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The Destruction of Knowledge -

History’s missing Pages

The philosopher George Santayana once wrote:

"He who does not know history is fated to repeat it."

In a more skeptical vein, another thinker declared:

"The only thing we learn from history is that we do not learn from history."

Winston Churchill stated with deep insight:

"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see."

M ost of us understand that the study of history is important, but often we do not
know why. Events in the past are often of no real interest, are either boring, or of no
consequence to us. “What history is, what it is about, how it proceeds, and what it is for,
are questions which to some extent different people would answer in different ways.”1. To
some, history is simply an assembly of isolated facts, to another, it is evidence of
humanity’s evolution, to another, it is a revelation of humanity’s stupidity. But when
historical events are put in the context of God’s plan of salvation for man, and man’s
interaction with God, then history takes on a meaning not found in the dry, dusty writings
of historians. When put in the context of prophecy, again, history takes on an all new
importance that finds fulfillment in the words quoted above from Santayana and Churchill.
Events from the past give meaning to the present, and to the future. “The ideas that one
has concerning vanished generations has a great deal to do with one’s relation to the
present. It is equally true that a person who has distorted views of the present cannot
build for a better future.” 2.

The written word is one way in which we can interpret and understand the past. But before
writing came into use, man relied on his God-given gift, his mind and his memory to hand
down history and useful information. Today we rely on writing as one way to communicate
so much knowledge, but it was not always the case. For writing can be used against true
history, and used to revise and re-write history. As one writer states; “The whole process of
writing history is one single revision. Not only because new facts and documents become
known, but also because even known facts can be newly evaluated and interpreted. No
generation looks at events through the same glasses as did another.”3.

“In his Phaedrus the Greek philosopher Plato wrote about the legend of Toth, the Egyptian
god who supposedly discovered the use of letters. In order to boast of his invention, the
god demonstrated their use to King Thamus and claimed that this new found form of
communication would be an aid to wisdom. But the King condemned Toth and told him
that just the opposite would be true. Writing, he judged, would encourage forgetfulness in
the minds of those who learned, because they would not cultivate their memory. Students
would learn the appearance instead of the reality of wisdom, reading and repeating words
without knowing their meaning. He declared that writing would limit knowledge, not
expand it. And it happened as he prophesied, for as history has already shown, the early
Egyptian funeral texts are examples of just that development, as the scribes copied the
texts without knowing their significance. Many historians have noted that the secularization
of the written word in the past was not always an indication of the rise of a civilization;
sometimes it was an omen of its decline.

“But regardless of King Thamus’s objections, writing did become a reality and wielded its
influence on the growing societies. It was a help to some, but acquiring the knowledge to
write brought with it serious limitations. Memory was no longer the factor to rely on; now
the storehouses of words became the prime factors in the dissemination of knowledge.
Whereas before the Flood, technological facts had been transmitted from father to son,
from scientist to scientist, now huge depositories of written knowledge were submitted for
oral tradition, and as a result a privileged few became the sole custodians of this
accumulating knowledge.” 4.

It is an interesting point of history that the victor in conquest would often destroy the great
libraries of the conquered; books and accumulated knowledge became the innocent victims
of wholesale destruction. Many of history’s missing pages were torn out in times of war
and conquest.

“The famous collection of Pisastratus (Pisander) in Athens (sixth century BC) was ravaged.
Fortunately, the poems of Homer somehow survived. The papyri of the library of the
Temple of Ptah in Memphis were totally destroyed. The same fate befell 200,000 volumes
in the library of Pergamus in Asia Minor. The city of Carthage, razed by the Romans in a
seventeen-day fire in 146 BC, is said to have possessed a library of half a million volumes.
But the greatest blow to history was the burning of the Alexandrian library in the Egyptian
campaign of Julius Caesar, during which 700,000 priceless scrolls were irretrievably lost . . .
There was a complete catalogue of authors in 120 volumes with a brief biography of each
author.” 5.

The library of Alexandria, however, survived this destruction and once again became a
centre of learning, the most important book depository in the Mediterranean world, until
Omar, the second Caliph of Islam, used its millions of book rolls to heat the city’s bathing
facilities in AD 640. For six months the fires roared, fuelled by the knowledge of the
ancients. The Caliph decreed: “The contents of these books are conformity with the Koran
or they are not. If they are, the Koran is sufficient without them; if they are not, they are
pernicious. Let them therefore be destroyed.” 6.

It was much the same down through the ages. Wherever you look, history has been
burned, buried or broken. “The number of manuscripts annihilated by the Inquisition . . .
in the Middle Ages can hardly be estimated. Because of these tragedies we have to depend
on disconnected fragments, casual passages, and meagre accounts . . .” 7.

