TIME Mag Cover: Should the Bible be Taught in Public Schools?
 

quote:
The cover story of this week?s TIME magazine asks the question, ?Should the Holy Book be on the public-school menu?? Surprisingly, the answer given is, ?Yes.? As an avid TIME reader, I was quite taken aback to find a positive case for the teaching of Scripture in public schools.

According to David Van Biema, TIME?s senior religion writer, the teaching of the Bible in public schools is growing considerably. 60% of Americans are in favor of having the Bible taught as an object of study in public schools. Last year Georgia became the first state to offer money for Old and New Testament classes where the Bible is used as the primary text. The two largest producers of Bible curriculum for public schools report that there are 460 public school districts in 37 states that use their materials.

In this article I am going to summarize the positive case made by TIME, and then offer some critical reflection.


The Case for Teaching the Bible in Public Schools according to TIME

1. Teaching the Bible in public schools is constitutional. In the 1963 Supreme Court decision, Abington Township School District v. Schempp, the majority opinion concluded, ?Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistently with the First Ammendment.?
2. Biblical literacy is shockingly low. Only one in two adults know the title of even one Gospel, and most can?t name the first book of the Bible, Genesis. George Gallup dubbed Americans, ?a nation of biblical illiterates.?
3. The Bible is the most influential book ever written. The Bible has done more to shape literature, history, entertainment, and culture than any book ever written. Its influence on world history is unparalleled, and shows no signs of abating. Even pop culture is deeply influenced by the Bible.





source: http://www.worldviewweekend.com/ ~Sean McDowell

Let the hate and fighting begin.

I feel like burning a bible.

in the article it states a loophole is to teach the bible as literature.

fuck the bible.

Interesting that Time has joined the ranks of magazines catering to the lower intelligence (or so they think) of the US readers compared to the rest of the world - everyone else in the world gets to see a cover story about

"The Truth About Talibanistan," about the resurgence of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan (and also, Pakistan), and how it's "the next battleground of the war on terrorism"

Same thing Newsweek is doing with their dumbing down stories for US readers

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eat-th...n_e_44218.html

Optional. I wouldn't want it being rammed into my kids head by someone with an agenda. But if the jesus freaks want it for their kids it could be a choice.

Ideally though separation of church & state without the hypocrisy from the far right.

if it was optional then i would approve of it but at the same time i think it should be something that doesn't focus just on the bible but covers all religions.

raise your kids not to be sheep. who cares if they study the bible in school? it is a fascinating piece of literature.

As long as it is 100% optional I don't care. But at the same time if they have the Bible as an option they also need to have the Qur'an, the Tao-te-ching, the Veda, and other holy books as options as well.

Perhaps as part of an optional history/philosophy/religion/literature course. It shouldn't be mandatory - I think there are more practical subjects that should be taught.

I've never taken a course on religion, but I'm almost certain they offer courses in all kinds of religions in university. They don't teach it as the word of God but as historical pieces of literature. Religions are no less important than politics and techonology in the history of humankind.

I think its a bad thing it goes down a path, that the framers didnt want this nation to go.

i don't think there should be a bible class per say.
but i'm open to there being a religious studies class that has equal representation from a bunch of religions and is an actual study and not a push in the direction of one particular religion.

What exactly do you mean?

if your only teaching the bible its like getting ready for a government religion. Bad move.

I think you guys are vastly outnumbered in America, 90% of American believe in God.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17879317/site/newsweek/

:1orglaugh

One very good reason why these nutcases should not be listened to.

That is why we have the bill of rights. To protect the minority.

You shouldnt listen to 90%+ of the country?

90% of the country said not to go after hitler

Haha I know alot of the country didnt want to go after Hitler, Pearl Harbor kinda changed that. I DOUBT it was 90% tho, I sure would like to see your source on that claim. :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

No, the 50% who don't believe in evolution.

They are gallup polls taken pre-ww2 I will find some links with them. I saw them on both CNN and MSNBC

Hell no! If you want your kid to learn about religion send them to a religious school. Plenty of catholic schools around here and you don't have to pay or anything to send them to one.

agreed. vouchers are needed.

You are so jealous of their power. :1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

Science: The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena.

Religion: A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

You would be surprised just how similar they are, why should they not both have equal attention in public schools?

No, I'm appalled by their idiocy. :1orglaugh

Those definitions don't sound alike at all. If you want view creationism as a science, well I just don't get that. Maybe touching on it as a theory but entire classes based around religion don't have a place in education at all in my opinion. Isn't that why people go to church/sunday school?

Who is more idiotic, the guy who is owned by idiot masters, or the masters who are the idiots?

Science is THEORY.

Theory: A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.

You are simply TAUGHT to believe that it is "FACT" when in fact much of science is not entirely accurate and changes all the time.

Public school should teach the full spectrum of human knowledge, and that includes religion.

Yes, science is a theory but with religion there is nothing "widely tested". Just a questionable book. If religion was looked at objectively, I might have a different opinion.

So you have no problem with them teaching the koran in public school?

I'm not owned by anyone, least of all those mindless drones.

Certainly religion can "generically" explain lots of phenomenon, I am not saying logically that I believe it is accurate over science BUT like I said before the WHOLE SPECTRUM of HUMAN KNOWLEDGE should be taught to our children in public school. You seem to think religion is just "the bible and christianity" when there are thousands of religions that have helped and harmed our civilization over the years. To not pass this information down to our children is selective historical revisionism.

Not at all! I think ALL religions should be at least generally explored by all young people. That doesnt mean "FOLLOW" the religions it means study them, there are GOOD things that come from many religions such as teachings of tolerance and peace, you seem to focus only on the bad things from religion. Science has its bad side too buddy, nuclear technology used for warfare for one. Look I will intellectually destroy you on this subject so I dont want to get to deep, I hope you can comprehend what I have written.

That would be 90% of the people who were polled - of which 82% were Christians and another 8% of other religions
Doesnt say how that compares to the real breakdown of the total US citizenry - since Im pretty sure that the total population has more than 2% jews

You couldn't intellectually destroy anyone Splum, except maybe a kid with Down's Syndrome.

Frankly, theology is university level stuff and it is pointless teaching it at high school when they should be focussed on literacy and other basic skills. Waste of time.

Holy shit, I actually agree with something that Splum said.

Why shouldn't we teach religion in school (as a part of history and literature)? We teach the beliefs of ancient Egyptians, the Greek Gods, etc. So why would such teachings of Christianity, Islam, and others be exempt? As long as it is taught with no bias, I fail to see how teaching our children where we came from, why we act certain ways, and so on.

This goes beyond religious crap too. We need to stop being so politically correct in our teaching. Do you know some high schools are not allowed to teach "Catcher in the Rye" and other classics? Lets teach our kids about life and what goes on in it instead of coddling them to be failures in the world.