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By Brenda Kay Zylstra
Posted: 9/5/07 Section: Opinion Columns
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At first glance, many disparage the use of the Bible in public school as an affront to the First Amendment. But educating our youth on the world's most influential book is a far cry from establishing Christianity as a national religion. The true intention of the Framers concerning religion was to build a government, not separate from nor neutral toward, but tolerant of and encouraging toward any and all religious belief.
Some cite the Supreme Court's 1963 landmark decision, Abington Township School District v. Schempp, which held that mandatory prayer and scripture reading were unconstitutional. However, in the decision for that very same case, Justice William Brennan wrote, "the holding of the Court today plainly does not foreclose teaching about the Holy Scriptures." Fifteen years prior in McCollum v. Board of Education, Justice Robert Jackson wrote that "a course in English literature that omitted the Bible ... would be pretty barren."
With the current civic environment being so sensitive to the mixing and mingling of religion and government, some fear the power that a Bible-including curriculum would have to offend. This must be addressed with a firm "teach don't preach" approach to the topic. I would never ask for history class to include an alter call, but when students read King's "I Have a Dream" speech, they should know that when he speaks of "justice (that) rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream," he is invoking, nearly verbatim, the Old Testament prophet Amos.
It is not an exaggeration to call the Bible the most influential book of all time. Ignoring it in our schools will not diminish this influence, but it will diminish our understanding of where we come from and where we are going.
Some cite the Supreme Court's 1963 landmark decision, Abington Township School District v. Schempp, which held that mandatory prayer and scripture reading were unconstitutional. However, in the decision for that very same case, Justice William Brennan wrote, "the holding of the Court today plainly does not foreclose teaching about the Holy Scriptures." Fifteen years prior in McCollum v. Board of Education, Justice Robert Jackson wrote that "a course in English literature that omitted the Bible ... would be pretty barren."
With the current civic environment being so sensitive to the mixing and mingling of religion and government, some fear the power that a Bible-including curriculum would have to offend. This must be addressed with a firm "teach don't preach" approach to the topic. I would never ask for history class to include an alter call, but when students read King's "I Have a Dream" speech, they should know that when he speaks of "justice (that) rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream," he is invoking, nearly verbatim, the Old Testament prophet Amos.
It is not an exaggeration to call the Bible the most influential book of all time. Ignoring it in our schools will not diminish this influence, but it will diminish our understanding of where we come from and where we are going.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 5
Brian
posted 9/05/07 @ 2:53 AM CST
What you missed in this article was the framers' intent to keep religion seperate from any and all government institutions because to link the two would encourage the same sort of church & government scandals which had occurred in England. (Continued…)
Public schooler
posted 9/05/07 @ 1:27 PM CST
Be careful what you ask for ... you might get it.
The Bible is taught today in all sorts of churches across the country by Bible study teachers. They teach the Bible as a guidebook to the Christian faith, not as a piece of literature to be read, analyzed, and yes,. (Continued…)
Steven
posted 9/08/07 @ 11:03 AM CST
Brenda:
Nice work as usual. I notice that your main detractor completely avoided the thrust of your argument--that the Bible is hugely influential and therefore should be studied. (Continued…)
Drew
Drew
posted 10/13/07 @ 5:24 PM CST
Steven:
I don't think the main detractor missed that point at all. I think he simply brought up a separate and important point. I wonder if you disagree with that point-- that if the Bible were reintroduced as a mandatory element in the school curriculum, based on its cultural influence, that in many places it would be treated as a widely influential work of fiction, or at the very least, a work that is not to be regarded as nonfiction or as an accurate historical text. (Continued…)
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