Should the Bible be taught in public schools?

Similar Questions: Bible taught public schools Recent Questions About: Bible taught public schools.

I would have no problem with this, but others would The Bible is the single most important literary book in the West, and it's virtually impossible to have a good grasp of literature without at least a basic understanding of the major themes and happenings in the Bible. So its study is essential in my opinion. However, I can easily imagine controversy erupting when a teacher begins equating what is portrayed in the Bible with very similar events portrayed in Greek mythology, for example.

The probability of offense is just too high and people are unable to take a step back and view the Bible dispassionately. So though it is an essential item of study, I can't imagine the community standards anywhere in America would allow its study in a public school. Sources: My Opinion .

That's a hard one to answer I'm a strong believer in the separation of church and state, but the Bible has had an undeniable, huge influence on Western culture, and if (and only if! ) it can be taught objectively, without a particular religious slant, it could be a good idea. There are so many aspects of literature, art, and history, that are hard to appreciate fully unless one has a strong knowledge of the Bible.

I'm sure one reason it is not taught more is that educators are loath to get into battles with parents who feel strongly about their own religious convictions. It's treading on something that is very personal to a lot of people, and therefore very dangerous territory. It's much easier to avoid the subject completely.

Perhaps it is best left to the college classroom. If so, I think educators should work harder to recommend it to students. I took a class in the Bible as literature in college and found it very helpful to future studies, and very meaningful.

Sources: personal opinion .

Absoultely not...at least not a class on "the bible"...a class on world religions, yes, a class on the bible, No way! As a person who is not sure what the answers to the big questions are, I think it’s arrogant and ignorant to assume that just because you workship in one way, that everyone should do the same. Faith is a highly personal matter, unlike factual information which can be standardized for general consumption.

I don’t see any problem with having a course in high school that would discuss various recognized religions of the world, what they believe, what cultures believe in them, and how it affects those societies...cultural diversity is a good thing, and I think our schools need to make a better effort to get people to understand each other. But teaching "the Bible" implies there’s one Bible that should be taught, and no matter how deeply held your faith may be, it is faith in a belief, but it is not proven fact....faith does not require proof, and that is fine, but in school we need to teach things that are indisputable, and when we discuss ideas, we need to make sure we're discussing more than one "widely accepted" idea. If you’re a Christian, and you realize that most of the people around you believe as you do (more or less), it’s appealing to dismiss everything else as a fringe opinion, and to say that we should teach what is accepted by our society, but the problem is, the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc. all have their own societies which generally believe as they do, and we can’t just pick one, because what (besides faith) gives anyone such clarity that theirs is the one true religion?

Teaching one religion to the exclusion of others legitimizes that religion and moves the others to the fringes. One objective way of looking at it is that even the most popular religion in the world has more people worldwide who don’t believe in it than who do. Unless we find a way to prove the tenets of a particular religion, or manage to produce someone who has witnessed the dawn of man firsthand, we have to do something that humans just don’t in general seem to be able to do...we have to admit we don’t know, and we’re all just latching onto the answer that feels right to us.

To teach one religion in school as fact would simply serve to further divide our society and would lead those who were "right" evidenced by the fact that it was their faith that was taught in schools, to persecute those whose ideas were not so legitimized. But in order for people to understand each other, it's important to understand where they come from, so yes, it would be just fine to have a course on systems of belief which would cover the most popular religions throughout history, and which would also talk about other beliefs, including belief in no religion. Religious instruction is for private religious schools, churches, Sunday schools and families, it has no place in a public education system run by a government which is supposed to have a separation of church and state (which yes, is a joke...but we’ll never walk the walk if we allow things like religious education in public institutions).

I know that's not your question specifically, but I do think that a course in simply the history of one religious text would be tantamount to the teaching of that text, as no alternatives would be provided. An overview of belief systems however would allow people to make their own decisions rather than just relying on what their parents and church and society have told them. There's no incentive within most religions to keep an open mind as to other religions...schools should teach in a way that makes people aware of all the possibilities when they exist, and which also teach the known laws of the world, and beyond that , no particular point of view should ever be taken or even suggested.

While everyone has religious beliefs (or non-religious beliefs) it remains a fact that the Bible is a foundational element in western culture. Teaching the Bible as an historically important document is fine. Allow the kids to take truth or leave it - don't test on beleiveing the content, but rather on the knowledge of the contents... just like any other historical work.

While Americans treasure the separation of church and state, failing or refusing to tecah anything about religion is just a way to make kids ignornat, not a way to make them free. Knowledge is power; ignornace sucks.

Absolutely. It contains much of our cultural history, after all. It's important for people to get an idea of how we got where we are today, to have a sense of history, our myths and legends, how people have tried to explain this old world and our place in it, and how we tried to find causes for natural phenomena before the rise of the scientific method.

Some of it is pretty good literature, very poetic, and very deep. It needs to be studied. And besides, it represents the best efforts of people who went before to touch the lives of those who came after them--us!

I'm afraid that teaching the Bible as history, though, would give apoplexy to the literalists among us. Don't you think? .

I didn't realize the category existed. " "Do you believe there is a "re-segregation" in our public schools? " "Spiritually speaking, there doesn't seem to be a lot of activity in the Religion & Spirituality section, does there?

" "What subject, not taught now (besides your religion), would you like to see taught in public schools? " "Are you as confused as I am about the Bible and religion altogether? " "Which is better homeschooling or public schools?

" "If the teaching of religion is banned in public schools, why do schools have 'prayer vigils' after a tragedy? " "Is grammar still important to be taught in schools? " "Religion & Spirituality" "Should we shut down the public schools?

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.