Comments on: Texas Schools Offer an “Elective” Bible Course http://acandidworld.com/2008/08/10/texbible/ "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.... let Facts be submitted to a candid world." Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:02:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Cephus http://acandidworld.com/2008/08/10/texbible/#comment-5194 Cephus Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:50:13 +0000 http://www.acandidworld.net/?p=1253#comment-5194 The real goal here isn't just to get the Bible taught, but they're assuming that Christians in the class and their parents are going to be pushing hard to get the Bible taught as fact by browbeating teachers who, presumably, already have some religious beliefs of their own as well. Years ago when my wife was taking a class on mythology and literature, there was a fundamentalist in the class that complained long and loud every time the Bible wasn't treated like a 100% true history book, to the point of derailing the class almost every day. When it finally became clear that the professor wasn't going to cave in, the student complained to the administration and tried to get the professor fired for lying about the Bible in class. We're still trying to figure out why fundies ever get into the cultural anthropology department. These fundamentalists just want a foot in the door, then they can go to work widening the opening. They start with something that looks relatively innocuous because they know that their grass-root campaign is just waiting in the wings to strike. The real goal here isn’t just to get the Bible taught, but they’re assuming that Christians in the class and their parents are going to be pushing hard to get the Bible taught as fact by browbeating teachers who, presumably, already have some religious beliefs of their own as well.

Years ago when my wife was taking a class on mythology and literature, there was a fundamentalist in the class that complained long and loud every time the Bible wasn’t treated like a 100% true history book, to the point of derailing the class almost every day. When it finally became clear that the professor wasn’t going to cave in, the student complained to the administration and tried to get the professor fired for lying about the Bible in class. We’re still trying to figure out why fundies ever get into the cultural anthropology department.

These fundamentalists just want a foot in the door, then they can go to work widening the opening. They start with something that looks relatively innocuous because they know that their grass-root campaign is just waiting in the wings to strike.

]]> By: Progressive Conservative http://acandidworld.com/2008/08/10/texbible/#comment-5193 Progressive Conservative Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:56:51 +0000 http://www.acandidworld.net/?p=1253#comment-5193 I took a humanities class in college called 'The New Testament as Literature'. I found it interesting though I don't understand the wisdom of going that deep at the high school level. I took a humanities class in college called ‘The New Testament as Literature’. I found it interesting though I don’t understand the wisdom of going that deep at the high school level.

]]> By: Ames http://acandidworld.com/2008/08/10/texbible/#comment-5192 Ames Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:15:14 +0000 http://www.acandidworld.net/?p=1253#comment-5192 I think teaching it in English class would be less problematic. My high school - Collin's too (out there, Collin?) - taught the Bible as part of an English class. But I trust evangelism to be less of a concern in a class that starts there, and ends with <i>Wuthering Heights</i>, more than I trust it to be minimized in a class dedicated to the Book. I think teaching it in English class would be less problematic. My high school – Collin’s too (out there, Collin?) – taught the Bible as part of an English class. But I trust evangelism to be less of a concern in a class that starts there, and ends with Wuthering Heights, more than I trust it to be minimized in a class dedicated to the Book.

]]> By: Gotchaye http://acandidworld.com/2008/08/10/texbible/#comment-5191 Gotchaye Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:19:47 +0000 http://www.acandidworld.net/?p=1253#comment-5191 Wouldn't the district-by-district approach be more likely to end in evangelism than one overseen by the state? It's actually always bothered me tremendously that schools don't spend any time on the Bible - if there were any way to make sure that the evangelism could be kept to a reasonable level, I'd very much support making the Bible a significant part of the high school English curriculum. Wouldn’t the district-by-district approach be more likely to end in evangelism than one overseen by the state?

It’s actually always bothered me tremendously that schools don’t spend any time on the Bible – if there were any way to make sure that the evangelism could be kept to a reasonable level, I’d very much support making the Bible a significant part of the high school English curriculum.

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