Chapter and Verse on Bible in the Classroom
Re “Initiative Effort OKd to Allow Bible as a Literature Textbook,” Jan. 6:
Just when you think the news can’t get any more ridiculous, along comes Secretary of State Kevin Shelley’s comments that allowing the Bible to be read as part of public school literature would be study “without devotional or denominational purpose.” And to top it off, the state would be expected to pay about $200 million to fund this insanity.
The separation of church and state is specific in its definition and intent; people trying to subvert it are always pushing their own religious agenda in their attempt to impose their religious beliefs on others.
Why only the King James Bible? Why not the Hebrew Bible, the Koran, books on Buddhism ... the list goes on. It could even include a satanic form of the Bible if we’re looking to be fair. But that’s the problem: Matt McLaughlin doesn’t want to be fair. He wants his religion taught to everyone. His approach to education would best be served by parochial, not public, school.
Fran Gale
Laguna Niguel
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Matt McLaughlin’s ballot drive to place Bibles in public schools is just another effort to force religion upon public school students.
What lessons shall be learned from this book? Women are inferior to men, God has chosen one race over all others, those who do not accept Jesus will burn in hell, women (not men) shall be stoned to death for sex outside of marriage, gays are to be scorned and witches burned.
John Boag
Huntington Beach
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By no means is the idea to read the Bible as a work of literature in public schools a novel one. As a graduate of Granby High School of Norfolk, Va., in the ‘50s, I recall the Bible used in both 11th- and 12th-grade English classes.
To be sure, life was more simple back then. It was required that all students, regardless of their religion, participate in the reading and discussions that followed. No one thought to complain, and no one was offended by the activity. No attempt was made by the teachers to present the Bible as anything more than a historical source of information and, at times, a tool for teaching morals and good behavior.
I will sign the initiative for the use of the Bible in public schools as a teaching tool and would hope that the Koran and Torah could be used as well when appropriate to the learning situation.
Fred Kuntz
Laguna Niguel
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I still remember vividly the first day of my Bible as Literature class where my instructor walked into the class and threw the Bible against the floor and kicked it. Students were aghast. But his point was that the Bible is just a book with collected writings -- and we treated it as such. Here too began my long road to atheism.
As literature, the Bible is not the best work to investigate, because of poor translations, capricious editing, conflicting story lines, historical errors and assorted other issues. It is important in much of modern culture and American thought. When some of the unusual interpretations and church demagoguery are removed, the Bible is full of odd stories and items considered extremely immoral today.
Once I actually understood all this, I realized there was no way I was basing my life on that book of mediocre literature.
Dan Walsh
San Clemente