The Christian Era is replete with such acts of the Inquisition and the Roman church. When
the Inquisition was set up in Goa, India, one of its many objectives was to remove the
history and beliefs of the Syrian St. Thomas Christians living in India. “In addition to
eliminating the Syrian Bible, it was demanded that all Syrian books were to be delivered up,
altered, or destroyed; . . . manuals of church activities were torn to pieces, records of
districts and documents relating the manifold contacts of this wonderful people were
burned. What a wealth of evangelical literature was ruined in a moment! Who can tell how
much of the literature destroyed went back even to apostolic days, and would have thrown
light upon the work of the apostle Thomas and upon the early years of the Church of the
East?” 8.

Interestingly enough, today, in the “Information Age,” we find that history is considered
open slather by many so-called scholars, for it is either ignored – or re-written. There is a
plethora of books, films and movies on the market which take history and turn it into
fiction, as though there were open license for change. The impact of this on the minds of
the current generation is yet to be seen and fully understood.

John D. Hicks once said, “Those who condemn history as a mere rattling of ancient skeletons
only betray their unfamiliarity with the subject. ... It is impossible to understand our times
without a knowledge of the conditions which brought them about; and it is equally impossible
to make intelligent decisions for the future if we have only an uncomprehending view of the
age in which we live.” 9.

In public education today we find that knowledge in general is used for a purpose, although
not understood by the vast majority of people. Joseph Stalin said it well when he stated;
“Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it
is aimed.” Most of us who read these words at one point or another had to endure the public
education system. Some no doubt quickly caught on to the fact that the educational system is
based on beliefs which are not always sound. Often it is mere dogma masquerading as fact. A
healthy curiosity would early have questioned much of this so-called textbook true history and
science, if not stifled and deadened by the mental abuse of the system. A healthy curiosity
would also have sought answers to the age-old questions concerning man's origins history and
destiny. Man’s past and his future.

The influence of three dominant thinkers

In our time there have been several powerful ideas which have dominated man's thinking.
They come from the minds of men like Charles Darwin, Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud -
three men regarded as great thinkers of our time, well known by name, to all of us.

It is becoming clear to most people today that Evolution is not now confined to biological
evolution, to which Darwin's name is attached, but has become an ideology that extends into
virtually every area of human activity right through to politics. Darwin was one of the first
proponents of evolution: Karl Marx is said to be the originator of the system known as
communism; and Sigmund Freud is recognised as the father of modern psychology.

A common starting point for each man was the realisation that traditional religion did not
provide the answers to life's fundamental questions. Their ideas have been adapted, changed
and even discarded over the years. Darwin's work on evolution was not new. Aristotle had
wondered about man being the outcome of natural progression from lower life forms. Darwin
produced his version of the origin of the species, casting doubt on the cherished belief that
man was a special creation on earth. Darwin postulated that man is nothing more than the
result of the natural selection and evolution of life forms over millions of years; from the
simple to the complex.

Darwin had originally studied to be a minister, but just as he qualified to take up a role in the
church he made his voyage on the “Beagle”. After some time he became disillusioned with
religion. He stated in his autobiography: “I gradually came to disbelieve in Christianity as
divine revelation ... This belief crept over me at a very slow rate, but at last was complete.”
But later, writing to a friend, he admitted further: “I am conscious that I am in an utterly
hopeless muddle. I cannot think that the world, as we see it, is the result of chance; and yet I
cannot look at each separate thing as the result of design.” Today the theory of evolution is
under scrutiny by many leading scientists who are questioning some of Darwin's basic
conclusions.

Karl Marx (together with Frederick Engels), was also opposed to traditional religion. His area
of thought encompassed economics and politics. He dismissed religion as the “opium of the
people,” and stated further: “The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of men, is a
demand for their real happiness.” Marx's ideas were a gradual outgrowth of ideas formulated
during the French Revolution. Marx campaigned, with good reason, against the exploitation of
the working classes. He saw the structure of society as in dire need of reform. But the
methods he and Engels advocated were not necessarily the best. As stated in the Communist
Manifesto, we read; “We openly declare that our ends can be attained only by the forcible
overthrow of all existing social conditions”.

