Guno צְבִי
We fight, We win
Call it MACA: Make America Christian Again.
A fresh offensive with that goal has gone into overdrive in the past two weeks, first with a ruling in Louisiana that the Ten Commandments must be displayed on the walls of every classroom, then a directive by Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction, that all public school students must be taught the Bible, with a copy to be placed in every classroom.
It is true that biblical illiteracy has long been a problem in our culture. Students ought to be given the opportunity to study the Bible as a critical force in shaping history and culture. An education in it from a secular perspective can and should incorporate archeology, historical analysis, textual interpretation, and cultural studies focused on the comparative context of other ancient Near Eastern cultures. (Some years ago, a group that honestly wanted to address this problem produced a textbook — crucially, for elective high school courses — that presented the Bible in this way.)
But that kind of comprehensive, critical education is not what decision-makers on the Christian right in Oklahoma or Louisiana have in mind.
In Oklahoma, Walters has sought to make his directive sound free of religious intent. The Bible, he has declared, is “the basis of our legal system,” and a historical document of primary importance that must be introduced to schoolchildren. More than that, he argues, the notion of “inalienable rights” in the Declaration of Independence derives from the Bible.
All are compelling points. And all but the second are false.
The Christian right has it wrong
Our legal system is not based on the biblical legal system, instead drawing its precedents from British case law.
With Walters’ would-be secular explanation for his decision dismantled, it’s clear that his real goal is to further a MACA agenda. He does not raise the question of how comfortable Jewish students might feel with a Bible in which the Old Testament is seen as simply a precursor to the New. And what the Bible would say to Muslim students, is of course, not addressed.
forward.com
A fresh offensive with that goal has gone into overdrive in the past two weeks, first with a ruling in Louisiana that the Ten Commandments must be displayed on the walls of every classroom, then a directive by Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction, that all public school students must be taught the Bible, with a copy to be placed in every classroom.
It is true that biblical illiteracy has long been a problem in our culture. Students ought to be given the opportunity to study the Bible as a critical force in shaping history and culture. An education in it from a secular perspective can and should incorporate archeology, historical analysis, textual interpretation, and cultural studies focused on the comparative context of other ancient Near Eastern cultures. (Some years ago, a group that honestly wanted to address this problem produced a textbook — crucially, for elective high school courses — that presented the Bible in this way.)
But that kind of comprehensive, critical education is not what decision-makers on the Christian right in Oklahoma or Louisiana have in mind.
In Oklahoma, Walters has sought to make his directive sound free of religious intent. The Bible, he has declared, is “the basis of our legal system,” and a historical document of primary importance that must be introduced to schoolchildren. More than that, he argues, the notion of “inalienable rights” in the Declaration of Independence derives from the Bible.
All are compelling points. And all but the second are false.
The Christian right has it wrong
Our legal system is not based on the biblical legal system, instead drawing its precedents from British case law.
With Walters’ would-be secular explanation for his decision dismantled, it’s clear that his real goal is to further a MACA agenda. He does not raise the question of how comfortable Jewish students might feel with a Bible in which the Old Testament is seen as simply a precursor to the New. And what the Bible would say to Muslim students, is of course, not addressed.
The Christian right wants schools to teach the Bible — but doesn't understand what the Bible is about
The Christian right wants the Bible taught in schools, starting in Oklahoma and Tennessee. They miss the Bible's point, writes Robert Alter.
forward.com