A South Carolina candidate for lieutenant governor thinks Christian parents should pull their children out of the “godless” and “pagan” public school system.

Addressing a crowd at an April 12 rally in Charleston, Republican E. Ray Moore said Christians currently face a culture war caused by the non-religious teachings of public schools.

“We cannot win this war we’re in as long as we keep handing our children over to the enemy to educate,” said Moore, after explaining that he had home-schooled his son.

He continued thus: “It cannot be fixed, the socialistic model, and we need to abandon that. As conservatives and Christians, if you think you’re going to win this war you’re in, and leave your children in those schools, it will not happen.”

Moore previously founded a project called the Exodus Mandate, which is described on its website as a “Christian ministry to encourage and assist Christian families to leave Pharaoh’s school system (i.e. government schools) for the Promised Land of Christian schools or home schooling.”

Moore has also written about his opposition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the new education benchmarks adopted in more than 40 states, including South Carolina. The purpose of the CCSS are to promote increased rigor in schools, and to make sure students around the country are being held to the same standards.

“In CCSS are the basic tenets of a totalitarian government. The best answer for your church, family and children is to withdraw from the K-12 public schools and to utilize private, Christian schools or home schools for your children’s education,” wrote Moore on his campaign website.

At the end of his April 12 speech, Moore used Hillary Clinton as an example to demonstrate the dangers of public school. He compared her to a janissary, which was a soldier for the Ottoman Empire. According to Moore, janissaries had been Christian children who were captured by the Ottomans and trained to fight against other Christians.