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Little Known Facts About Focus on the Family Excerpted from Little Known Facts About Focus on the Family & QUEST INTERNATIONAL By Dr. Cathy Burns OCCULT TECHNIQUES ENDORSED Quest also utilizes the techniques of visualization and guided imagery 132 . One of the earlier Quest editions had an exercise called "Elevator." Teachers are to "establish a quiet, contemplative mood." Teachers then tell students 'you are in an elevator.' Each Each button in the elevator represents an age. When students push a button, the elevator will take them back to experiences they had at that age. 'Be sensitive to those who may have stopped on an unpleasant floor,' the book tells teachers. 133 Does this occult practice disturb Dobson? Of course not! He just stated that these techniques could be "a risky practice in the absence of professionally trained leadership." In other words, if these techniques are used by professionals, they are okay. 134 He further added: "I hope you understand that I'm not condemning Quest. I'm sure there are many schools and classrooms in which it's being put to good use." 135 We've already seen where Dobson claims that several prominent Christian psychologist have had a part in the Quest literature. Also, in his October 27, 1981, letter to Rick Little at Quest International, he said: "I know you love the Lord and are trying to serve him. I have never questioned your motives and consider you to be a trusted Christian friend. I'm sure that Quest is doing some good... However, I believe you made one fundamental error, and that was bringing professional into your organization who do not share your Christian faith. That put us all in bed with the enemy, so to speak, and helped to undermine your very noble and Christian purposes." 136 I don't know which individuals Dobson thinks are Christians, but he is incorrect to infer that non-Christian professionals were brought in later. According to a paper from the Sagamore Institute, we find this out about the Quest program: "This nationally acclaimed, research-tested program is sponsored and administered by The Quest International Center of Columbus, Ohio and was originally written by Sagamore Institute's Howard Kirschenbaum and Barbara Glaser." 137 Humanists Wrote Quest Glaser is Kirschenbaum's wife and both are well-known humanists and they were the original writers of this program! 138 Kirschenbaum is Director of the National Humanistic Education Center (NHEC). Before its reorganization in 1973, the NHEC was originally called Adirondack Mountain Humanist Center. In 1980 the name once again was changed to Sagamore Institute. 139 Also in 1980: "The National Coalition for Democracy in Education [was] founded, comprised of individuals and organizations who support the right to teach humanistic education in schools, educating the 'whole student.' It opposes interference by state legislatures or school boards in teaching of evolution, and it opposes censorship of books in school libraries... The Executive Director is Howard Kirschenbaum." 140 "One of the books he has coauthored is Values Clarification: A Handbook of Practical Strategies for Teachers and Students. In fact, the annotated bibliography and resources list at the end of Unit 1 of Skills for Living lists Kirschenbaum's Values Clarification book and specifically identifies it as the source for the 'group interview,' 'rank ordering,' 'voting continuum,' and 'other activities used throughout this course.'" 141 We've already briefly looked at the origins of values clarification, yet the Quest program is based on values clarification and humanism. "According to the Encyclopedia Associations, the Quest National Center promotes 'Humanistic Education' in our schools." 142 Some of the authors listed in the suggested reading material (for the Skills for Living program) include Sidney Simon (who doesn't believe in right and wrong), Carl Rogers, Rudolf Dreikurs, Thomas Gordon, and Leland Howe. Each one of the above authors is a humanist! Additionally, over 65% of the books listed can be obtained from the National Humanistic Education Center, again showing the humanistic bias of the Quest program. The Lions Club is in a joint venture with the Quest program. This association seems to make the Quest program more acceptable. However, we are told: "'Service clubs such as the Lions sponsor sterilization camps that reportedly do 900 operations a week' in Kenya." 143 Sounds like a real "compassionate" organization, doesn't it? "Despite the controversy that surrounds him, Little says he has no regrets about creating Quest. "If I were to do it over again [says Little]... I'd probably end up doing it pretty much the same.'" 144 Knowing what is involved in the Quest program, do you think Rick Little is a Christian as Dobson claims he is? Another Contradiction Dobson claims that he does not endorse or condemn the Quest program. However, as just stated above, he clearly said that he is "not condemning Quest." 