Lifewise Film Taints The Public Schools With False Propaganda
From Glass City Humanist by Douglas Berger - Humanist Advocate
November 5, 2025 · 31 min · Episode 112
About this episode
The episode critiques the documentary 'Off School Property' for its misleading portrayal of public education and religious instruction.
We closely look at the recent documentary "Off School Property" produced by Lifewise Academy, an outsized Christian nationalist provider for Released Time Religious Instruction where children are removed from a public school, in the middle of the day, and transported off campus to be indoctrinated in Christian beliefs. The film simply lies about history and claims to be a solution to children who have emotional problems using volunteers barely vetted for the program and who have no professional training in child behavior. The film also claims that the Holy Bible is the linchpin of human civilization. Several historical inaccuracies presented in the documentary, such as the portrayal of public schools' origins and the impact of significant Supreme Court rulings on religious instruction in schools, oversimplifies the complex history of education in America and suggests that the rise of secularism was the primary driver behind the supposed removal of the Bible from the classroom. We highlight landmark cases, including McCollum v. Board of Education and Zorach v. Clausen, that illustrate the delicate balance between religious freedom and the necessity for inclusive public…
Topics covered
- documentary
- Christian nationalism
- public education
- religious instruction
- historical inaccuracies
Keywords
- Lifewise Academy
- Released Time Religious Instruction
- emotional problems
- historical inaccuracies
- Supreme Court rulings
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Off School Property, Bible
Places: America
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