The Teaching of Self Worship

AND SO IT STARTS…

The Cult of Self-Worship Being Taught in Schools

An insidious secular worldview, often contrary to Christian values, has been taught for the past 50 years in schools under various names. The intent was good and the teachers are well-meaning, but misguided professionals who are trying to address the problems in society caused by the fallen nature of mankind, but without a fullness of understanding of Original Sin and God’s Redemptive powers. Psychology has attempted to improve human nature from a secular perspective — human nature without God. It has become a religion unto itself, but it is an anti-God religion and instead creates what Dr. Paul Vitz¹ calls “the Cult of Self-Worship”. His book, Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship, provides a thorough history of major Psychology Theorists that contributed to the Self-Theory that we see in schools today and how they cause harm to individuals.

Parents embrace programs that claim to prevent social and emotional problems. But for decades, programs, curricula, approaches, etc. promising to increase self-esteem and prevent social problems have been discredited. In the 1970s, it was called “self-actualization”. The terminology shifted to “self-esteem” in the 1980s. Whatever the label, students are exposed to exercises of self and family examination and “values clarification” (aka moral relativism) in order to “know themselves” and separate from the oppression of parents and society. When data pointed to the failure of “self-esteem” programs (instead of improving social problems, led to narcissistic students creating more problems in schools), a new “character education” program was sought. Terminology changes, secular philosophy remains.

Family Life Education is the broad umbrella to deliver this agenda. Family Life Education was developed by “family therapists” to prevent family problems through education and skill building. It is never a good idea to take a model based on pathology and project it onto a healthy universe. Every child in the US (and wherever they have FLE type programming) will tell you he/she comes from a “dysfunctional family”. Whenever two or more people (who by nature are fallen) come together, there is dysfunction, i.e., sin. The dysfunction comes from concupiscence, not lack of communication skills or competence in identifying and expressing emotions.

The Grace of God can heal and bring peace. There is no Peace outside of the Order of God. But Family Life Education programs exclude God and often teach against the Order of God by promoting a Cult of Self (narcissism).

Social Emotional Learning is the Latest Delivery System for “Selfism”

The latest iteration of man’s attempt to create a Utopia through education is Social/ Emotional Learning. The theory behind it is that there are social problems because of a lack of self-awareness about emotions and the appropriate expression of emotions. With a revolution in “social justice” political activism in the past decade, the “social” part of Social/Emotional Learning became the door to bring “social justice” political values into the curriculum. While SEL programs for the most part take a morally neutral position on traditional morality, there is heavy handed moralizing on “social justice” political principles.

Group sharing of emotions and problems are the basis of SEL programming. Peer pressure is utilized to create a “safe environment for all” as defined by the group. Students with minority opposing views are bullied into conforming or risk being charged with creating an “unsafe” environment for members who are offended by opinions. Critics of SEL are rightly concerned that classes often resemble counseling support groups with teachers unqualified to provide therapy.

At Chantilly High School in 2022, every SEL session in student Advisory began with students sharing their “emotional barometer” with the rest of the group. Can this activity itself be a great cause for “anxiety” for many shy, introverted or privacy inclined students? Are High School staff unaware of the susceptibility of adolescents to social contagions and peer pressure?

Classes begin in kindergarten informing children that they have social emotional needs that must be met to have a healthy self-image. Scenarios are presented about children whose feelings were hurt and students are asked to assess whether the “social and emotional needs” of the child were met. Children are primed to believe every emotion (feeling) needs to be addressed positively to create a healthy self-image. Failure of parents, family, friends, teachers, etc. to meet emotional needs will result in harm to the child.

Students are asked to share times when their social or emotional needs were not met. Children who enter class in a peaceful mindset, are instructed to abandon that calm and seek out a good story to share with the class about when they felt like a victim. Anyone who has ever been in a class (or group) has watched the one upmanship that occurs in this type of discussion. Children whose parents have consistently and lovingly met their needs are now told to look for times their parents failed them. To participate, they must find a slight and make it into a trauma.

Frequent reporting of emotions is required not only in class, but on student electronic devices for data collection to determine the impact of SEL. Can the practice of reporting an emotion, without any context, show any correlation, let alone causation, of the effectiveness of a SEL curriculum? It can manipulate the reporting of emotions as children choose emotions that will receive the most sympathetic reaction from teachers and classmates.

Here is an example from a fourth-grade lesson of how children are taught to focus on their “needs” and the requirements of others to meet those needs:

What “Self ” Theory looked like at Chantilly High School in 2022²

At Chantilly High School, SEL is interwoven into all courses, but the Charger Connect Small Groups embrace Social/Emotional Learning, including elements of “Transformative SEL”, as the defining process. Transformative SEL incorporates the principles of “social justice” (FCPS labels it Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion). To see examples of messages in the Social Emotional Learning curriculum at Chantilly High School read Values promoted through SEL at Chantilly.

Write about empowerment…

Parents report being blindsided by bizarre ideas and dysphoria (not only of body but other realities of life). It is this magical thinking of “Personal Truth” being taught and promoted in schools that leads students away from Truth and toward whatever makes a good narrative. Hence, not only are we seeing a social contagion of “transgendered” students, but “furries” (students identifying as animals) are also tolerated and even encouraged as special attention is given.

The focus is on “stories”, regardless of their connection to reality. What happens when someone challenges another person’s “story”? According to FCPS students (and the Students Rights and Responsibilities) they are subject to disciplinary action, such as when a student “dead names” another student. “Dead naming” is calling a person by the name given to him/her by parents at birth (aka, the baptismal name) if the person has decided to “transgender.” In this modern-day religious persecution, students are required to deny the Truth of God’s creation or risk discipline.

Dangers of Social Emotional Learning Rooted in Focus on Self, not the Reality and Order Created by God

The largest danger of Social Emotional Learning is that it is presented from a value-free, amoral perspective. Human nature and human interactions are not value-free or amoral. We are created in the image and likeness of God. Without God, there is no understanding. Anxiety and Depression follow.

After School Satan Clubs: A Natural Progression of “Self Theory”?

Below is a flier advertising for an After-school Satan Club in Chesapeake, VA. The language is right out of the SEL Curriculum. You cannot hold a curriculum ideology responsible for Satan’s usurpation of positive images — after all that is how Satan works. He distorts all goods. But read the definition of Satanism as defined by the Church of Satan and as expressed in Genesis by Satan himself when he tempted Eve.

Social/Emotional Learning Curricula

For special Commentary on Select Topics in the SEL Curricula with a contrast to Catholic Teaching, click on each Special Note.

Special Note: Definition of Family

Special Note: Gender Theory

Special Note: Critical Race Theory

Special Note: A discussion labelled “The Danger of Silence”

Special Note: Empathy

Special Note: Forgiveness

Special Note: Pornography

Special Note: Ethical Decision-Making

Special Note: Social Emotional Learning

Special Note: Suicide

Special Note: Abortion

Special Note: Non-marital sexual activity

Special Note: Contraception, Surrogacy, In-Vitro Fertilization

1. Dr. Paul Vitz (Senior Scholar at Divine Mercy University in Sterling, Virginia and emeritus professor of psychology at New York University) calls “the Cult of Self-Worship”. In his book, Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship, Dr. Vitz gives a thorough history of major Psychology Theorists that contributed to the Self-Theory that we see in schools today and how they actually cause harm to individuals. ↩︎
2. These slides are from Charger Connect Groups in 2022. ↩︎