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examination were: "Name the
countries of Europe, Asia and Afri–
ca that touch upo'n the Mediterra–
nean Sea" and "Name the states of
the union bordering on the Atlan–
tic, on the Gulf of Mexico, on the
Pacific and on the Great Lakes."
How many young Americans
entering high school today could
answer these questions? How many
high school graduates? How many
college
students or graduates?
And how many who admittedly
don't know would be motivated
enough to
find out?
Educational Folly
Few American high schools are act–
ing like high schools these days. In
many, the basics have been aban–
doned in favor of the "trendy" and
the "innovative." At a time when
too many young people can' t read,
compose a simple paragraph or
locate their own country on a world
map, courses such as "Rock Musíc
as Literature" and "Basic TV Pro–
duction" have replaced what once
were core classes of basic knowl–
edge.
As a result, ignorance and illiter–
acy are
rampant
on high school and
college campuses!
Education is in deep trouble.
The decay of schooling in America
is more seriou·s than many realíze.
Declining achievement rates on
basic elements of knowledge have
declared that fact for years.
Yet high schools and colleges
seem unable to counter the trend.
Why?
Modero education is adrift on a
sea of false values, driven by winds
of ftuctuating trends and fashions.
Few seem to be able to agree even
on the
goals
of education, much
less the
methods
of achieving
them.
Education has rejected the
foun–
dation
of all knowledge. That foun–
dation is
the Bible!
Having cut
anchor from this foundation, mod–
ero education has drifted off course
and has lost its way!
lt 's only logical. Without a
knowledge of the true
purpose
of
life, institutions simply cannot pro–
vide the proper education toward
achieving it!
Thus, high schools pander to
irrelevant student interests rather
than provide a
real
education. Stu-
May 1985
dents are graduated lacking even
the most basic skills necessary for
success.
Colleges and universities gear to
overspecialization. They focus on
the postgraduate paycheck, teach–
ing students how to make a living,
but not
how to live!
To anyone willing to take a real–
istic look at modero education, the
appalling picture becomes painfully
clear! Rather than producing edu–
cated graduates to mold and shape
society for the good, modero insti–
tutions of "learning" have
yielded
to
society. Rather than helping to
overcome society's ills, they
have
been overcome
by a decadent and
aimless age!
It
is impossible to
properly evaluate
a world event without an
understanding of
geographic
relationships of
countries. Geography
makes current
events come alive!
Geographic illiteracy is a prime
example. Today's lack of basic geo–
graphical understandíng is a vivid
reftection of modero society. It's a
symptom of the "Me" epidemic
that has been widespread in recent
times, of the "look-out-for-Num–
ber-One" syndrome. The attitude
of many today ís simply: "Why
concern myself with anything out–
sirle
my own
individual world?"
The average American and too
often the average Westerner are
busy with their personal day-to-day
affairs, too isolationist to be con–
cerned with the international scene.
Students are too narrowly focused
on career-related matters to con–
template goings-on in, for instance,
Albania
(where's that?).
Yet our age demands an accurate
understanding of the basic facts of
world geography and international
affairs! "We desperately need a
population that can read maps,"
one major weekly magazine recent–
ly declared. But where is such a
population?
Cllmactic Times
We are living at a crucial time in
world history. Forces are even now
converging that will soon propel
this world into a time of unparal–
leled chaos and calamity! Regular
readers of
The Plain Truth
are
aware of the ancient prophecies
that are soon to be fulfilled in
world news.
Now more than ever before,
it
is
time to
w
ATCH
world news- and
watch it
with understanding!
Jt
is impossible to properly eval–
uate a world event without an
understanding of geographic rela–
tionships of countries. Geography
makes current events come alive!
The interplay of men and nations
takes on an added dimension wben
we see the geographic relationships
involved.
To understand the master plan of
Bible prophecy, it is necessary to
have an accurate view of the world.
How can one grasp the importance
of the Sinai Península in Egyptian–
Israeli relations when one believes
the Sinai to be in Vietnam?
And your very
lije
may well
depend on an accurate understand–
ing of world trends and events!
Jesus Christ declared: "W
ATCH
ye therefore, and pray always,
that
ye may be accounted worthy to
escape al/ these things
that shall
cometo pass [including the coming
religious persecution to befall this
earth] ..." (Luke 21:36).
God wants men and women with
a concerned
world view!
What You Can Do
Here's what you can personally do
to acquire a greater understanding
of world geography and world
events:
• If you don't already have one,
purchase a world atlas. A new
paperback atlas costs just a few dol–
lars. Or you could purchase an atlas
at a used book shop for even less.
Any atlas will do.
• Use your atlas. Open it and
really
look at
the maps. Begin with
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