by H. Marlow

Created on: December 31, 2008

As a firm believer that people should be open minded and eager to learn about the backgrounds and traditions of people different from themselves, I think that courses on the Bible should be offered in public schools. Along with courses on other major religious texts. And these courses should be taught with an objective standpoint, neither advocating belief, nor denouncing it. The purpose of these classes should be to study the Bible as what it is, a book written by men, just as Shakespeare is studied. The stories in all of these religious texts give insight into the background of different cultures and societies and I believe that in today's society, with so many misconceptions about what Muslims or Christians believe, that learning these things and accepting them is extremely important.

That being said, if you want your child to learn about the Bible as pure fact, then you should send your child to a private, Christian school. Schools are for knowledge and churchs are for believe and it is important to keep these two things separated. However, the reason that I am on the "yes" side of this is because of my own public school education and what it taught me about different religions.

After taking many religious studies courses in university, I look back on my high school education and realize that I was being short changed. Hinduism, for instance, is not a polytheistic religion. The various gods and goddesses are simply faces of the same, one, god. And I don't remember learning a single thing about Islam. I think this lack of education in public schools is why there are so many misconceptions about various peoples of the world. As many students don't continue on to college to take more in depth religious courses or look into these religions on their own, these misconceptions, such as Islam is a religion of hate (and if you read the Quran, it clearly is not) continue generation to generation.

A lot of people are terrified of learning about things from a different viewpoint or perspective, which is an incredible valuable tool to have in life. My own grandparents freak out if I even mention a religion other than Christianity and refuse to listen to a word I say. This stubborn tendency to block out every belief but your own has to cease if the people of this world are to continue living together. If public schools would take more time to use these religions, not just Christianity, to teach about the evolution of different cultures, perhaps this world would be a more accepting place.

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