Should public schools offer courses in the Bible?

No

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by Dean Traylor

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One has to respect the proponents who are pushing for Bible courses in public schools. Unlike those trying to insert the theologically-based intelligent design into the nation's public schools as a genuine scientific theory, the Bible course proponents are upfront about what they want: to bring Christianity into the public school system. However, despite their noble intentions, a course of this nature has no place in the classroom.

There are many problems with this course. For one thing, it violates the First Amendment's doctrine of Separation of Church and State. The intention of this doctrine was that one religious belief cannot be imposed on groups of people in a public setting by government officials. Public schools are the domain of the government, and the teachers and administrators are, in a sense, public servants.

Some proponents will argue that this Bible course can be voluntary; students will not be forced to take part in it. Still, as two court ruling have suggested, this violates the first amendment. Abington School District v. Schempp (1963) challenged a Pennsylvania law which imposed that at least ten verses from the Holy Bible shall be read, without comment, at the opening of each public school day. Murry v. Curlett (1963) challenged a Baltimore statute that provided for the "reading, without comment, of a chapter of the Holy Bible and/or of the Lord's Prayer" before the start of each class. The two state laws provided the students the right not to participate, granted they got a written permission slip from their parents. Still, when these two laws were tried in a federal district court, they were ruled to be unconstitutional for it still imposed a religious doctrine upon the students.

The problem with having this course goes beyond the legality of it. In many respects, a Bible course would impose a belief system on a public that has many different religious or secular beliefs. Having a class like this on campus can send the wrong message to students who may not believe the same religious doctrine. This course would promote Christianity. And, many of the proponents are not shy from saying so. This would leave a lot of students in a position in which something is forced upon them.

Also, if such a class was actually approved to be taught on campus, there would probably be a backlash from students who may want similar exposure for their religious beliefs. In order to even things out, a district may consider having courses in the Quran, Torah, and Hindu and Buddhist texts. Also, don't forget the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Scientologists. They may want equal time to study their religion.

A Bible course can cause problems within the Christian denominations, as well. Case in point: Roman Catholics and Protestants have two different versions of the Bible. In particular, the Ten Commandments are interpreted differently in each version. The difference may be seen as minor; however, it was enough to cause problems in the late 19th century. And most of these problems spilled over into the public schools where the Protestant King James Version of the Bible was used in prayers and studies. This little known chapter in American history was known as the "Bible Wars." One incident best personifies the conflict. In 1859, A Roman Catholic student refused to read the Protestant version of the Ten Commandments in a public school in Boston. The teacher struck the student until he gave in. This incident and others like it were later overshadowed by the Civil War; however, its indirect repercussions were felt in the South's Reconstruction era when the mostly Protestant Klu Klux Klan targeted known Roman Catholics.

Another major problem with a Bible course is that a teacher will have to teach it. So, why is this a problem? Due to No Child Left Behind, the federal law, teachers need to be "highly qualified" to teach a subject. In part, this means that they have been assessed on their knowledge of a particular subject, and have earned or about to earn a credential in the subject area. In California, there is no credential for teaching the Bible, unless one uses the social studies single-subject credential.

The Bible has a place in our society. It's in the church or at home. A course in Bible study also has its place: Sunday school at the local church. There, it's taught by people who know more about the stories and morals found its dense pages. Public schools are not the place for this type of study. It's unconstitutional and it violates the belief system of many students.

Nobody wants to have their belief - whether religious or secular - taken away or forcibly replaced by someone else's religious doctrine. That's not what freedom of religion is, and that's not separation of church and state. A Bible course belongs in the church where it should stay.

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