Controversy? Over the Bible? No way!
http://www.eastvalleynews.com/appeal/article.cfm?i=7277
Here we go again: Georgia's lookin' to have elective classes devoted to the study of the Bible taught in public schools...
I'm really not sure how to feel about this one. The Bible can be read in so many different ways -- literal vs. metaphorical, historical vs. mythical, Old Testament vs. New Testament -- that it seems to resist the sort of objective analysis that a high school course would require. Now, if I were to teach the class... well, I'd probably get fired.. but the point is that no two people would read or present the material in the same way, and yet it would be equally troublesome to attempt any definitive interpretation of the text.
Ideally, the first step to curing the disease of fundamentalism would be a personal exploration of the Bible itself, without the interference of a priest, parent, or professor. But would high school students embark on such a biblical journey alone? No. Of course not. Most of the polls I've seen have found that the majority of American adults have not read it either. So maybe an open and innovative discussion class would get these kids thinking and, most importantly, talking, about the "realities" of Christianity. When religious correctness is so prevalent that the media won't even challenge the insanity of Islamic fanaticism, or the absurdity of creationism, I say that it's time to revive the country's true values -- education, dialogue, and reason.
Discuss.
Here we go again: Georgia's lookin' to have elective classes devoted to the study of the Bible taught in public schools...
I'm really not sure how to feel about this one. The Bible can be read in so many different ways -- literal vs. metaphorical, historical vs. mythical, Old Testament vs. New Testament -- that it seems to resist the sort of objective analysis that a high school course would require. Now, if I were to teach the class... well, I'd probably get fired.. but the point is that no two people would read or present the material in the same way, and yet it would be equally troublesome to attempt any definitive interpretation of the text.
Ideally, the first step to curing the disease of fundamentalism would be a personal exploration of the Bible itself, without the interference of a priest, parent, or professor. But would high school students embark on such a biblical journey alone? No. Of course not. Most of the polls I've seen have found that the majority of American adults have not read it either. So maybe an open and innovative discussion class would get these kids thinking and, most importantly, talking, about the "realities" of Christianity. When religious correctness is so prevalent that the media won't even challenge the insanity of Islamic fanaticism, or the absurdity of creationism, I say that it's time to revive the country's true values -- education, dialogue, and reason.
Discuss.
posted by Joe at
11:25 AM
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