Holy curriculum, Batman, is the Bible coming to public schools?

Frontiersman editorial board

The recent proposal to include a class about the Bible in Mat-Su public schools is going to sound good on the surface to a lot of people. The group that made the proposal gave its assurance that the intention was not to indoctrinate students, but the group also said they believed the exposure to the Bible would help stem the increasing instability in American Society.

It should be pointed out that the class would only be offered as an elective, and supporters of the proposal also contend that this curriculum has been in public schools for many years. Indeed, several reporters on the Frontiersman staff have taken The Bible as Literature classes and World Religion classes.

The questions here should be about intent, content and about fairness. A fundamental tenet of American culture is our adherence to religious freedom. We are, indeed, a largely Christian country, and Christianity has been at the center of our history from beginning to present -- for better or worse. Still, while we are a largely Christian nation, we are not an exclusively Christian nation. Our acceptance, and protection, of other faiths does create some complications, but it is also one of our greatest strengths.

There may well be a value to learning about the Bible in a historical and literary sense. It appears in our laws, our most important political documents and in our literature, art and music. However, if there is an argument for bringing the Bible into public schools, it could also be argued that there is an equal value to studying the Koran, Talmud or texts relating to Hinduism, Buddhism or any other religion, for that matter. If the district agrees to include Bible courses in its curriculum, how could it deny equal treatment to other religious beliefs if someone asks for their inclusion?

As to the question of whether a Bible course would help to heal supposed failures in our society, it is likely that the students who elect to take the course will come from families that already value the Bible. Those students who have little use for the Bible at home will probably not choose to study it at school.

There are so many questions raised by this kind of decision, that it requires serious thought, and as much public input as possible. The Bible is clearly connected to our culture in many obvious ways, and it is also there in countless subtle ways. Where it fits into our daily lives may be a trickier question than it seems at first, though. Is religion best handled in the people's homes and churches, or should it be a public function of our culture? If the latter is true, should we focus upon Christianity at the expense of other valid religions? Let's think before we make that leap of faith.