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Texas public schools required to teach Bible this year
Quote:
WHITEHOUSE, TX (KLTV) - The school year is almost here, and if literature of the Bible is not already offered in your child's school, it will be this fall.
Books are a common sight in classrooms around the nation, but the Bible is one book that is not. Come this fall, a Texas law says all public schools must offer information relating to the Bible in their curriculum.
"By the end of the year, what they begin to realize is that it is pervasive. You can't get away from it. The kids came back and were like 'It's everywhere,'" said John Keeling, the social studies chair at Whitehouse High School. Whitehouse already offers a Bible elective. "The purpose of a course like this isn't even really to get kids to believe it, per se, it is just to appreciate the profound impact that it has had on our history and on our government."
The law actually passed in 2007, but this will be the first school year it is enforced because the bill says, "The provisions of this act pertaining to a school district do not take effect until the 2009-2010 school year."
This has gained mixed reactions from East Texans.
"I think it is a good thing because a lot of kids don't have that experience, and they already want to take prayer out of school as it is, and you see where our kids are ending up!" said Tyler resident Laura Tucker.
Tyler resident, Havis Tatum, disagrees with Tucker.
"I don't want anybody teaching their religious beliefs to my child unless they want to send their child to my house and let me teach them my religious views," said Tatum. "There is no difference."
School officials said schools have not enforced the law because of confusion over the bill's wording and lack of state funding.
For now, each school district must find a way to fill the requirement before the seats are filled with students.
We would like to know what you think about this story. Click here to leave your comments and read the contents of Texas House Bill 1287.
I thought this might deserve a serious discussion. Thoughts about teaching the bible in school. According to the article, they're only teaching how the bible impacted society and whatnot, but yeah...
I suppose that it would be fine if it were purely for the purposes that they said, but it definitely should not be a required class. That would just be, as most would call it, shoving their religion down other peoples' throats.
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All of love is like racing across the frozen tundra on a snowmobile which flips over, trapping you underneath. At night, the ice-weasels come.
This isn't the first time Texas has pushed Christianity
George W Bush when governor of Texas established Jesus Day
Holy crap!
I didn't know that George W. Bush could write!
In all seriousness, though, if there is a law that requires schools to offer courses about one religious text and its significance, there should be other laws for other religious texts. In fact, it would be better to simply have one class for the significance of all such writings.
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All of love is like racing across the frozen tundra on a snowmobile which flips over, trapping you underneath. At night, the ice-weasels come.
Hey, evolution is shoved down the throats of students all around the US and nobody's making a big deal out of that. If I read the article correctly, it says "information relating to the Bible in their curriculum", meaning that merely elements of Biblical teaching are present, not completely redoing the curriculum entirely. If anything, it's diversifying the teaching currently present.
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Originally Posted by Adam Frucci
And you know what? Macs are too hip. Oh, look at me! I do graphic design! I wear women's jeans and hang out in coffee shops! I'm a DJ! Well good for you. My computer is not a fashion statement. It's a computer.
Meh the bible is a good source of teaching for morals and good vs. bad. That being said is it should be used to teach children declare it as fiction and denounce it as a religious text. I would not like my children being brought up ass backwards in a science society saying angels fly around and an invisible man solves everything. Religion is what makes the bible a crutch, religion is what makes the bible bad.
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08:13 PM <tee1000> ya
08:12 PM <Jesus> sex while stoned tee?
08:10 PM *tee1000 has an epic idea..maybe
Hey, evolution is shoved down the throats of students all around the US and nobody's making a big deal out of that.
I don't see the similarity.
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Better contraceptives will control population only if people will use them. A nuclear holocaust can be prevented only if the conditions under which nations make war can be changed. The environment will continue to deteriorate until pollution practices are abandoned. We need to make vast changes in human behavior. B.F. Skinner
Hey, evolution is shoved down the throats of students all around the US and nobody's making a big deal out of that. If I read the article correctly, it says "information relating to the Bible in their curriculum", meaning that merely elements of Biblical teaching are present, not completely redoing the curriculum entirely. If anything, it's diversifying the teaching currently present.
That's because Secular Humanism is the state religion, more or less.
As far as teaching the Bible in literature classes, the Bible has merits in that area that extend beyond the teachings. It's a historical text. Any historical, religious text should be allowed to be taught in public schools if the purpose is not to study the message, but how and why the message is delivered. The Illiad and the Odyssey are religious texts told from a historical perspective. That's no different from many, many parts of the Bible, specifically any of the historical books or the Gospels. Both of Homer's works are staples in many high school literature curriculum, but you don't see people complaining that their son or daughter is about to start worshiping Zeus. There's already a precedent here, people just ignore it because they don't want the Bible in schools. Some say "well those are just harmless fairy tales, no one would ever do that." Don't the people who object to the Bible being taught in schools consider the Bible to be a falsity, fairy tale, or collection of parables? If both are viewed as equally false, and if both have literary merit, what's the difference?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by #sos-dan
21:42 <Azu-nyan>: And no, no happying. <.<
21:42 <Azu-nyan>: fapping*
21:42 <vonPreussen>: Freudian typos xD
The Bible is an interesting thing to offer but not force. That said, I don't know that I trust something as poorly set-up as a high school faculty to be teaching it. I foresee a lot of misuse.
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"You can call me a sinner. You can call me a saint. Celebrate me for what I am; dislike me for what I ain't."
I think you guys are misunderestimating misunderstanding what this course is. They're using the Bible as a history text, not teaching the religious aspects.
We don't need no education!
We don't need no thought control,
No dark sarcasm in the classroom!
Teachers leave them kids alone,
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.
Why, if we ,like, even speak of god in my school we get a detention. And I guarantee there are some non catholics or whoever doesnt use the bible in some public school in some part of texas.
Texas public schools required to teach Bible this year
