Bringing the Bible Back: Could Growing Public School Movement Backfire?

Wow! Major mixing of apples and oranges. Offering a Bible as Literature course elective (reflecting the fact that the Bible has had a far greater impact on the English language, literature, and American society than the Quran) is a very different legal matter from dedicated prayer spaces in a public school.

Of course, people can and do sue over all kinds of things, whether they have legal merit or not.

No. I continue to wonder why a Muslim parent would quibble over which particular Bible translation is used in a course textbook? (Do Muslims prefer the RSV over the NRSV??)

Introducing religion, any religion in public education is divisive. It creates enormous problems in very diverse communities. I don’t think you appreciate the cultural and religious diversity in today’s urban communities in America. (And America is rapidly urbanizing so demographics and diversity is changing rapidly). When I grew up here in NJ in the 1960s, I would say that my community was 80% Catholic, 10% Jewish and 10% Protestant. Today it is 30% Nones, 25% Catholic, 25% Other Christian, 5% Jewish, 5% Muslim, 2% Sihk, as well as Mormons and JWs. Now further divide that population by country of origin and you get a rather big melting pot of diversity. Then add in wealth inequality.

The real thing that gets everyone to come together is that we are all Americans under a Godless Constitution. We are all free to practice whatever religion we want or no religion at all. And the Government must be secular and not favor one religion over any other.

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They would claim discrimination and harassment that a Bible is even in the school.

Promoted? Here in NJ public schools, teachers would get in trouble for telling students what political party they belonged, or who they voted for for Mayor. I think you have the old time view of public schools . A lot has changed. School security is paramount now a days. Mass shootings is the worry.
Remember fire drills? Now replaced by Active Shooter drills.

I’m with you on this, haha. At the very least in a university education!