Georgia May Approve Bible As Textbook

[donsu]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/27/politics/main1439663.shtml


-snip-

The Georgia legislature seems poised to endorse just such a course. Though students in many states enroll in classes related to the Bible, Georgia would become the first to require its Department of Education to put in place a curriculum to teach the history and literature of the Bible. Schools would use the book itself as the classroom textbook. Specifically the bill would establish electives on both the New and Old Testaments.

It has overwhelmingly passed both chambers, but needs a final vote on a minor House change. The vote is expected as early as Monday. If it passes, the state's Department of Education has a year to establish Bible elective courses in the curriculum.

-snip-

"This is a political issue as much as it is a religious issue," says Frances Paterson, a professor at Valdosta State University who specializes in religion and public education. "I would guess that hope that nobody is going to police this, and when people step over the line, it's going to be ignored, either because nobody's aware of it or they'd be intimidated into not objecting."

-snip-
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isn't that what Sunday School is for???

all this religious stuff is enough to make a sane person cry in frustration at such ignorance.

[NVMojo]

1. sigh ....

[Teaser]

2. If as described, this is actually ok...

The history and literature of the Bible? That's fine with me. As long as its confined to history and literature, it's an important part of western civ.

[donsu]

5. studying religion in history is one thing, studying the bible is something

else.

[Teaser]

13. no

The Bible is literature. There is no need to exclude it from study *As literature* because some people also believe it is more.

Is "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" worth studying as literature because it also espouses a philosophy (dare I say religion, pace Nietszsche).

[AllieB]

7. But you know that it won't be confined to western civ or lit

especially in school systems that teach creationism in lieu of evolution.

[Teaser]

15. True, but in principle I'm ok with it

IF it steps over the line in practice, then drop the boom.

[InfoMinister]

11. But It's Only The Bible

How about other religions? I think they should make it a whole course where you learn about all of the religions. At least then it would be a little more fair and be a little less biased. It seems to me the way I'm reading it it's going to be indoctrination of Christian beliefs.

[Teaser]

17. Sure. make as many courses as you want.

I'm cool with a "Poetry of Pure Land Buddhism" or
"Sufi Psalms and Rhythms." Go for it.

[theHandpuppet]

35. Well it's all relative isn't it?

If fundies can teach creationism as science, what they consider "history" should be interesting. Methinks their interpretation of what constitutes history will differ from what many of us would consider the subject.

[ComerPerro]

37. But it won't be.

[caledesi]

3. You are so right don.....makes me sick too and I pray every day!

Stop this theocracy!

[Horse with no Name]

4. No doubt it is just a matter of time

before it becomes "THE" textbook.

[BlooInBloo]

6. Good!

Add another state to the list of People Who Won't Compete With Me For A Job.

I hope more states follow suit. The idiocy of the slave states is gonna make the rest of us rich.

The irony, of course, is that they do it trying to GET BACK AT US.

:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:

[donsu]

10. you have a point

nt

[AllieB]

18. This is one instance where 'states rights' is biting them in the ass

but, I think it's very unfair to the kids who actually want an education.

[BlooInBloo]

23. It is unfair, but there's no law against stupid....

This IS America after all... :rofl:

And I have no problem profiting at the expense of their mean-spirited, illiterate, bigoted asses.

[Ioo]

8. If it is a class as described, an elective, Then i do not care...

As long as it is not something that students have to take, like French, then I think it is a-okay.

[donsu]

16. where do students have to take French?

and what's wrong with learning other languages?

[InfoMinister]

19. At My High School You Were Required To Take Either French or Spanish nt

[Ioo]

34. I ment that you do not have to take French... I could also learn Spanish..

[ChairmanAgnostic]

9. what gandhi said about christ sure seems appropriate today.

They are squeezing in as much crap into their 2 gallon bucket o' brains as they possibly can, knowing that it is a matter of time until reality sets in, a Democratic party wakes up and reorganizes and the common man will stand up and say, "ENOUGH OF THIS SHIT, ALREADY!"

[RBHam]

12. Well, there you go...

Theocracies are so much easier to manage.

