Former U.S. Housing Secretary Ben Carson Warns of “Religious Erasure” in American History Education

Former U.S. Housing Secretary Ben Carson warned Friday that Americans should be alarmed by what he described as a growing effort to erase the nation’s religious foundations from classrooms and public discourse, stating children are receiving an incomplete account of U.S. history.

In an interview with Greta Van Susteren, Carson responded to a new report commissioned by children’s publisher Brave Books alleging that public libraries and publishers are censoring faith from America’s history.

“Looking at the direction of the country, it should concern everybody,” Carson said. “They should be asking, What’s happening to our country? Why are we falling apart? Why are we fighting each other so vigorously?”

The former Republican presidential candidate emphasized that U.S. founding principles distinguished the nation from others because the Declaration of Independence states individual rights come from “our creator and not from government.”

“That was a radical departure from any other governance structure that ever existed,” Carson added, questioning whether the country’s rise to global prominence was coincidental or the result of “Judeo-Christian values.”

Carson stated many students are being taught what he called a distorted version of American history, focusing primarily on failures such as slavery, the treatment of Native Americans, and immigration.

“They’re being taught that America is an evil place,” he said. “They don’t go away with a good, warm feeling. And those are not people who are going to become patriotic Americans.”

He urged parents and others to actively shape what children learn, stressing that criticism alone is insufficient.

“We can’t just sit back and complain about it,” Carson said. “We have to get in there and join the fight.”

The speaker also invoked a quote attributed to Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin: “Give me your children to teach for four years, and the seeds that I sowed will never be uprooted.”

Carson argued that traditional values supporters should similarly work to influence the next generation. “We need to be in there sowing seeds also and helping to realize who we are,” he said.

Carson clarified he was not advocating for ignoring difficult chapters of American history but for presenting a more balanced account. “I’m not talking about whitewashing anything,” he added. “We need to teach our children the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

“There’s a heck of a lot more good than there is bad and ugly,” Carson said. “It’s not fair the way the other side presents us.”