Should the Bible be used as a textbook in schools?

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The bible was written in a more barbarous time, at least for more advanced societies.

The bible's own edicts promote slavery,
selling your daughter(s) into slavery,
a slave doing their masters commands even when cruel and unjust,
stoning young brides to death if they are found not to be a virgin,
stoning adulters to death.

The bible is full of sick ideas, so one can only assume that God is a sick barbarian.

Killing thousands of children to show how he was fighting a single little pharoh is an ego trip rather than a precise tool of persuasion.

How anyone supporting that perverted book can call themselves moral is beyond me.

Maybe alongside the bible we should other socially sick literature like
pornography too.
BTW pornography is better than the bible because at least it doesn't promote murder.
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Originally posted by boaznj
sure...lets use the bible in schools...it was that way a few decades ago.

All the major universitys in the USA, the top ones...all were started for religious reasons. Yale, Harvard...etc....

and not only that...if you read the original constitutions of the states for the north east....NJ, NY,MA...etc....you could not even hold public office unless you confessed Jesus Christ as Lord...didnt matter what denomination you were...so long as you were Christian.
For us in New Jersey...it is the "Province of East New Jersey" 1683.

Massachussets says in their constitution....

in 1780... NO PERSON SHALL BE ELIGIBLE TO HOLD PUBLIC OFFICE, UNLESS....HE SHALL DECLARE HIMSELF TO BE OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

And the old "hornbooks" they used...contained the Lord's prayer.
Hornbooks are what they used to teach kids in school...

I was in school a few decades ago....guess what, there was no bibles, unless you consider those religous classes SOME of the kids got to go to for about an hour once a week.....

Well, the only way you could teach it in school as a textbook if you made a new class.

KKK/GOP/CCC/WKK/Hate Groups/Kill Everyone 101

Then you could teach it as a class. Also, why are all hate groups Originating in America 3 letters long for a Acronym?

Here are great topics to teach in Hate Groups 101.

www.skepticsannotatedbible.com...
www.skepticsannotatedbible.com...
www.evilbible.com...
www.evilbible.com...
www.evilbible.com...

And more.

And JTL, You could be not only the "Professor" for the class but also be included in the subject matter.
The constant hate that you spew is a prime example of hate groups for which you paint those of faith as being.
Good Show! You do so well dance to the music of your "un-biased" hatred!

Originally posted by Uncle Joe
Perhaps i missed something, but could someone explain to me the grounds under which the Bible could be considered a textbook?

Well Macbeth, Hamlet are common textbooks... So is The old man and the Sea, of Mice and Men, and Death of a salesman....


The Bible can be used in Law class to show how we have our laws and our punishment system, and how in modern times have gone away from the law in the bible as our model and the law of physcology (The "Its not your fault but you had a rough childhoold" & "Your not responsible for your actions, someone else provoked you") has replaced it.

Or in poety studies, Study the beauty in the Psalms....

Or in history... Find out about the Hittite people. who the Bible has mentioned for 1000's of years, yet that history forgot about them until in the recent 100 years....

In bioligy one could mention that the Bible says "life is in the blood" yet until recently DR used to think it was a good idea to blead people if they were ill.


Just a few ideas.


But I know in english the teach would often say "What do you think of the chose that this charactor made?" One could similary uses the Bible for that with out saying "this is the way things are"

But I have another questions.... Should we even have public schools?

Imposing a creed whether religious or political ideological upon a population is a facist act. I'd rather use the bible as scrap paper and recycle it than force feed it to our children.

This is a vile and despicable idea and should be thoroughly resisted.

Oh, and BOO-HOO to all you fundamentalists, whatever religious denomination you belong to out there. You all suck whatever your belief system and are the real problem in society and true threat to our existence, but you would know that if you have read my previous posts.

Thoughts: My sympathy to all the innocent victims of the latest terrorist atrocities perpetrated upon a civilian population in the name of .....what?

Extremism.


Peace Out

Originally posted by phalcon

Originally posted by Uncle Joe
Perhaps i missed something, but could someone explain to me the grounds under which the Bible could be considered a textbook?

Well Macbeth, Hamlet are common textbooks... So is The old man and the Sea, of Mice and Men, and Death of a salesman....


The Bible can be used in Law class to show how we have our laws and our punishment system, and how in modern times have gone away from the law in the bible as our model and the law of physcology (The "Its not your fault but you had a rough childhoold" & "Your not responsible for your actions, someone else provoked you") has replaced it.