[dogday]

14. It is not up to my child's school to teach her

any religion whatsoever.. That is for the parents to decide, not the school.. I am so sick already of the interference of the schools in our personal lives...

[jsamuel]

20. Bible in a history/literature/philosophy elective class is fine, but watch

the line... someone will step over it...

I would like to see the supreme court take a crack at this... a law on one religion?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. History & literature of the Quran? Das Kapital? Baghavad-Gita?

I'm sure the noble legislators of the great and blessed state of Gawgia would receive similar proposals with similar acclaim and eagerness.

[atommom]

22. At the same time, many schools are cutting back on subjects

other than reading and math, because of NCLB. What will have to be cut to make room for Bible classes? How is this a legitimate topic for public schools to teach, when there are so many different religions, and even so many different varieties of Christianity? And why, when there is a church with a Sunday school on every corner, should public schools reinvent the wheel and start teaching religion too?

[Horse with no Name]

27. Yes.

I would rather my children be taught Geography or World History or
how about some of the other classes that get left out because it isn't part of standardized testing.
Next thing we know, NCLB is going to have a picture of the rapture under it.

[moobu2]

24. If it’s properly described to the students

as fictional fairytale, then maybe it might be OK.

[atommom]

26. I'm sure that's what they have in mind.

:rofl: :rofl:

(I agree with you, BTW.)

[donsu]

30. yes, a fictional fairytale that is helping the bushmilhousegang

bring america to it's knees

[pepperbear]

25. I would off that this could be a blessing in disguise

for a couple of reasons:

1. say it succeeds and the Bible is only used as a tool to study history and literature. It might placate the Wingnuts. Of course, it'll have to remain an elective.

on an interesting note, I graduated HS in 1981, and my senior year, we had an english class broken up into two parts, 1 per semester. Part 1 was called THE BIBLE AS LITERATURE (granted we used supplemental texts, not the actual Bible, but we still studied the Bible....as literature.) The class was presented as way to compromise....AND THIS WAS 1981! Makes me wonder what happend in the past 25 years that wwe'd forget we already had things like this in place. I supopose it wasn't enoguh for Phyllis Schlafly and her crew.

By th e way, in semeseter 2, we read Jack Kerouac...go figure.

2. If it does lead to proseletyzing teachers, and a school administration that turns a blind eye, then it could pave the way for a court case that might solidify and make clear the role of the Church in secular public education. However, we better hope that happens fast before the balance of the court is TRULY upset.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

28. I would love to teach my understanding of their instruction manual

with all the contradictions, errors, and more. It would help to trace the problems in translation, the council of Nicea, the council of trent, etc.

[Squatch]

29. What's next? The Torah, Koran...or how about Dianetics?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

36. Cruising to class, eh? only if he promises not to jump on his desk.

[rucky]

31. I would love to teach the bible as literature.

And discuss it's historical influence in a Social Studies class.

there's no way around it: it's the most influential book in history.

of course that's not really their motivation in Georgia.

[jmowreader]

32. This is very, very bad news

If you're a fundamentalist leader, that is.

If I was running a hardcore fundie church, the last thing I'd ever want is for my flock to know what the Bible actually means--including that eeeeeeevil New Testament.

If the non-fundies somehow learn that the Jesus of the Bible isn't anything like the Jesus in Chick tracts, that the Bible says faith without works is dead (they like to quote the line about works not getting you into heaven--which is true if you're counting on works ALONE to get you in, because the main requirement to get into Christian Heaven is believing in Jesus), that getting saved isn't like a smallpox shot--something you do once and you're good for life--but it's something you have to keep up with, or that the Bible is the most convoluted book ever written, well...maybe there won't be so many fundamentalists.

Is there a way we could get this turned into a mandatory class taught by religiously-tolerant atheists?

[Bridget Burke]

33. There are "Bible study" courses out there....

But only the most conservative use "The Bible" as a text. One of the courses uses extracts from different translations to make its points. Students bring their own King James Version to class where the more conservative curriculum is studied. And that particular course has been shown to be hostile to Catholics, Jews & quite a few Protestants.