There should be no teaching of any religion in the public school system. FFS, with the dropout rates and lousy education kids are getting, the last thing they need to be spending time on is Bible studies, or Koran or Torah studies for that matter.

I'll disagree with ROB to the extent that some basic knowledge of the stories in the Bible is very helpful to understanding literature. There are biblical themes and allusions throughout some of the great works of Western literature.

Having said that, if we can find one public school teacher in this state who isn't going to use a Bible class as a platform to cram religion down students' throats, I'll eat my hat. I can't stand the State Board of Education these days.

But their so young and impressionable at that age...how else are we going to put Jesus' godly goodness into their secular little hearts?...

The Institute for Creation Research must be SO excited right now...suddenly a reason to reconsider their degree! I'd be okay with a christian religious course being taught in high school if it was taught alongside other world religion course and taught with the same scholastic rigor and credibility as C.C. and University courses. But trust me, that isn't going to happen in Podunk, Texas. Any course that prefers to call itself "Bible Class" instead of "Christianity" or "Western Religion" you can bet is going to have its share of pulpiting.

*they're* ugh! Terrible especially when discussing education

I'm sure Bible Girl is absolutely *thrilled* about this development. That way we can catch them gays 'n' lesbians while they're youngins, ya hear?

Wilonsky, I say you give the Jake and the Fatman boxed set to the State Board of Education as a gift of appreciation!

The bible should be taught to children as what it is, classic English drug trip literature alongside Milton and Coleridge.

As a member of the legal community, I'd like to thank the Board for providing enough work for lawyers to last several centuries. Huzzah!

I agree with Knotty that the Bible should be taught as an example of literature, along with Ayn Rand, Alice In Wonderland, Of Mice and Men and maybe a little Christopher Hitchens for good measure.

Please let the powers that be at Dallas Observer jknow that this is NOT an indication that you guys need to bring BACK Bible Girl. She should be considered the Viet Nam of UnFair Park.

give credit when credit is due....Several of us on the SBOE did not vote for the lack of directives for the Bible Class. I asked that Dr. Chancey be allowed to address the SBOE on Friday but my request was rejected.

Pat Hardy
District 11 SBOE

give credit when credit is due....Several of us on the SBOE did not vote for the lack of directives for the Bible Class. I asked that Dr. Chancey be allowed to address the SBOE on Friday but my request was rejected.

Pat Hardy
District 11 SBOE

Lawyers reading this: If you are interested in helping ensure any Bible classes in Texas public schools do NOT run afoul of the Constitution, please contact the ACLU of Texas and let them know of your interest in serving as a cooperating attorney. www.aclutx.org

They only have two paid staff attorneys at the moment, and it sounds as if they will need all the free help they can get.

Okay, I can stand Pat Hardy, I guess. I still intend to put Knottybaby in private school unless the board gets off its ultraconservative power trip. Those people scare me. I'd rather pay a lot of money to a private school and know for sure that a bunch of nuns are setting the curriculum and pushing an agenda than have Knottybaby go to public school for free and wonder if a bunch of Bible-thumping folks are setting the curriculum and pushing an agenda.

As someone who taught public school for 12 years, I can assure you that there are many folks who will unconstitutionally teach this class in a way that pushes Christianity down the students' throats. While teaching for DISD, I saw teachers take their students out of class, gather them around the flag pole (!) and pray to the all mighty Jesus. Now at Garland ISD, I've seen a couple teachers passing out bibles and one who teaches the bible as part of his social studies class even though there is no mention of the bible in the district's social studies curriculum. With bible classes now receiving state sanction, things will only get worse. When you only pay folks 40,000 to educate your kids, you definitely get what you pay for as many educators bring an extremely limited world view (and hence a simplistic religious doctrine)into the classroom.

What I would like to see is the Quran taught along side the Bible. What might that illuminate? It would show that Islam is a religion of tolerance and inclusion and Judeo-Christianity is a tradition of invasion, and subjugation of others in the name of God. The book of Joshua alone contains a dozen accounts of genocide, rape, and pillaging. I don't really understand how someone jives this with the golden rule. But, the lessons and the legacy is one of exceptionalism, and entitlement.

Islam is also far less fantastic than Christianity. In fact, the only way that Judaism and Christianity can be harmonized is with the Islamic revelation. Islam holds that Jesus is the messiah but they don't deify him. Again, the Jews have many prohpecies for a messiah, but that messiah was never to be worshipped as divine. After all the first commandment is "I am an angry and jealous God, put no other gods with me--nothing from this world nothing above or below it.

The state of religious education is quite poor in this country. Most of the ministers in the progressive Christian churches, namely, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Disciples of Christ (TCU) are all sceptical of the trinitarian doctrine. Yet, in our churches we have no real discussion of these difficult issues. Perhaps this is too esoteric for most of the congregation, but if it is, then perhaps their faith is worthless, inauthentic and just for show.

I actually appreciate the tolerance and equanimity that allows these ministers to question church dogma. But, when a minister feels gagged by forces of establishment, they commit the sin of the Pharacies. Praying for show.

By only creating the bible classes the school board is indeed endorsing one religion over others and that is not constitional.
They should have created courses for many of the other religions including islam, Judiasm, Hindi, Buddist as well as Witchcraft.

But most of us know that christians have used sleaze tactics to push their religion off on the masses.
No other group has the nerve to shove their religous path down the throats of others will daring anyone to do the same to them.