"I am for freedom of religion, & against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another." Benjamin Franklin.
I live in Texas. In a small eastern section defined politically, as "blue". The rest of Texas is therefore a "red state". I think somewhere around Midland/Odessa it must be purple.
Because of this, most people I have met, while living in Illinois, Virginia, etc, presume Im your average Bible belt, whiskey swilling, football lovin', hick.
Sadly, a new law in Texas is just going to further that view.
This law forces Texas schools to teach Bible class. (Note: only Bible class, not Koran class, Sikhism class, Torah class....just Bible class). I wouldnt find it so offensive, if it was a religious studies thing, but its not.
Let me tell you a little about myself before I go on about this particular hypocracy.
Im a recent convert to Catholicism. Before my first communion I used to think of myself as zen-christian. This was after years of soul searching and trying on various religions, like one would change underwear. Ive been wiccan, baptist, atheist, agnostic, methodist, and while under the influence of an electronica beat and LSD (which I dont condone), I was even a dorito. Maybe its because of my background, that I feel that anyone trying to be a true christian must be religiously tolerant, and ABOVE ALL ELSE ... non-judgemental. Unfortunately, I usually find myself unique amongst the majority of Christians I meet, due to the latter.
If you're going to force schools to offer classes on the Bible, then by God, Allah, Buddha, and Frito-lay you had damn well offer students the option to learn about all the others as well.
Didn't we solve this bullshit before during the scopes monkey trial? Im pretty sure I saw something, black and white on TV whilst slightly hungover that went over this.
I love Texas. I always have. This however is taking the butterfly feelings away. Texas is beginning to treat me like an ex-girlfriend. She wants to borrow my car, or for me to help her move... she calls me on occasion to ask me to feed her cat. She just doesnt put out for me anymore. Maybe its time to renew my love affair with Albuquerque.... atleast she doesnt try and force her views on me.
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I love this blog! That line cracked me up.
But I want to know more about this law...seriously? They have to teach bible class? In public schools? How did they get that passed? Was it some sneaky rider attached to another bill? I need more details!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Let me link you to the page....
http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_8534922
and thank you so much. Fanaile gave me a hardcopy of "A Gay in the Life.." and I thought it was one of the most brilliant things Ive ever read.
"Scott also said the law requires the education agency to train teachers of the Bible course but lawmakers provided no money to pay for the training."
Grrr. Blood boiling!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Yea, they were able to pass it through on the premise that the class itself would not be a required class. Schools have to offer it, but students don't have to take it.
But, above and beyond the idiocy of not offering other studies on religious texts - we're short-handed for teachers as it is! In our city alone, if we placed students 30 to a class room, we are still short some 130 teachers (that's counting all registered substitute teachers as "teachers").
So, we have no teachers, little funding (we're in Texas's arm pit - I swear - they ignore us) but we have to offer, and therefore fund, Bible Class to students who don't have to take the course.... Because some big-wigs at the state level - close to an 18 hour drive away from us - got up on their high horse and thought it would be a great idea...
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"when you have nothing else to say, "Fwonk" is always the perfect thing."
"yeah well, fwonk"
--Devon
Fanaile Essence
Have you ever seen the average Texas politician. Theyre usually too damned fat to get on thier high horse. Thats why they use us as stepladders. Is your back beginning to hurt? Mine is.....
This was absolutely hilarious, and so darn true. Is there a movement in texas against this? its absolutely unconstitutional, and i don't like it. i absolutely agree, though. christianity is a way to govern yourself, not govern those around you. i'm christian as well, and i feel that the greatest gift that god ever gave me was the gift of choice. and i would never take that away from anyone else!
aewlrjfjafpvnkla;wje4poisjknv ;alej !@#$%^&* argh.
