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By Brenda Kay Zylstra
Posted: 9/4/07 Section: Opinion Columns
Throughout grade school and high school, in all my years of studying civics, government and U.S. History, I never once learned about the Constitution. Although it is the source document for every law, every Supreme Court decision and the very structure of our government, it can also be rather contentious and was thus deemed too explosive for the secondary school curriculum.
Of course, I am being facetious. To remove the Constitution from the education of any American child would be absurd. Its influence reaches to the depths of our culture. There is only one other document that has had a greater impact on our society, but sadly, for reasons of First Amendment misinterpretation, secular overreaction and stubborn ignorance of undeniable influence, that book has been removed from standard curriculum.
The Bible. The best-selling book of all time, the best-selling book of the year, every year. The book that found its way into countless presidential speeches, literary works, popular films and the rallying cries for civil rights. Shakespeare alone references the Bible an estimated 13,000 times. It is difficult, nearly impossible in fact, to read through the works of the Founding Fathers without coming across reference to God, the Creator or heaven. The language and values of the Bible are as deeply sewn into our national fabric as are the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It has colored our history and politics, our literature and film, our national psyche and our international reputation. To ignore the Bible's influence on our past, not to mention our present, is at best foolish, at worst, disastrous. If you doubt its relevance you either read neither books nor newspapers or you are simply lying to yourself.
And yet our citizens are woefully inadequate when it comes to knowing this text. USA Today quoted a study showing that 60 percent of Americans cannot name five of the Ten Commandments. According to the Los Angeles Times, another study found that one in 10 Americans believe Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. Our country is mimicking a joke from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," and it's a sad, pathetic sort of joke.
Of course, I am being facetious. To remove the Constitution from the education of any American child would be absurd. Its influence reaches to the depths of our culture. There is only one other document that has had a greater impact on our society, but sadly, for reasons of First Amendment misinterpretation, secular overreaction and stubborn ignorance of undeniable influence, that book has been removed from standard curriculum.
The Bible. The best-selling book of all time, the best-selling book of the year, every year. The book that found its way into countless presidential speeches, literary works, popular films and the rallying cries for civil rights. Shakespeare alone references the Bible an estimated 13,000 times. It is difficult, nearly impossible in fact, to read through the works of the Founding Fathers without coming across reference to God, the Creator or heaven. The language and values of the Bible are as deeply sewn into our national fabric as are the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It has colored our history and politics, our literature and film, our national psyche and our international reputation. To ignore the Bible's influence on our past, not to mention our present, is at best foolish, at worst, disastrous. If you doubt its relevance you either read neither books nor newspapers or you are simply lying to yourself.
And yet our citizens are woefully inadequate when it comes to knowing this text. USA Today quoted a study showing that 60 percent of Americans cannot name five of the Ten Commandments. According to the Los Angeles Times, another study found that one in 10 Americans believe Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. Our country is mimicking a joke from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," and it's a sad, pathetic sort of joke.
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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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