Hippies were rude, dirty, Satan worshipers, according to a paragraph that apparently appears in a Louisiana state-funded school’s history book.
The book, entitled “America: Land I love” is an eighth-grade history textbook that Mother Jones reports is used in at least one Louisiana voucher school. The textbook is published through Pensacola, Fla.-based A Beka Book.
According to an image obtained at AmericaBlog.com, the passage on hippies paints a stark, unflattering image: “They went to Canada or European countries to escape being drafted into military services. Many young people turned to drugs and immoral lifestyles; these youth became known as hippies. They went without bathing, wore dirty, ragged, unconventional clothing, and deliberately broke all codes of politeness or manners. Rock music played an important part in the hippie movement and had great influence over the hippies. Many of the rock musicians they followed belonged to Eastern religious cults or practiced Satan worship.”
In the fall of 2012, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal implemented a program to allow thousands of poor and middle class students across the state to obtain “vouchers” to cover the full cost of tuition at more than 120 private schools in the state. Some of these schools are small, Bible-based church schools, Reuters reported.
And at least a handful of these schools publish their textbooks through Bob Jones University Press, a “Christ-centered resource for education, edification, and evangelism,” according to bjupress.com. The publishing company claims to “seamlessly integrate” biblical truth with academic excellence as a means of educating students.
Other books published by the Bob Jones University Press include “United States History for Christian Schools” and “Life Science.” Claims made in these books include: “The Ku Klux Klan was a force of good,” “Majority of slaves in the south were treated well,” “Dinosaurs and humans lived side by side,” and “Fire-breathing dragons may actually have existed.”
Correction: This story has been updated to specify that “America: Land I Love” is published by A Beka Book, not BJU Press.