USCCB - Adult Faith Formation (usccb.org)]

[http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/educators-and-youth-leaders/lesson-plans/ Lesson Plans - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (''educators and youth leaders'') (usccb.org)]

[[Category:Christianity]]
[[Category:Education]]