Why not?

Excerpted, Stephen Prothero’s argument from The Los Angeles Times, advocating a Bible literacy course for all high school students.

Some have argued against Bible courses in public schools on the theory that they would unconstitutionally “establish” Judeo-Christianity. For Scripture courses to be lawful, this argument goes, teachers must give equal time to all the world’s scriptures, treating the Bible as one scripture among many. But the Bible is of sufficient importance in Western civilization to merit its own course. Treating it no differently from, say, the Zend-Avesta of the Zoroastrians or Scientology’s Dianetics makes no educational sense.

What makes sense is one Bible course for every public high school student in the U.S. This is not a Christian proposal. It does not serve the political left or the political right. It serves our young people and our public life.

What do you think? Would the Bible serve a sufficient purpose in high school to avoid violation of the First Amendment’s establishment clause?

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Dr. Vincent Biondo of the philosophy department, will speak on this subject on Thursday, January 24 at 3:30 p.m. in USU 311.