Are you kidding me??? Mmkay, so it sounds like Texas just took one step BACKwards, which is unfortunate. I'm not extremely religious, I guess, I'm not really sure what that word really means, but I am a follower of Christ, at least I try to be. Anyway, study the Bible, grand, but isn't that supposed to happen at a church? And if it happens at a public high school, there should certainly be opportunities to study all world religions. I find myself understanding my own faith much better through various teachings, especially through Buddha, and even through Allah. That really has very little to do with your blog... but my point is... ugh - we have enough issues in the education system as a whole, there is no need for another obstacle in any school anywhere if it does not lead towards improvement. This is not improvement. This is... ugh. I'm heated. My vocabulary diminishes when I'm heated.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/kariskoett
"All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else."
-Buddha
District to Settle Bible Suit
March 6, 2008
A West Texas school district has agreed to change the curriculum for a high school course on the Bible to settle a lawsuit that said it amounted to religious indoctrination.
The federal suit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the People for the American Way Foundation on behalf of eight parents in the Odessa area. It argued that the course curriculum, adopted in 2005 by the Ector County Independent School District, promoted Protestant Christianity and a specific reading of the Bible as a literal historical document.
TTFN,
percivale
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Check out Progressive PRIDE, a Gay-Straight Alliance for the Progressive U community.
i had wrote a rant with the same name in high school id have to re read it because i dont know if i still believe everything i wrote but i shall post it :)
that part about you being a dorito. thats funny.
When you take that bus, you get there.
http://www.myspace.com/ohamleto
Students already have enough pressure on them at school to do well and be cool. They don't need pressure from the government to explore Christianity. We do have other places for that i.e. churches. If they're not going to make a world religions class and be fair, they need to get over themselves. Are they afraid that if the students knew about the other religions, they would choose another? You can't worry about stuff like that and it's certainly not the governments place to. Being open to other views is a good thing. The more we keep students in a box of ignorance, the more trouble we all will have.
Great blog. I completely agree with you. If they are going to have a class on the Bible they should also teach classes about other religions. In my english class we are studying literature and in our lit books there are stories from the Bible. That doesn't bother me because there are also stories from the religious writings of other cultures. My english teacher actually had to stand in front of the class when we started and say that she is teaching us about the literature not the religion. She said that she is not going to go into the religious parts of the stories and that we are just looking at them from a literary view point.
And this line cracked me up... "If you're going to force schools to offer classes on the Bible, then by God, Allah, Buddha, and Frito-lay you had damn well offer students the option to learn about all the others as well."
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Sometimes changing isn't a bad thing.
That's really sad about Texas. I love Texas, but our politicians are numbskulls sometimes.
what if some students want a class about the koran or hinduism or buddism? can't they ask the texas school borad to offer such course? if they no but allow the far right wing bible class to continue than you had a case for religious establishment which violate the first amendment.
You said, "Maybe its because of my background, that I feel that anyone trying to be a true christian must be religiously tolerant, and ABOVE ALL ELSE ... non-judgemental. Unfortunately, I usually find myself unique amongst the majority of Christians I meet, due to the latter."
I feel you there. Being a christian myself, I can't help but notice how we judge everyone, good or bad. We nit-pick and gripe about the stupidest things, when all Christ asked us to do is love people. If you actually care about someone, and show it, without giving the impression that it is your duty, you're an anomaly. I know, it all sounds kinda like hippie-christianity, saying everything is based on love, but I've found it works a lot better than the regular church stuff.
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"Everyone feels benevolent if nothing happens to be annoying him at the moment." - C.S. Lewis
Rock on Hippy-Christian. Oh and can I borrow your Beatles CD at Bible study tomorrow? :)
www.progressiveu.org/blog/americangirlinchina
one of my favorite quotes is
“Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy”
Henry Louis Mencken quotes
I think we as Christians (as a whole) can sometimes get so caught up in the rules and regulations that we forget about the things that makes Christianity so great in the first place. It's kind of a 'if i can't have fun, neither can you, attitude...'
Exactly. A lot of times, I think we get confused and think that Christians can't have fun....I thumb my nose to that! ^_^
"Everyone feels benevolent if nothing happens to be annoying him at the moment." - C.S. Lewis