In this post, we discuss secular vs. spiritual education and what matters most in this conversation. First of all, Enkindle Academy offers a secular curriculum. That means different things to different people. What we mean by “secular” here is a non-religious, non-sectarian, curriculum inclusive of diverse worldviews. In other words, it does not pressure students to accept a religion or cosmology. Yet, nor do we fail to learn about the world’s traditions and ask deep questions about them. Moreover, in studying the history of some cultures throughout history, it has been impossible to separate the spiritual from the worldly. To give students an experience of those cultures – which is how we teach history and foster inclusive thinking in them – it is sometimes necessary to sing songs or show images that include reference to the sacred. That is not the same as pushing a religion. It is rather giving the children a holistic cultural education. Inclusivity does not equate to materialist-atheism; rather, it equates to non-dogmatism.
Thoughts on How Education Ought Be Done
In the hotly debated question of secular vs. spiritual education, common sense says we shouldn’t push a specific religion in schools. Public spaces should leave children free to think their own thoughts about life, themselves, and the world. That’s part of what it means to, “live in a free country.” Education is about the “universal stream” of human culture and knowledge. Students should learn about diverse traditions, for that makes them more universal citizens of the world, increasing their cultural vocabulary. If we neglect that, think of the prejudice and bigotry that could take root in their souls like a patch of social thorns.
So, while education expands students’ culture, the focusing of it should happen in their families and communities. In other words, as an example, let’s say a student comes from a devout Christian family. They should, in the process of their education, learn in an objective and unbiased way about Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, indigenous traditions, and so on while remaining devoutly Christian in their family and community life. Yet, the rich, cultural education will likely help them understand their own tradition even better.
On the other hand, some families are atheist or agnostic, and should also be free to remain so. Yet even these children will become better thinkers as they refine their own thoughts about what they think and why.
The Question of Secular vs. Spiritual Education Matters
This question of secular vs. spiritual education matters because we run the risk of two possibilities, both of which block human progress. The first is that we would become a theocracy. If schools teach only according to a religious bias, those who question it become the target of oppression. On the other hand, if schools are barred from teaching about anything spiritual, society could adopt a new kind of materialistic religion as equally socially coercive in the opposite direction. (In some ways, much of mainstream academia already has come to that point, but that’s a point for later.) Both possibilities are inappropriate for modern times. People above all want the freedom to think for themselves, and we should give them that freedom. That starts in childhood.
Yet, to Have a Worldview is Inevitable
I do not consider myself a religious person in that I don’t confine truth to a single book, advocate a strict set of rituals, nor require others to believe in God. Yet, I find it funny when atheists or agnostics criticize those who are for being so biased. Since nobody knows everything, everybody has a worldview which includes elements both known and unknown. That’s unavoidable since there is much in life we don’t know, and even science admits that. Necessarily, therefore, we all have biases. Some may be biased towards the spiritual while others towards the material. However, to be human is to be in constant motion by virtue of having ever-active minds. That motion needs a goal. It is therefore always a question of towards what we are moving. Even if you avoid choosing, you are still choosing a life tending towards victimization by circumstance.
For the record, I will state my bias here. I live by a spiritual worldview because I have discovered, through much experimentation, it makes me a better, more loving, and less egotistical human being. However, I strive relentlessly to make it a spiritual scientific point of view undergoing constant experimentation, review, and revision. That doesn’t mean, I think my students should think the same as me. I want them to have their own thoughts; of course, that is primarily for their own benefit. It also benefits me, however, for I learn a great deal by interacting with those who think different from me. My students teach me so incredibly much.
What Do We Mean by “Spiritual,” Anyway?
What do we mean by “spiritual education,” anyway? Fundamentally, it is this: that reality consists of both seen and unseen. I look out my window and see something brown rising from the ground. It is somewhat rough, narrow, and leads up to a section that becomes green and sways in the breeze. The center shaft branches out from itself to become wider and more circular as it ascends. With my physical senses, I see the wood, the leaves, perhaps the blossoms, and so forth. With my non-physical thinking, I combine these concepts into the understanding of “tree.”
Try this experiment. Think of a tree. Now, think of it again and watch yourself, in thinking, think about a tree. If you did that rightly, you just sensed something non-physical. You sensed thinking with thinking. You didn’t use your nose, skin, tongue, eyes, or ears that saw that. It was something non-physical. It is that simple. No need to reference angels or anything like that. Reality consists of what we physically sense and what we non-physically think. This is not religious but simply an unbiased look into how we, as a human beings, function. When I claim as my bias a “spiritual worldview,” I am saying I have experienced the reality of thought as a supersensory phenomenon which has shown me there is more to reality than meets the eye.
What is all that comprises this “more to reality” is up for debate. That it is, however, is not something I personally doubt. I’m not saying students shouldn’t doubt this. They absolutely should by all means. How would they ever discover the truth of something they don’t poke and prod at? I’m just stating my own bias for the record. HOWEVER…
What Secular vs. Spiritual Education Has to Do With Freedom of Thought
The United States of America was founded upon the separation of church and state. The founding fathers were adamant about giving voice to those who didn’t share their worldviews. (Admittedly, the range of possibility back then was much narrower than it is today, but the principle nonetheless stands true.) The First Amendment has been interpreted in the modern context that state funds cannot be used to teach religion. (A proper understanding of the Threefold Social Order, however, could argue that our current arrangement already violates the separation of church and state where governments require state funded schools to teach materialism the exclusion of other spiritual paradigms. That is, once again, a topic for another time.)
Personally, I love philosophy because it’s the best way I have found the bridge to divide between matter and spirit. One need not refer to religious imagery nor idols of any kind. One can experience truth in pure thinking. That is why, above all, I strive to leave students free, for is not my pure thinking they need to experience, but theirs. What good is it to convert somebody to your way of thinking through force or power? That is no real knowledge. I would rather teach a sincerely seeking atheist or agnostic student than a dogmatic religious one. What matters most in the search for truth is humility, open-heartedness, and the goodwill to seek for it.
Which is Freer: Secular vs. Spiritual Education
A truly holistic education should include both material and immaterial elements. Since reality consists of percept (sensing, often physical) and concept (thinking, always non-physical) (as elaborated in Steiner’s Philosophy of Freedom), our education should reflect this. Teaching in reference to what can be sensed is simpler. All students can see that a tree is a tree. Teaching about what is unseen or unknown, however, is trickier. That doesn’t mean we should leave it out altogether and pretend it doesn’t exist. There, we have to embrace a diversity of thought and tradition. Then, we leave students free to decide what they think, even if all they come to is what Descartes did, “I think, therefore I am,” and nothing more. That point is not a bad place to start, and at least then they are thinking for themselves, and that’s better than the alternative. It’s the beginning of freedom.
How We Can Help
Enkindle Academy offers prerecorded and live lessons for students in grades 5-9. We teach all academic subjects plus fine arts, creative writing, and empowerment groups for teens. We also offer 1-on-1 tutoring on all subjects including fine arts. Visit our website for more info and for free sample lessons. Remember to subscribe for weekly updates, tips for homeschooling, and special offers.
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