The early followers of Marxism reasoned thus; “Capitalism is the root cause of all human
sin; destroy the Capitalistic System and we will destroy sin.” They believed that after the
revolution they would be able to introduce a form of society in which men would be free
and in which they would receive enough for every need. But into this honeymoon of
optimism there came the grim voice of the scientific realist, Lenin. In effect he said: My
dear friends, you have forgotten something very important. You are really a crowd of
idealistic utopian dreamers. Certainly all human frailty, ignorance, and avarice are derived
from the Capitalistic System. That is axiomatic. But you say that all we have to do to
remove sin is to destroy the Capitalistic System. You try to go too quickly. When we have
destroyed the root of all evil, the fruit remains in the characters of the many millions of the
earth who are diseased and deformed. It is true that their diseased condition will vary in the
different countries, but nevertheless mankind in general remains ignorant, illiterate,
indolent, avaricious, class-conscious, patriotic, and religious. Before the true Communistic
Society can be created, these disease characteristics, a hangover from Capitalism, must be
eliminated. To do this, an intelligently applied scientific program, based on the established
principles of animal husbandry, must be implemented. To do this it is necessary to have a
strong and intelligent power to carry out the program. In the progressive quality of its
dialectic heart, history has appointed the Communist Party, the self-conscious, enlightened
vanguard of the Proletariat, for this role. Therefore we must establish an absolute
dictatorship for this party. We will call it the ‘Dictatorship of the Proletariat.’” 10.

Communism, more commonly accepted under the name Socialism, whether we agree with
it or not, has played a large part in shaping our modern world and our ideas about society.
Through subtle infiltration it has become a part of the education system today. As we
stated before, Joseph Stalin once stated: “Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on
who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.” And today, this statement is coming
true in the subtle mind-control that is being used to change the direction of whole cultures
and nations. “How can you say that?” you ask. Let us look at our third great influence in
modern times, Sigmund Freud.

Freud was the father of psychoanalysis. In turn-of-the-century Vienna he practiced the new
science of psychiatry. He devised an entire system that purported to explain the
unconscious mind and its fantasies. Freud's theories allowed modern man to believe that he
can free himself from the guilt and responsibility for his actions. Blame and guilt have
become irrational.

According to an article in the Times of London, “Perhaps no science has been a more
powerful source of forgiveness than the psychoanalysis of Freud. The sinner becomes a
patient. And if he seems to do wrong, it is not really he who does it but an unconscious whose
machinations are unknown to him.” 11. Later disciples of Freud carried his ideas further than
he ever intended. We ask, “is mankind victim of his own unconscious mind with all its bizarre
sexual conflicts? If that were true, than no-one can be held responsible for their own actions.
Man can now have an excuse for his wrong actions and standards and ethics can vary
depending on ones interpretation of their own mind.” We begin to realise what George
Orwell meant in his book “1984” when he talked about ‘doublethink’ and ‘doubletalk’. Today
self-indulgence has becomes self-fulfilment. Liberated can be an excuse for living in sin.
Discipline is now unhealthy repression.

The combined thoughts of these three minds has had a enormous impact on modern history
and education. Evolution, Socialism, and Psychology have taken the control of the minds of
pupils in our schools today. When someone seeks to impose his or her views of morality and
ethics upon us, we react strongly. But this is exactly what has been done by Darwin, Marx and
Freud. They have set up their own structures of living on the shakiest of foundations - human
reasoning.

History, ancient and modern, has been rewritten using the combined philosophies of these
three ‘thinkers’. Evolution has replaced the Biblical understanding of history, Socialism, now
the subtle ‘religion’ of the world, has replaced the Church and personal spiritual study as the
moral belief system of the world, and psychology has replaced faith and trust in God as the
foundation of one’s spiritual experience. Now we can blame our evolutionary forebears for
our problems, or the bigoted thinking of past generations, or our psychological state of mind.
We no longer need to be accountable for events around us, whether they are social, political,
educational or spiritual! Or this is how many think today. But the reality is different. The
world is in the final stages of social, economic and spiritual collapse, but no one talks about it.
‘We can work it out’ or ‘Let’s all work together, think together or meditate together, and we
can solve our problems’, are common today. Churches and social organisations are powerless
in dealing with the current crisis. Modern Socialist education in the all the countries of the
Western world has had its effect, but few can see it.

Are we seeing the ‘Dictatorship of the ....... (New World Order)’ being prepared?

There is a warning in the Word of God which says: “Woe to those who call evil good, and
good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and
sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”
(Isaiah 5:20-21).

Further on we find the reason – “...because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” (verse 24).

There have been many who have set themselves up as teachers, ministers and philosophers
over the people. It is when man has no authority base by which to test whether something is
good or bad for humanity, that we find he goes astray. Every society is built on some type of
legal framework, ie, law, whether it be ancient or modern. All new ideas and concepts are then
tested against their authority base, to see if they are consistent within themselves, and able to
improve the social wellbeing of the society in which they are to be applied. Looking at the
lives of the three “thinkers” we have briefly looked at, it does not take much to see that their
foundational premises can only fail.

Who are the prime educators of our children?

