Should the Bible be Taught In The Public School?

The teaching of the Bible could be coming to a school near you! That's right, 1000 schools in 35 states have incorporated a Bible curriculum as part of a well rounded education. From that stand point it only makes sense. Regardless your faith--or non-faith persuasion--you cannot deny the monumental role the Bible has played in shaping this nation's past, and present.

I just finished reading 1776 by David McCullogh and John Adams, for which he won the Pulitzer. The influence of the Bible on our formation of government cannot be overstated when one realizes that 94% of the documents that shaped this country were based on the Bible and much of the greatest art, literature, and music of all time were informed by a knowledge of the Biblical record. Forgetting religion, one cannot truly be considered educated if they are ignorant of this piece of literature.

But lest you think that is some kind of covert sales pitch I assure you it is not for I am opposed to the Bible being taught in the public schools--at least in the current epoch of our secularized culture.

You see the Bible is too special a book to be put into the hands of just anyone with, who- knows-what sort of duplicitous motives. I would prefer the Bible is not taught at all than to be taught with the anti-supernatural, anti-religion axe to grind that often attends any attempt to teach the Bible purely as literature.

That being said, I strongly disagree with the person who wrote the paper saying he didn't want anyone to have to be subjected to--"Your beliefs and superstitions [which] are not necessarily shared by others..."

The problem with the sentiment is that if applied consistently, public education would have to jettison its commitment to their own superstitions and beliefs with respect to a host of non-scientific dogma in the realms of the social sciences, psychology, the environment and of course, their crowning glory called Darwinian evolution.

No, every person is diminished by not having at least a basic understanding of the most influential book of all time. Leaving it out of public education is to the detriment of our culture but under the circumstances, it must be so for now.