Or in poety studies, Study the beauty in the Psalms....

Or in history... Find out about the Hittite people. who the Bible has mentioned for 1000's of years, yet that history forgot about them until in the recent 100 years....

In bioligy one could mention that the Bible says "life is in the blood" yet until recently DR used to think it was a good idea to blead people if they were ill.


Just a few ideas.


But I know in english the teach would often say "What do you think of the chose that this charactor made?" One could similary uses the Bible for that with out saying "this is the way things are"

But I have another questions.... Should we even have public schools?

Ok then, why should the bible be a science textbook? SInce the subject at hand is evolution you seem to have missed the point.

And life is in the Brain, the brain is fed by blood. A heart can be transplanted, a brain cant. Ergo the brain is more important to life, blood is just a transport system.

Though i can see the use for the Bible in English, just not subjects that require facts.

Simply put - NO.

Unsimply put - neither should Creationism.

Both are faith-based teachings that are left to the parental role....not the educational system.

then swings the sword of parity...

But let me tell you what chaps me hiney. I do substitute teaching in the math and sciences on occasion in the local school district because they tend to try to solicit participation from technical professionals in the small community. Let me tell you about my experience as a substitute in an 8th grade Science class.

The teacher had left a two-part video that was to introduce the students to evolution. Within this video is a little tangent that details the way scientists have been able to extract DNA for comparison testing from insects found trapped for millions of years in amber. Unexplicably - and dare I say - pretty farking unrelated!!!! - they switch to this New Age chick with this amber jewelry draped all over herself and she proceeds to explain how she got into selling amber jewelry because she found that "I can feel the life within the stone. The life is contained within the stone and eminates from the stone, and when I wear it, the life of the stone surrounds me...it brings me such peace."

Now - why is this okay? Why is this science? Why is this even stated in what is supposed to be an educational program to introduce junior high students to evolution? It brought not one scientific point of value to the presentation. In fact!!! it distracted from the seriousness of the matter at hand. It was not founded in scientific method. It was one person's belief.

I dont know about other schools and states but here in Rhode Island at my school, all students who are taking British Literature [for honors i dont know about level 2] we have to read selections of the Bible [revelations, and other passages] because many of the authors that we will be reading for the course have biblical allusions such as Cantaberry Tales. I dont really mind reading the selections we have to read but its kind of odd at first when you look at the sheet and it says "King James Bible" i know i was like what the !!!! I disagree with it being used in classes for science but i suppose its ok for a class like British Literature. How many other places use the Bible [new and old testament] for classes like british literature, or other classes [besides science] that require to use the bible?

reply to post by James the Lesser

EvilBible.com is Dead

Large portions of evilbible.com have been considered, dissected and declared fallacious on very many levels.
Two examples of this fact are as follows:

Whilst besmirching the Bible for allegedly commanding rape evilbible.com, for some odd reason, neglects to mention the most relevant biblical text related to the biblical view of and law about rape. Why this omission? Who knows, but it would certainly have gotten in the way of a good session of emotive expression of prejudice—it would have discredited evilbible.com to reference this most important text. Indeed, those annoying little facts have an annoying way of getting in the way of good fallacious assertions.

Whilst besmirching the Bible for allegedly commanding human sacrifice evilbible.com, for some odd reason, neglects to mention that the Bible does not command but condemns human sacrifice. Evilbible.com, for some odd reason, neglects to mention that when the Bible reports that human sacrifices did take place they were carried out by Gentile Pagans who were not worshiping the God of the Bible but various false gods. When “Jews” were performing human sacrifices it was only when they turned away from the God of the Bible and joined Gentile Pagans in worshiping various false gods. Yet, in typical militant activist atheist fashion, evilbible.com does not condemn Gentile Pagans but only condemns the Jews.
Further evidence of this is found at this URL:

atheismisdead.blogspot.com...

The bible is one of the worst books to find morals seeing that god tells people to kill for him, people would have a better reputation bringing a gun to school.
The bible is scientifically inaccurate in almost every way, people would get better science from a person who failed the second grade.

If we are to put the bible in our schools as something other then myths and religion class, then we might as well kill off our species from how pathetic we are.

Originally posted by jupiter869
Should we start using the bible as a text book in the classroom?