The majority of parents leave the training of their children up to the teachers in our
schools, and forget that true education starts at home. This is one of the problems with
Education laws in western countries. It is usurping the parents authority to plan and
choose their own children's education in life. Parents are responsible to God, rather than to
the State, for the education of their children. Their decision whether to Home-school, or to
delegate the teaching duty to State schools, or to non-State institutions, or even to private
tutors is their choice.

Every “person must face the practical realities of life - its opportunities, its responsibilities, its
defeats, and its successes. How he is to meet these experiences, whether he is to become
master or victim of circumstances, depends largely upon his preparation to cope with them -
his education. True education is well defined as the harmonious development of all the
faculties - a full and adequate preparation for this life and the future eternal life.” 12.

Edward de Bono, the father of “lateral thinking”, once said, “In my experience most schools
do not teach thinking at all.” 13. Bringing up children equipped to go out into the world
following the example of Christ is the aim of true Christian education. Jesus Christ as a
school-age youth gave us an example. He tested the Hebrew Rabbi's schooling system, then
returned to His parents' home and town for His schooling. Textbooks He required were the
Testaments and Laws of God, and His creation; nature. The vast majority of Christian young
people today reach their teens without any concept of the events going on around them and
there importance in their lives. Most have never been clearly shown God's plan of Salvation
and the importance of accepting it into their lives. In fact, most have no real idea of the
conflict between good and evil going on in the world, nor do they have any idea of the Battle
for the Mind going on in their own lives. Most do not know how to define temptation as
against sin nor do they realize that they can have victory coupled with joy and peace. Many do
not grasp the necessity of daily prayer and Bible study to keep them close to the Lord, nor do
they understand the importance of overcoming sin, and that through Christ all things are
possible. Somehow, during their brief walk on this earth, parents have neglected to implant
these basic concepts in their minds, and as a result we are seeing the vast majority fall by the
wayside. If only parents would take the time to sit down and go through God's plan to restore
mankind to its original condition, and to let children know that Satan was defeated when Jesus
rose from the grave 2,000 years ago; and that they have the assurance that sin no longer need
reign in their lives. Young people need to understand that the fight for survival is within the
mind, the flesh striving against the spirit, the battle against the desires of the carnal mind. By
the Grace of God all things are possible. But what is grace? Someone once defined it as “the
power to overcome every hereditary and cultivated tendency to evil.” Let us not let our
children cultivate tendencies to evil from a very young age, as so many are today.

Education in right living is the building platform that all else is built upon, and yet it is the area
most neglected. True education, in health, history, science and humanities is also neglected.
Christian parents allow their children to be taught evolution, biased history and socialist
thinking; thinking that going to church once a week can override the effects of the school
systems today. The choice is ours; educate for the New World Order or educate for the
freedom and love of Christ.

“’Ye were bought with a price; do not become the slaves of men,’ declares the Word of God
[1 Cor 7:23]. May God grant us men and women who will remove from over us the shackles
of slavery whereby the State confiscates our children, fails to educate them, then insists we
bear the social and financial costs of its educational failure." 14.

Blair Andrew. 1995.

PO Box 97, Eagle Heights, Qld. 4271. Australia.
For comments and criticism, email the author on: discern@hotmail.com

Footnotes.

1. Collingwood, R.G. The Idea of History. p.7. Oxford University Press, 1961.
2. Wilkinson, B.G. Truth Triumphant, p.12. 1944. PPPA. USA.
3. Jewish Chronicle, May 10th, 1996, p.25. Thus wrote Chaim Bermant, chief-columnist of the
Jewish Chronicle, London, who died on January 20, 1998.
4. Noorbergen, Rene. Secrets of the Lost Races, p.42-43. USA. 1977.
5. Tomas, Andrew, We are Not the First. p.8. London, 1971.
6. Berlitz, Charles. Mysteries from Forgotten Worlds, p35, 36. Dell Publishing,
New York, 1972.
7. Tomas, Andrew, ibid, p.8.
8. Wilkinson, B.G. Truth Triumphant, pp.325, 328.
9. Hicks, John D. The American Nation, Preface.
10. Schwarz, Dr. F. The Mind and Soul of Communism.
11. Quoted in The Plain Truth magazine, March 1987 edition.
12. White, E.G. Education p.7. PPPA California. U.S.A.
13. de Bono, Edward, Teach you Child how to Think. Penguin Books. 1995.
14. PROBE. F.A.C.S. Newsletter. P.O. Box 241 Engadine, NSW, 2233. Australia.

SUGGESTED READING.

Gourley, Alan. Assault on Childhood.

Gourley, Alan Brainwashed.
Wallis, Jean. The Disaster Road.
Jones, Alonzo, T. The Bible in Education.
Gabler, M & N. What are they teaching our children?
de Bono, Edward. Teach Your Child How to Think.
White, E.G. Education.
White, E.G. Fundamentals of Education

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