Members of the Texas Board of Education have approved broad guidelines for Bible courses in state high schools that align curriculum standards for the elective with those of high school English and history classes.
Lawmakers had passed a bill last May that gave Texas high schools the freedom to provide an elective course on the history and literature of the Bible.
The decision on Friday to apply existing curriculum standards to the Bible elective comes two weeks after Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott sought clarification from Attorney General Greg Abbott as to whether the bill requires public high schools to offer the Bible elective if 15 or more students request it. Abbott has six months to respond.
The majority of board members agreed that the current curriculum standards would work for the Bible courses for now until the attorney general issues an opinion on the bill.
"I believe that every school board should be able to pick whichever Bible curriculum they want. We already have TEKS (curriculum standards) written for the Bible curriculum," State Board of Education member Terri Leo told the Houston Chronicle.
"It's not like we haven't covered that subject. But they're broad enough to allow local districts to choose whichever one they want. And that's where that battle should be fought."
The board said Friday they may revisit the issue in September, after Abbott weighs in, the Star Telegram reported.
Kathy Miler, president of Texas Freedom Network, which opposes conservatives in politics, said the board should provide local school districts with specific content standards to avoid lawsuits and consider the religious freedom of others, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Jonathan Saenz, legislative affairs director of the Free Market Foundation, which defended one school district in a lawsuit against its Bible course, disagreed with Miller's demands.
"It's a shame that there's people out there like her group that really wants to delay the process," Saenz said in the same report.
Specific curriculum standards would "create more bureaucracy and more burdens on local school districts," he added.
Leo meanwhile felt the board followed the guidelines in the bill and to get too specific would prompt many school districts to drop the course.
"To me, we'd be opening up a can of worms if we got really specific here," the board member said, according to the Star Telegram.
He pointed out to the Dallas Morning News that the course was an elective allowing parents and students the option to decline to take the course if they disagreed with its contents.
The course is supposed to be offered in high schools by the fall of 2009.
RSS
Honestly, it shouldnt just be a bible course - the cirriculum should cover (broadly) other religious texts too. We are in a time when it's Bible-based Christianity, Quran-based Islam, spirituality-based Buddists, Veda-based Hinduism... the list goes on. If we're spending billions on a war that involves Muslim extremists, shouldn't it be a priority in school to understand the basis of their beliefs? It is like a double dose having this course, and really unnecessary since religion should really be outside of the school. I think we should encourage our kids to learn and understand other religious texts too, not just Christianity because it is the most popular in the United States.
First of all, pburwell, evolution is not a religious doctrine but a scientific principle. Thus it can be taught in schools. The fact that atheists or Secular Humanists may believe in it does not make it religious anymore than the fact that religious people believe in democracy makes studying our Constitution a religious act. (Besides, plenty of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc., accept evolution - does that make it part of their religion?)
Second, the issue is not ‘keeping the Christian world view’ out. Government is free to teach about religion, but it is not free to teach what people should believe. The problem with the proposed curriculum is that it was a thinly disguised attempt at proselytization, which is forbidden. (Which is why the curriculum Star2 references probably won’t be used. It’s proposed use was what started the lawsuit in the first place, and if an attempt is made to ‘sneak it back in’, the plaintiffs will simply go back to court.)
Any curriculum is allowed in our nation's public schools, even the religious viewpoints of Secular Humanism (US Supreme Court determined Secularism is a religion in 1962 and 1968) are allowed (evolution among many others) but not the religious viewpoint of Christianity. I'm confused, I thought the government cannot determine our religious views!? And seeing you cannot keep any world view out then why are they preventing only one, Christianity?
Oh wait, I remember why. Christianity is the only world view Securalists take SERIOUSLY! :)
Patrick J. Burwell / OnlyJesusSaves.com
I am not sure I would want bible classes taught for the reason of so many different religions there could be decrpencies...........but having our JESUS, LORDand SAVIOR brought back into the schools is really great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even though I do not live in Texas I WISH ALL MY BEST to those who do.
I have no desire for the public schools to teach the Bible to my child or any other child. I have no idea who the teacher is and what beliefs they have that might creep into the class. There is no way to teach a course on the Bible objectively. One of the things I look for when I chose a church was first, one that fit my theological beliefs,and two, that had a good Sunday school program for my child. I don't want my chilld receiving any other Bible instruction than from my wife and I and the church we go to.
I don't know what exactly will be taught in the Texas Public Schools but it is probably similar to this school Bible curriculum:
http://www.bibleinschools.net/The-Curriculum
Click on "Unit 9" to see the outline of what is taught about the Bible in a high school class.
The Bible is mainly looked at from an historical and literary point of view. Since it is an elective most students who take it are probably already a Christian and want to know more about the Word of God or a person who is interested in religion in general.
The curriculum helps develop the student's critical thinking skills.
Praise God!!!