Bible as history/lit in classrooms heats up Texas town
''It's a curriculum that proselytizes,'' says Ms. White, whose son graduated from Odessa's Permian High School last year.
The text used in Odessa high schools, developed by the nonprofit National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, represents as fact that the Bible was a"foundational text" in the framing of the U.S., that the King James Bible"remains one of the...most-loved books in the history of the world," and that"the sun went black" when Jesus was crucified. Critics say that such statements represent the views of some believers, not necessarily scholars.
In recent years, many prominent educators have urged U.S. public schools to teach the Bible as part of literature or culture classes, contending that students need to understand the book's influence on literature, history and current events. More schools are starting to offer such classes, in some cases with a push from their state legislatures. Georgia last year passed a law providing money to encourage high schools to offer Bible electives. This month, the Texas House of Representatives almost unanimously approved a bill, now in the state Senate, that would offer training to teachers leading classes on the Old and New Testaments.
Related Links
5-17-07: ACLU, some parents sue over Bible classes in Ector County (Midland Reporter-Telegram) Moreno v. Ector County Independent School District Board of Trustees -- Complaint (ACLU) National Council on Bible Curriculum news