Georgia approves bible as textbook

[faith 0]

ATLANTA, March 28 — Georgia is about to become the first state to approve the use of the Bible as a textbook in public schools.

On Monday, the State Senate passed a bill providing money to high schools that offer elective classes in the Bible, and setting specific guidelines for those classes. The bill was approved by Georgia's House of Representatives last week.

Gov. Sonny Perdue is expected to sign the law.

The bill creates two courses, the History and Literature of the Old Testament Era and the History and Literature of the New Testament Era, that can be offered as electives. It gives the state's Department of Education a year to approve the curriculum, but it requires that the Bible itself, not a textbook, be the core material used. Supplementary materials can also be used.

Other state school systems offer classes in the Bible, but Georgia's law would be the first to require that the Bible be the core text. Legislators in Alabama and Missouri are considering similar measures.

With the enactment of the law, public schools in Georgia will be pushed, once again, into grappling with whether or how ideas tied to religion can be introduced into classrooms without violating the separation of church and state.

This is familiar legal territory in a state that is a center of religious conservatism. Last year, a federal judge ordered a Georgia school district to remove stickers from science textbooks that called evolution into question.

Tommie Williams, the Georgia Senate majority leader and sponsor of the bill, said the law was intended to encourage an understanding of the Bible's myriad cultural influences.

"Kids are illiterate of the Bible," Mr. Williams said. "They don't understand the text and how it affects government or history. If we're teaching a kid what the Good Samaritan law was about, they wouldn't know."

But state educators are questioning what kind of impact the bill will have, because religion classes have not proved particularly popular in public schools.

Merchuria Chase Williams, president of the Georgia Association of Educators, said that her organization had taken no official position on the bill, but that behind-the-scenes talk made it seem unlikely that many teachers would rush to offer the class.

"A lot of our teachers are saying 'I wouldn't teach it because it would put me in a perilous position,' " she said. "We've been trained that you separate religion from state."

The closest thing to a Bible-as-literature class Georgia schools now offer is an elective in comparative religion, and Education Department officials said it is not in great demand. Only 800 students out of 400,000 in state high schools signed up for the class last year, they said.

Dana Tofig, a spokesman for the department, said the agency had always been open to schools teaching the Bible as a work of literature.

"Nobody has come to us requesting it," Mr. Tofig said.

The new bill requires that the Bible classes be taught "in an objective and nondevotional manner." Still, some legal scholars in the state wonder whether the law, if enacted, would survive constitutional scrutiny.

For example, Frances Paterson, an associate professor at Valdosta State University, in southern Georgia, who specializes in religion and public education, said that she thought the bill was a thinly veiled effort to teach Christian beliefs in public schools, and that it would ultimately wind up being challenged in court.

"I think it might be a little constitutionally infirm," Professor Paterson said. "The mandating of the Bible as the primary textbook is somewhat suspect, in my opinion."

The Christian Coalition of Georgia has strongly supported the legislation. The group's chairwoman, Sadie Fields, said the courses were "another way to help students think critically."

State Senator Williams disputed predictions of the classes' popularity among Georgia students.

"Where it's been taught, it's my understanding it's a very popular course," he said. "It's a very interesting book, by the way."

Source

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

When do we start burning the the rest of the books?

[I'm Gone 60]

ATLANTA, March 28 — Georgia is about to become the first state to approve the use of the Bible as a textbook in public schools.

On Monday, the State Senate passed a bill providing money to high schools that offer elective classes in the Bible, and setting specific guidelines for those classes.

And your point is?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

...religion classes have not proved particularly popular in public schools.

No duh. Religion classes, even comparative religion classes, are crazy boring. I'd rather poke myself in the eye with a toothpick than sit through another one of those!

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Arijit, you have to remember that the student body is an extremely wide market.

And these are electives--which means if anyone gets disappointed within 30 days, they can drop (no refund, but grade is only "W" rather than "F"). Plus it makes sense to use the most relevant source (as the courses ARE specifically Bible-related, ergo the core text SHOULD be the Bible).

