Posted on 08/16/2009 10:37:37 PM PDT by kingattax
WHITEHOUSE, TX (KLTV) - The school year is almost here, and if literature of the Bible is not already offered in your child's school, it will be this fall.
Books are a common sight in classrooms around the nation, but the Bible is one book that is not. Come this fall, a Texas law says all public schools must offer information relating to the Bible in their curriculum.
"By the end of the year, what they begin to realize is that it is pervasive. You can't get away from it. The kids came back and were like 'It's everywhere,'" said John Keeling, the social studies chair at Whitehouse High School. Whitehouse already offers a Bible elective. "The purpose of a course like this isn't even really to get kids to believe it per say. It is just to appreciate the profound impact that it has had on our history and on our government," said Keeling.
The law actually passed in 2007, but this will be the first school year it is enforced because the bill says, "The provisions of this act pertaining to a school district do not take effect until the 2009-2010 school year."
This has gained mixed reactions from East Texans. "I think it is a good thing because a lot of kids don't have that experience, and they already want to take prayer out of school as it is-- and you see where our kids are ending up!" said Tyler resident Laura Tucker.
Tyler resident Havis Tatum disagress with Tucker. He said, "I don't want anybody teaching their religious beliefs to my child unless they want to send their child to my house and let me teach them my religious views. There is no difference."
School officials tell us schools haven't enforced this law because of confusion over the bill's wording and lack of state funding.
For now, each school district must find a way to fill the requirement before the seats are filled with students.
[confusion] What in Heaven's name does that mean? You must have misinterpreted my comment rather profoundly.
If form rather than content is what “sings to you” ... beware!
You won’t find a republican form of government represented anywhere in Scripture. It’s just isn’t there to see; I understand some people want to see it, but they have to force their vision onto the text.
I’m referring to my own memory from a lifetime (68 years) of reading. American Political Writings of the Founding Era, and many other history books I’ve read substantiate the claim that God gave the world an example of human government – that of the nation of Israel. They had a Senate, and the equivalent of a Congress, and they had a body of law, unequaled in the entire world – the facts of which were spoken and written about extensively – by many – during the Founding Era. Samuel Langdon is one I often refer to.
The written history of the formation of our Constitution tells us that the Bible was referred to and talked about during the writing of it – specifically with reference to the ‘Biblical example.’
Oh, the content sings too. :)
I meant that (in the context of the KJV's admittedly archaic language), I was raised with the KJV's language and so it is "right" to me.
I grant that the more "modern" translations are easier on the modern ear. The important thing from a religious perspective is the content; the language is only the vehicle.
Try to have a free, republican society absent moral principle and the restraint on licentious behavior that comes from sincere religion and we will see how well your experiment succeeds.
It might well look like current American society.
King James version is my favorite, too. And it is impossible to have an adult grip on western literature without knowing your Bible.
I’ll admit it is impossible to have an adult grip on middle eastern literature, what there is of it, with knowing the Koran, as well.
I just don’t happen to WANT to delve into middle eastern lit.
The Bible has been and remains the number one best seller of all time, year after year. To ignore it, even as a work of literature, would be a crime, IMHO. I don't see how you can ignore the greatest book ever written just because you don't want to follow it's precepts. No one is saying it's true, they are just recognizing it's importance on civilization. They teach the Koran in school right now, but as far as I know, they haven't said you must believe one line in it or you will have your head removed. One can read the Bible and not be converted. There are many lies and half truths out there from ignorance, not from true belief. If one is going to argue for or against the Bible, one should have at least read it and been taught by a qualified teacher.
One of the biggest lies in today's culture today is our country wasn't founded by Christians. History can only be taught correctly by realizing the Pilgrims were Christians, the Puritans were Christians, and many other faiths that crossed the Atlantic were fleeing persecution of their faith. Every colony, every village, was Christian to the core in all their writings. To deny that is just outrageous. Wouldn't it be nice to at least read the document our founders cherished?
As a child, we had prayer every morning at my school and many of us looked out the window, threw spitballs, and bothered our neighbor while it was going on. No one was forced to "convert" to have prayer every morning, but we knew our forefathers felt Christianity was essential for citizenship in America. I was born again at age 43, but that was my personal relationship with God and had nothing to do with being "converted" at school. Reading the Koran wouldn't convert me to Islam and certainly reading the Bible doesn't force anything on anybody other than rounding out your American education.
dayglored, I believe our separation of powers is drawn from the Presbyterian form of church government. Sorry, I have no cites. I am just well aware of Presbyterian and American government and they are very similar.
“You won’t find a republican form of government represented anywhere in Scripture. It’s just isn’t there to see; I understand some people want to see it, but they have to force their vision onto the text.”
I’ll disagree there. In the NT, the people were to elect qualified men from among themselves. These men (called elders or bishops) handled the day to day issues of the church. They met in local councils and councils that covered the entire church. There was no pure democracy, but a representative government based upon a rule of law.
Very similar to our representative government, rule of law, and our courts of appeal.
No offense meant to whom the Authorized Version is their familiar bible from childhood. I do agree that any Christian who can read should have one or more “good” translations to refer to. The translation philosophy of the New American Standard, for example, although it produces wooden text a lot of the time, can be counted on for accuracy by a modern reader. The AV and Shakespeare are so beautiful to English literary mavens largely because they shaped that very language.
Thanks Marie2. I admit to having very little knowledge of the Presbyterian polity, so I looked at the Wikipedia page on Presbyterian church governance and to be honest I don't think I can read and absorb it all, starting at 3AM tonight. But I am very intrigued by your comment and thank you for this lead, which I'll follow this week.
That is an excellent point!
There are schools all over the US that have our American kids learning role playing of the Muslim religions, and students in many American schools learning Satanist Doctrine and every other religion of the world, but you mention the Bible(the Word of God—any translation) and they freak out!!! They can pray to Mohammed, but God...forget it!!! Why is all that okay?
Absolutely true!
With that, I must bow out and get some sleep... see y'all tomorrow!
Well, if you ask me, it's not okay.
There's much that is missing, and much that is superfluous, in current public school curricula.
I must beg off, sorry; I'm up way past my bedtime. I'll try to rejoin tomorrow night if the thread is still active...
Wonder why society has DEVO'ed?
We took the pledge, ten commandments, and citizenship out of the classrooms, and let the kids listen to the Brown Shirt Media.
What do you expect? Mozart?
Hide your children! < /sarc>
“...to read the originals (or what passes for them),..”
What do you mean, ‘or what passes for them’?
fta... “ Whitehouse already offers a Bible elective. “The purpose of a course like this isn’t even really to get kids to believe it per say. It is just to appreciate the profound impact that it has had on our history and on our government,” said Keeling.”
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