child becomes an adult and is responsible for his or her own actions. A proper education, then, includes learning to think clearly, to look at the world from a spiritual point of view, to understand the difference between right and wrong, and to practice good spiritual habits. Childhood Innocence One of the primary goals of New Church education is to maintain the innocence belonging to childhood for as long as possible (See "State of mind at birth" above). Different than naiveté, the New Church idea of "innocence" refers to a state of mind free from sin because of a willingness to be led by the Lord. One can be quite knowledgeable about the world and still be willing to be led. Specifically, childhood is a time of "innocence of ignorance," that is, children are free from sin because they do not yet fully understand the difference between good and evil and cannot accurately see the future consequence of their choices. Even though children do things that would be considered evil and sinful if done by an adult, they are not yet held accountable because they cannot yet knowingly commit sin—not fully understanding what sin is. Because children are innocent and thus willing to be led, they are most open to learning the difference between right and wrong and practicing that understanding into lifelong habits. New Church education, then, intends to provide formal instruction in academic subjects in a way that also explains, demonstrates, and provides and opportunity to practice those differences between right and wrong. School as Extension of the Home Proponents of New Church Education believe that consistent messages from home, church, and school—three of the most influentional institutions in a child's life—as to what constitutes good and evil is the most effective way to reduce the impact of conflicting messages from other sources. This consistency of message is to support the establishment of good habits that provide a solid foundation for the work of regeneration in adulthood, when the innocence of ignorance necessarily fades into spiritual struggles to do what is good and shun what is evil. The school is said to "extend" the home because the values taught at school and upon which the school is founded should duplicate the values held and taught by the families who send their children to become students. Schools should not impose values on the home, but should reinforce the values