We take a close look at the infomercial/documentary titled "Off-School Property," produced by LifeWise Academy, which claims to present a solution around the separation of church and state in education to have kids learn the Holy Bible. Released in over 700 theaters, this film promotes LifeWise Academy's approach to religious education during public school hours by manipulating facts and narratives to bolster their claims.
LifeWise boasts approximately $35 million in donations yet the organization struggles with uneven enrollment figures across various regions. Their film aims to mask such challenges with slick production value and emotionally charged testimonials, thus creating a facade of widespread acceptance and appeal.
We dissect a few key segments from the film, which employs a narrative structure that presents a problem — public school neutrality regarding religion — and follows up with the purported solution offered by LifeWise. Through the use of audio clips from the film, we will highlight instances where their portrayal of facts strays far from reality.
We also touch on the film's interpretation of the secularization of public education. The documentary argues that schools’ neutral stance toward religion is inherently hostile, misrepresenting foundational legal principles surrounding the separation of church and state.
The film oversimplifies the complexities of diverse beliefs within a pluralistic society. Many families already have the option to pursue religious education through private institutions if they choose not to utilize the public school system. The film's claims fail to acknowledge that public education serves all students, regardless of their faith, thereby necessitating a neutral, non-preferential environment. Lifewise leans on the voluntary aspect of their program but their ultimate goal is to integrated with the public school like gym and art.
Subscribe to our free newsletter
Check out our Merch
Follow us on Bluesky
Find us on Twitter(for now)
Find us on Instagram
Find us on Counter Social
Find us on Mastadon
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com