School Bible courses sectarian, study finds

From the Houston Chronicle:

Among the findings:

•The vast majority of Texas Bible courses, despite their titles, do not teach about the Bible in a historical or literary context, as required under state law. Instead, the electives tend to be explicitly devotional in nature and reflect an almost exclusively Christian (usually Protestant) perspective.

•The Bible is often presented as being divinely inspired and biblical stories treated as literal history.

•Most Bible courses in Texas are taught by teachers who have no academic training in biblical, religious or theological studies and, it appears, little familiarity with separation of church-state issues. Some districts bring in local clergy to teach their Bible courses and fund them with private money.

The report cited three exceptions: San Antonio's North East Independent School District and the Leander and Whiteface independent school districts. It said all presented material in a more neutral manner.

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Given that Western Civilization, our civilization, is based on a weird combination of Greco-Roman philosophy and Christianity, it stands to reason that if one doesn't understand the Bible, one doesn't understand what it means to be a Westerner. I'm pretty much of the opinion that all Americans should study the Bible. But not like this. This kind of Bible study isn't about the dynamic interplay between Biblical ideas and society at large, isn't about how Christian philosophers elegantly found ways to combine the wisdom of the ancients with their own religious beliefs, isn't about how countless secular ideas today have a basis in Christian thought. No, this is religious indoctrination, plain and simple, paid for by taxpayer dollars, with a curriculum mandated by government entities. Totally unconstitutional. Totally unAmerican.

Totally wrong.

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