145 Listen also to the words of Tom Minnery, Vice President of Public Policy for Focus on the Family: "Our research on Quest revealed a broader concern: Even the best curricula can be mistaught, but if parents aren't vigilant, how will they know?" 146 Did you catch the insinuation that Quest is a good (perhaps even the best) program but the teachers are the ones who are misuing it? Never mind that humanists were behind it from the beginning. Never mind that humanistic values are stressed. Just blame the teachers for making a good program into ab bad one. It is true that the teachers can introduce their own values into a course, but they still use the material as a guideline--and that's where a big problem comes in--because the Quest material itself is not only tainted with humanism but it is actually immersed in it! In spite of this, FOTF seems to thing it's a great program. Dobson's argument that he is not endorsing Quest because of how some local teachers can misuse it is an extremely lame excuse. Are we to say we cannot endorse the Bible because some people misinterpret it? Furthermore, in the Focus on the Family magazine, Teachers in Focus, we find some interesting information. In the March 1995 issue there were several groups mentioned as "Violence Prevention Resources." One of the groups listed was STARS (Students Taking a Right Stand). 147 I wrote to this organization and was quite surprised to find that they actually are selling materials from Quest International. Oh, and they also sell a number of videos produced by Focus on the Family such as Sex, Lies and...the Truth, Adventures in Odyssey and McGee and Me! among others. 148 I thing it should be obvious that FOTF actually does promote the Quest material--even if it is in a round-about way. Quest International is also "a charter member of the Character Education Partnership [CEP]..." 149 Two of the people on the CEP Advisory Council are Zbigniew Brzezinski and Jesse L. Jackson. 150 Brzezinski was "the first director of the Trilateral Commission..." 151 He was also one of the speakers at the State of the World Forum (September 27 to October 1, 1995) which was chaired by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. "Brzezinski warned against 'parochial fundamentalism' and 'narrow cults, ethnicity, national or religious passion.' And he said, 'We cannot leap into world government through one quick step. A consensual global system requires a process.'" 152 "Over 20 years ago he declared in his book Between the Ages that 'national sovereignty is no longer a viable concept.'" 153 Also in this book: "...he explained his view 'Marxism is simultaneously a victory of the external, active man over the inner, passive man and a victory of reason over belief... [and] the fiction of [national] sovereignty...is clearly no longer compatible with reality... [but] a [world community] cannot be achieved by fusing existing states into on larger entity... It makes much more sense to attempt to associate existing sates through a variety of indirect ties and already developing limitations on national sovereignty.'" 154 [Emphasis in the original] Brzezinski also called for a new international monetary system. 155 Another member of the CEP is the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) 156 which is a division of the National Education Association. 157 The ASCD is also an affiliated organization with Kirschenbaum's National Coalition for Democracy in Education (NCDE). Other affiliated organizations are the humanistic Sagamore Institute, Association for Humanistic Education, Association for Humanistic Education and Development, Connecticut Teacher Centers for Humanistic Education, North Carolina Humanistic Education Association, and the N.W. Ohio Humanistic Education Association. Did you notice how humanistic this group is? One of the NCDE's sponsors just happens to be the well-known New Ager, Marilyn Ferguson! These are the type of groups and people Dobson is associated with time and time again. In ASCD's 1962 yearbook, Perceiving, Behaving, Becoming, we find : "'We need to de-emphasize tradition and the past... Educators can no longer afford to deplore and resist change. Too many teachers are still insisting that things must be done the 'right way.'" 158 At ASCD's 44th Annual Conference and Exhibit Show (held March 11-14, 1989) the theme was "Educating Global Citizens: Illuminating the Issues." Some of the speakers were Robert Muller, former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dee Dickinson, Shirley McCune, and Jean Houston. 159 ASCD's 49th Annual Conference and Exhibit Show (March 1994) also had some interesting speakers. Of course, there was Howard Kirschenbaum, William Spady (father of outcome-based education), Gordon Cawelti, etc. Other speakers were Robert Simonds of Citizens for Excellence in Education and Amy Stephens from...Focus on the Family! The talk was "Religious Conservatives and Public Schools: Can We Find Common Ground?" 160 How can Christians find "common ground" with humanists who are agnostics and atheists? (By the way, Dobson had Amy Stephens on his November 17, 1995 Focus on the Family program.) Incidentally, anther member of the Character Education Partnership is Focus on the Family! The connections between FOTF and the humanistic education and the New Age go on and on and on. There really seems to be no end to it. As I've stated several times, there's so much that could be said about Focus on the Family. I didn't begin to cover all the material I have, but I believe enough has been said to show you that there's a double standard lurking behind the "Christian" facade of FOTF. "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness" (II Peter 3:17). Dr. Cathy Burns |
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12/27/2007 6:44 am |