No... emergency toilet paper perhaps? However, I do not recommend fire and brimstone to those with sensitive bottoms. Ouch!

IRM

Should we teach The Antichrist by Friedrich NIetzsche at sunday school?

Keep religion in church or at most in religious classes, if you want to get the bible into schools get it into philosophy class where it belongs.

Btw, is philosophy in your normal curriculum in US?

[edit on 19-8-2009 by madeioo]

I cannot believe this is even being considered!!!!

As a child, my single parent gave strict instructions to my primary school that I was to have NO RELIGIOUS ED at all. And thank the stars she did that.
I now, as an adult, have good logic skills, the ability to reason and the biblical 'fog' doesn't get anywhere near penetrating this brain

I have the same policy with my children and their school. The school is aware of my requirements and it took me sending several bibles back to school with my eldest before they stopped trying to force their beliefs onto my children. This is a public school too, not a private one.

I have studied the movements of planetary energies for around 20 years now, follow their patterns and aspects on a daily basis and use the information gleaned to 'guide' my actions.
Hmmm maybe I could arrange with the school to start Astrology teachings - after all the whole son of the father/ressurection myth is a human interpretation of the passage of the sun on an annual basis....

If I wanted my kids to learn the bible 'stories' I would send them to Church or Sunday School or a Christian camp - loads of optionals there.

This idea gets a definate thumbs down from me!

V A

What would the teaching of the bible actually cover; murder, rape endless war, (in God's name often)) no less. What should the religion of a teacher be to qualify? the point in the bible that jumps out. Does a teacher have to be a certain faith or not to be hired, Besides that violates the Consttution.

What other religion needs to be accomadated with other faith; or some one screems "discrimination"

I just want them to know math/read and writing. We have enough trouble just dealing with the basics, with out going into science fiction. I'd settle if my spelling would be improved...

It should be taught as History.

1. The Bible (Old testament =History Prophets =past and future events New testament = About Jesus
and salvation)
2. The Book of Enoch ( Tells of things before the flood and after the flood)
3. The Book of Jasher ( Tells of things before the flood and after the flood)
4. The Book of Jubilees ( God tell Angel to write the history of the world and give it to Moses)
5. Where the lost tribes of Israel are today. (Great Britain =Ephraim America =Manasseh Irland =Dan ect.)

People need to know history so they can prove that God IS!

It's very unusual for me to reply to a thread I haven't completely read.....I consider it rude, and have been chastised for it before....

but just from your title.

Absolutely not.

the bible is certainly NOT a textbook. Not that it shouldn't be studied, right along with all it variations, since the Council of Nicea: in fact, that might be extremely illustrative, in itself, as to how to consider that particular tome, and then with attendant science about translations, ASCII and Unicode and such.....for this is all VERY pertinent to the issue of what is and what is not, true......

so please, take all that into consideration... The Hebrew word for she/he, is somewhat different than our interpretations of gender specific pronouns........as well as many other differences that defy translation.....just something to consider.
Tetra50

reply to post by tetra50


One thing for sure I don't know what you know, but you don't know what I know. I'll just take it as your opinion, we all have one. Thanks for the info.

Originally posted by tbird03
It should be taught as History.

1. The Bible (Old testament =History Prophets =past and future events New testament = About Jesus
and salvation)
2. The Book of Enoch ( Tells of things before the flood and after the flood)
3. The Book of Jasher ( Tells of things before the flood and after the flood)
4. The Book of Jubilees ( God tell Angel to write the history of the world and give it to Moses)
5. Where the lost tribes of Israel are today. (Great Britain =Ephraim America =Manasseh Irland =Dan ect.)

People need to know history so they can prove that God IS!

First off, the bible can be used in historical research; however, that research is done by graduate students and researchers. It should not be used as a literal historical text in public schools. It's only place in the school system would be in a comparative religions "cultural elective" perhaps.

To add to that point, the bible is not a literal historical document. So there is no way outside of an honorable mention to set a time period that the bible should be used for historical reference in relations to grade school history classes.

Originally posted by Mariano

Whilst besmirching the Bible for allegedly commanding rape evilbible.com, for some odd reason, neglects to mention the most relevant biblical text related to the biblical view of and law about rape. Why this omission?

I am very curious about this. Can you please guide me to a link or some other resource where I could verify what this might be? ------- :
"the most relevant biblical text related to the biblical view of and law about rape. "

Thanks.