[Jenn! 918]

And these are electives--which means if anyone gets disappointed within 30 days, they can drop (no refund, but grade is only "W" rather than "F").

I don't quite understand what you mean. This is proposed for public highschools, not university.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

And these are electives--which means if anyone gets disappointed within 30 days, they can drop (no refund, but grade is only "W" rather than "F").

I don't quite understand what you mean. This is proposed for public highschools, not university.

Right.

[pedroh 21]

well.. I think it'd depend on how the class is gonna be taught..

if it's taugh from an strict historical context, and how does the laws affected and are basis for our modern laws, or kinda like history channel documentaries on the bible.. then I think it's fine.. the Bible is indeed a very interesting book..

but if the class is 'and remember how Jesus Christ our savior helped us, and is calling sinners to repent' and all that #######.. then, I dont see the point

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

well.. I think it'd depend on how the class is gonna be taught..

if it's taugh from an strict historical context, and how does the laws affected and are basis for our modern laws, or kinda like history channel documentaries on the bible.. then I think it's fine.. the Bible is indeed a very interesting book..

but if the class is 'and remember how Jesus Christ our savior helped us, and is calling sinners to repent' and all that #######.. then, I dont see the point

Pedro,

Well said. There certainly is value in teaching the Bible from a historical perspective.

However, if that was the intent, do you really think the Bible itself would be the central text? I think not.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

And these are electives--which means if anyone gets disappointed within 30 days, they can drop (no refund, but grade is only "W" rather than "F").

I don't quite understand what you mean. This is proposed for public highschools, not university.

Oops, forgot about that. But high schools (I have seen it in Canada) do allow withdrawal from courses.

[ChristinaM 0]

I have to admit that I don't feel any unease about it as an elective class, or with the use of the Bible as the core text for the class. Obviously the method of teaching needs to be monitored to ensure that it doesn't become a haven for religious zealots, but that could be said of any religios education curriculum. I think it's a shame that they couldn't broaden the scope of the comparative religion course to cover it more, but if they feel there is a demand for it then all well and good.

What does concern me is the possibilty of it being the start of a slippery slope towards abolishing the separation between Church and State - which I feel is VERY important, particularly as we live in an increasingly religiously diverse world where faith is becoming a flashpoint for conflict.

[Jenn! 918]

well.. I think it'd depend on how the class is gonna be taught..

if it's taugh from an strict historical context, and how does the laws affected and are basis for our modern laws, or kinda like history channel documentaries on the bible.. then I think it's fine.. the Bible is indeed a very interesting book..

but if the class is 'and remember how Jesus Christ our savior helped us, and is calling sinners to repent' and all that #######.. then, I dont see the point

Pedro,

Well said. There certainly is value in teaching the Bible from a historical perspective.

However, if that was the intent, do you really think the Bible itself would be the central text? I think not.

I disagree. I took religion courses in High school and university with the Bible as the central text, and the courses were taught from a purely historical and/or literary perspective. I found the courses quite interesting, and if anything, they actually opened my eyes to the many contradictions and misconceptions that come from the Bible.

[pedroh 21]

well the main problem depends on the translations.. would they use king james or roman catholic bibles? there are different books.. also there are different translations for the king james one.. there's a 100% literal translation (the one neo-calvinists use, yes.. another fancy term lol).. and the normal one.. although the Bible would be interesting for linguistics.. and how the different translations evolved and their meaning..

and also some books were basis to different laws i think.. i kinda find some similarities between lex romana and leviticus for example..

[faith 0]

You can't withdraw from a high school class even if it is an elective. It all counts to your GPA. So if you fail, you are screwing yourself on your college chances.

My point here is that this is a direct violation of separation of church and state. The state leaders are all concerned that they are going to lose their federal funding now because of this. As they very well should. There is a lot at stake here if the governor signs this into law.

[almaty 19]

i georgia, it will not be the roman catholic version...