The Lord Jesus is a God of order. However, religious authoritarians are often people of ultra-order in which they and their religion take prominence over people.

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And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” [Luke 22:24-27]

SCHOOL DAZE

I remember my initial experience as a kid in first grade. We had relatively large classes back then usually in the 35-40 pupil range. We had the old-fashioned desks in which each unit had the requisite desktop, a curved wooden chair seat, and a metal mini locker under the seat open at both ends to put your books and stuff in. They were constructed very well, made of lacquered wood and painted metal. There was even a little elongated depression rounded out of the wood at the top of the desktop to put your pencil. The desks were arranged in perfectly straight rows about six or seven across and six or seven deep. Everything in the classroom was orderly and clean.

Of course, every desk faced the front. At the front center was the big wooden desk of the teacher and behind the teacher was an entire wall of blackboards. When one first walked into such an arrangement one deciphered pretty quickly that the classroom was a place of ultra-order and decorum. This would not be a place where kids can be kids but one in which kids would be just the opposite in that only prescribed movements would be allowed and no one would ever be allowed to talk unless called upon. A kid would walk in silently, go to his or her desk silently, place their books and stuff in that place under the seat quietly and then sit down. One was usually only allowed to look toward the front. When the teacher was there and class was in session everybody looked only to the front and focused squarely on the teacher. The teacher would thus hold court.

For little kids just getting used to this process and trying to adapt, there was a high level of intimidation. One wanted to make sure he or she was doing everything right and fulfilling the requirements. There was a quickly constructed built-in attitude one was forced to adhere to which stated that the teacher was absolutely totally in charge. We knew this by her stern, no nonsense authoritarian demeanor. I say her because most of my teachers from first through eighth grades were of the female variety but policy dictated that such gender identity was played down in order to enforce rule, which meant the normal caring attitude of the female person was transformed into more of a dictator in chief in that every child must know that respect for authority was paramount.

Maybe you had a different experience, but I was one of millions of children across America that experienced school in this way. It was obviously not a public school. It was one of those denominational schools that wholly rejected such a label since it was the predominant universal “church” on the planet that looked down upon such inferior Christian bodies (actual denominations) of “departed brethren.” And this universal church did not arrive at their level of success across the world without a powerful authoritarian nature that demanded absolute control which bordered on a militaristic ethos.

Regarding personal decorum, the majority of the teachers belonged to a strict religious order and were attired in black from head to toe with only the face showing. Even their entire forehead had a wide white cardboard band across it to the eyebrows. Therefore, it seemed as though not only feminine nature and appearance must be greatly reduced but human nature as well. Also, to add to the militaristic control-oriented authoritarian you-are-a-nobody-only-a-part-of-the-dominant-religious-culture theme, all the boys wore the exact same khaki uniform and the girls wore identical white blouses and dark green skirts.

The overall effect of all this over-the-top religious propriety and order can be, as I’ve stated, quite intimidating for a little kid and such intimidation often gave way to outright fear if one mistakenly broke the rules or failed to show the proper respect for authority and the all-encompassing correctness. There were thus punishments put forth (and sometimes inflicted) which went anywhere from writing lines to that of the actual corporal variety. But the greatest tool in the punishment toolbox used expertly by all the teachers was shaming.

Shame was a powerfully effective weapon. It singled out the individual while everybody else gave silent assent since no one dared to question the process. The powers that be in this organization had learned centuries ago that they must gain control of people when they were very young impressionable children in order to brand upon their young minds respect and obedience to the order. In this process no one was allowed any form of dissent or resistance. One will note it is this same process used on young raw military recruits by hard core in-you-face screaming drill sergeants. The recruits must lose all sense of their prior selves and individual identities in order to be transformed into the necessary group dynamic killing machines they must become if war would have a good chance of victory.

Yet such discipline used on small defenseless children in which their minds are melded into an indoctrinated religious mass grouping before they ever have the chance to think for themselves is not good, especially since such is for the sake of an institution and the power and wealth of those who run it. Such a process not only constitutes a loss of the innocence of childhood but could very well also keep one from an actual relationship with the Lord Jesus.

It is also in direct opposition to His pure teachings:

Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” [Matthew 19:13-14]

Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” [Luke 18:17] [1] 

 © 2025 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved. [To Be Continued…]

[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.