This to me sounds like hate mail against Dr Dobson... Is Dr Dobson a TRUE CHRISTIAN.. ??? Is ANYONE a true Christian...... ??? From what I have witnessed and listened to on Focus on the Family.. it is the passion of Dr Dobson to bring families together on the basis of Christian love..... He has faced many a difficult topic over the years that I have heard him speak about..... This is such a sad attack on this organization.... I often pretend I am somewhere such as a beautiful tropical island... having one of those drinks with umbrellas in them... Does that mean I am not a good CHRISTIAN...??? Eegads... It never ceases to amaze me how people have nothing BETTER to do than dissect things in a malicious way.... Focus on the family is far more helpful and Christian than many of the CHURCHES I see in this day and age ... lying about how anyone who suffers with depression has a demon.. or if you are on medication for mental illness.. YOU LACK FAITH and are not a real Christian.. or... wait .. it gets better... we are ALL supposed to be FILTHY RICH.... and can HAVE WHATEVER WE WANT if we simply PRAY it into our lives...... How about... the good old CALVANIST DOCTRINE... Only a SELECT FEW are getting into HEAVEN.. so come... get your tickets now....... Christianity is by far... the MOST JUDGEMENTAL and HATEFUL gang of ARROGANT people I have ever come to know in these last 7 years since I have come to the Lord.... Before I was saved... I minded my own business... now that I am a believer .. if I see something that disturbs me.. I simply take some quiet time to talk to my Jesus about it.. asking HIM to please open the eyes of the person that is having trouble... It is NO WONDER that so many people are REPULSED by CHRISTIANITY.. it has become a REPULSIVE .. .INSTITUTION or CLUB......
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12/27/2007 7:50 am |
Adoration, welcome to the christian body! Life is an adventure.
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Paul warned very distinctly against false doctrine and Dr Dobson welcomes it in many fashions. So you draw the conclusion. and there is much out there that is not right. Its called the Apostate Church.
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12/30/2007 9:54 am |
Well Topical Man... I have better things to do with my time then argue with people about judging others... If I wanted to argue .. I would become a CALVANIST... Jesus is the lover of my soul... and I don't need to seek His counsel on other people's back yard... I have listened to the program Focus on the Family for many years... I am not a fan of anyone who preaches anything.. cuz I don't trust what man has done to JESUS.... I guess I am talking on behalf of a single mom who found much comfort and sense out of his perspective on the family... I have NO respect for people who make it a habit to go tunneling for DIRT on others. Too often these people own enough logs in their own yard to build NOAH's ARK....
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12/31/2007 5:22 am |
Sorry sensory.. I don't recall addressing you... or talking with you.... my post said... WELL TOPICAL MAN..... lol I am finished on this post.... My thoughts on Calvanism or anything else are not your concern mr sensory.... It is all good... I have realized the last few days that I just have as much right as anyone else to speak when things are NOT RIGHT... however... there is not much worth speaking about....
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I can clearly see that the purity of the Gospel does not matter. But I already knew that.
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12/31/2007 6:03 am |
Tropical Man.. I clearly see that people are more excited about pointing gnarly fingers at everyone rather than cleaning up their own back yard.... If it makes you happy to dissect things.. then go for it... I quietly go along.. trying the best I can to be a good woman of God.. a good mother... and a good servant for those who are in need... If I thought for one minute I was RESPONSIBLE for what others believed and DID to CHRISTIANITY... I would give up and committ suicide.... GOD and GOD alone will judge us ALL.. according to what is in our hearts.... If we don't like what someone believes.. then we have the Responsibility of praying for them and moving on.... NOT broadcasting their whole life's work.. for others to judge.... WOE to us who think we have a right to do this... Like I have said in many posts... from what I have seen in these blogs... If I was NOT already a believer... I sure would not be attracted to be one.... TOO many cooks in the kitchen ... I am content to let God decide what the consequences are for the actions of people.... I am very well aware of what PURITY is.... but I have enough problems maintaining this in my own life... I don't have time to ponder on such things as so many seem to think is important... Bless you....
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12/31/2007 8:40 pm |
You make a good CALVANIST sensory.... You are ABRASIVE.... and IGNORANT..... Tropical Man.. could you please erase my posts on this site.. THANK YOU..... Not in the mood to argue with Know it alls... Thanks....
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well its obvious spreading a false gospel and making an impure one is ok with her. Discernment goes a long way...if used.
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