Courses of Study

1—Courses in the World—“It is because Christ's words are disregarded, because the Word of God is given a second place in education, that infidelity is riot and iniquity is rife. Things of minor consequence occupy the minds of many of the teachers of today. A mass of tradition, containing merely a semblance of truth, is brought into the courses of study given in the schools of the world. The force of much human teaching is found in assertion, not in truth.”—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 439.PH124 39.2

2—Education More Than Course of Study—“There is an education which is essentially worldly. Its aim is success in the world, the gratification of selfish ambition. To secure this education many students spend time and money in crowding their minds with unnecessary knowledge. The world accounts them learned; but God is not in their thoughts. They eat of the tree of worldly knowledge, which nourishes and strengthens pride. In their hearts they become disobedient and estranged from God; and their intrusted gifts are placed on the enemy's side. Much of the education at the present time is of this character. The world may regard it as highly desirable; but it increases the peril of the student.”—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 64.PH124 39.3

3—Weed Out Unnecessary Matters—“Today young men and women spend years in acquiring an education which is as wood and stubble, to be consumed in the last great conflagration. Upon such an education God places no value. Many students leave school unable to receive the Word of God with the reverence and respect which they gave it before they entered. Their faith has been eclipsed in their effort to excel in the various studies. The Bible has not been made a vital matter in their education, but books tainted with infidelity and propagating unsound theories have been placed before them.PH124 39.4

“All unnecessary matters should be weeded from the courses of study, and only such studies placed before the student as will be of real value to him. With these alone he needs to become familiar, that he may secure the life which measures with the life of God. As the mind is summoned to the consideration of the great themes of salvation, it will rise higher and higher in the comprehension of these subjects, leaving cheap and insignificant matters behind.”—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 444, 445.PH124 40.1

4—Waste No Time on Theories of Popular Education—“Let no more time be lost in dwelling on the many things that are not essential, and which have no bearing upon the present necessities of God's people. Let no more time be lost in exalting men who know not the truth; ‘for the time is at hand.’ There is no time now to fill the mind with theories of what is popularly called ‘higher education.’ The time devoted to that which does not tend to assimilate the soul to the likeness of Christ, is so much time lost for eternity. This we cannot afford, for every moment is freighted with eternal interests. Now, when the great work of judging the living is about to begin, shall we allow unsanctified ambition to take possession of the heart, and lead us to neglect the education required to meet the needs in this day of peril?”—Testimonies for the Church 6:130.PH124 40.2

5—Unbalanced Course—“The course of study which is not dictated by the Holy Spirit, which does not embrace the high, holy principles of God's Word, will open before the student a course unmarked by the approval of Heaven. It will leave gaps, and mistakes, and misunderstandings all along the road he travels. Those who will not give themselves to a deep, earnest, prayerful study of the Scriptures will hold ideas contrary to the principles that should control the life....PH124 40.3

6. Course Not Too Long or Rigid.—“If the Lord's will is done, students will not be encouraged to remain in school continuously for years. This is the devising of man, not the plan of God. The student is not to feel that he must take a classical course before he can enter the ministry. A large number who have done this have disqualified themselves for the labor which it was essential for them to do. The long study of those books which should not be made study books, unfits the youth for the work to be done in this important period of the world's history. These years of study cultivate habits and methods that cripple their usefulness. They have to unlearn many things which disqualify them for efficiency in any line of the work to be done for this time.”—The Youth's Instructor, March 31, 1898, art. “The True Object of Education.”PH124 41.1

7. Provide for Alternation of School and Labor.—“The student should place himself in school, if he can, through his own exertions, pay his way as he goes. He should study one year, and then work out for himself the problem of what constitutes true education. He should set himself to work. The learning heaped up by years of continued study is deleterious to spiritual interests. Let teachers be prepared to give good counsel to the student who enters school. Let them not advise him to give years exclusively to the study of books. Let the youth learn, and then impart to others, the benefits he has received. If the student will humbly seek Him, the Lord of heaven will open his understanding. The student should take time to review what he has gained in book knowledge; he should critically examine the advancement he has made in the schoolroom, and he should combine physical exercise with study. Thus he will acquire an education that will enable him to come out with solid principles, an all-round man.”—The Youth's Instructor, March 31, 1898, art. “The True Object of Education.”PH124 41.2