Arkansas Legislature Wants Academic Study Of The Bible In Public Schools | Addicting Info

If all ancient sacred texts were included leaving "religion" out of the equation,,,But in reality think this would boil down to a pissing contest  of comparing "my" religion to "yours" and which is better,,,

These classes would also be electives; they would not be required curriculum. There are many people who believe that such a class is a good idea, provided that it’s in a non-religious format; a study of the history of the books of the Bible and correlating those to events discussed in other historical texts, perhaps studying different translations and discussing those differences, and other avenues of study that don’t include preaching.

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In 2007, then-chief religion writer of Time Magazine, David Van Biema, published an article that supports the teaching of the Bible in public schools, calling it “the most influential book ever written,” and noting that it is a best-seller every single year. Religious and non-religious leaders throughout U.S. history have quoted it, and whether the secular among us like it or not, it has influenced our society in a big way.

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Bruce Wilson of Talk2Action.org, however, has a different take on the issue. He believes that Bible classes in school would ultimately serve to create a national religion by teaching one holy book over others. Even as an elective, and even though it’s open to all students and students of all belief systems, including atheist students, have been taking these courses in places like Texas, it still advances one religion without really giving the same opportunity for people to learn about other religions that have influenced Western culture and history.

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Nobody can argue the Bible’s influence on U.S. and Western culture. But the argument can be made that the holy books of other religions are just as influential and essential to understanding other cultures, particularly, in recent history, Islam. Given that the U.S. is a melting pot, would it not be to our benefit to offer courses on the holy books of all the major cultures represented in our population?

Arkansas Legislature Wants Academic Study Of The Bible In Public Schools | Addicting Info