path: root/reading/Education itself is a barrier to a permanent revival of tribal religions. Young people on reservatio (2).txt

"Education itself is a barrier to a permanent revival of tribal religions. Young people on reservations have available an increasingly complicated educational system. Perhaps like conservative Christians, older Indians see the educational system as basically godless and tending to destroy commu­ nities rather than create them. As more Indians fight their way through the education system in search of job skill, their education will increasingly concentrate on the tangible and technical aspects of contemporary society and away from the sense of wonder and mystery that has traditionally char­ acterized religious experiences. In almost the same way that young whites have rejected religion once they have made strides in education, young Indians who have received solid educations have rejected traditional reli­ gious experiences. Education and religion apparently do not mix." (Vine Deloria Jr., Leslie Marmon Silko, George E. Tinker – God Is Red A Native View of Religion Fulcrum Publishing (2003))