Required readings would include passages from Old and New Testament for students in middle school
The conservative-majority Texas State Board of Education is considering adding at least 15 passages from the Bible to a required reading list as part of English lessons in public schools – the latest push from conservatives to implement Christianity into school curriculums.
Beginning in middle school, Texas students could be forced to read stories from the Bible including Jonah and the Whale, David and Goliath, and Lamentations 3 in addition to passages such as The Definition of Love from the New Testament, according to the list reported by the New York Times.
The new proposed changes have raised concerns from advocacy groups and academics who believe the changes will teach children a one-sided history lesson and “indoctrinate” students.
What Would Jesus Do? Flip every fucking table on the planet.
Jesus says they are wicked, meanwhile, He promises to kill everybody on Earth who won’t bow to Him.
That’s kinda creepy, don’t you think? His promise is to be the greatest murderer of all time (again)
Time for the Satanic Temple to do its work.
Kids, there’s plenty of verses to read from if you’re called upon. Try this one first:
NIV Ezekiel 23:20 “There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.”
Or how about an abortion ritual?
Me too, thanks.
I was finishing elementary school in the late 1960s, in extreme right wing Anaheim, California. Twice a month, the (public) schools had something called “released time religion.” Two trailers would pull up to school, one for the Catholics and one for the Holy Rollers. The kids whose parents had signed a release would spend the afternoon learning Jesus things. The rest of us were expected to sit quietly, reflecting on our moral inadequacy for not being in the trailer.
As you might imagine, the majority of students who did go to the trailer, took umbrage at those who did not. And even then, I noted that there was nothing for the Jewish or Muslim or Hindu kids.
we had a few things like that back in the 90s when i was in HS. I went to every available one. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan (we actually had a Wiccan club!). It got me out of class and was fun to learn about other cultures.
Based on the law of unintended consequences, this is one of the best inoculations against religion.
It’s the fundamental flaw of Protestant theology. Hand out ten bibles, absent any further religious instructions, and you get ten different religions. Leave people to stew too long and they just start making up their own Apocrypha - a la Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Texas is already a melting pot of faiths, quite a few of which aren’t even Christian. You’re going to be demanding teachers read from the Bible to such a wide range of denominations, all with their own priors as to what any of this stuff means.
Like, as a kid, I remember my dad explaining to me that the Sermon on the Mount and the Loaves and Fishes miracle was a lesson on the power of sharing. Jesus took a bit of bread and fish, passed it among the crowd, and then everyone in the crowd helped to pitch in with what they’d brought for themselves. And in the end they had more than what they began with. I’ve sat in class with people who seriously believe “No, Jesus just magicked up more fish and bread, because DUH it was a miracle”. And that’s firmly within the Christian spectrum. We’re not dragging in Muslims or Hindus or outright born-and-raised Atheists to weigh in.
They need to make them read the entire thing
I grew up in Texas in the 90s, in their public schools and going to church every Sunday. I’d be fine with Christianity if they all actually read the teachings of Christ and acted accordingly. But… Nah…
And even then, if that fantasy were reality, it shouldn’t be forced in public schools
Christ teaches that He will return, and murder EVERY non-Christian across the globe, billions will die. The lake of blood will be miles wide, according to Him, and as deep as a horse’s bridle!
Not only that, the murdered can’t even have peace in death. Christ will banish them all to Hell, for an eternity of torture, with infinite wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Why do you want to teach this? Just wondering
Fair point. I wasn’t really thinking of the book of revelations when I made that comment. Or the concept of hell. I’m agnostic/atheist now and don’t really care what people think the afterlife or end of times may look like (as long as they’re not actively trying to start the apocalypse or some shit). I more meant the teachings about loving your neighbor and feeding the hungry and helping the poor.
Pretty sure he also taught about false prophets and not trying to predict the end of times, but they seem to be ignoring that too, at least the extremists. I’d be on board with people living their daily lives how Christ taught is what I meant.
Do it. Forcing students to read the Bible will create a loooooot more Atheists. Better than “believers” who don’t even know the source material, which is what we have now.
There’s a reason they choose specific passages, and they’ll come with specific interpretations as learning goals.
I mean, that’s what they tried to do with me and my fellow students at my private christian school, but it just raised questions, and when the adults didn’t like our questions it was very insightful. Most of the people I went to school with are no longer evangelicals, in fact I don’t think a single one is.
My kids’ mother’s family are Muslim, so the kids were offered Islamic instruction when they were young. When they were teaching about the 99 prophets who preceded Muhammad, my daughter said “hey, wait a minute, this can’t be right, none of them are women.” So the school called me, I had to take her home from class early, and she never went back.
They also told her that her Barbies had djinn living in them, which she immediately realized was ridiculous.
My other kids also figured it out, but in a lower-profile way.
All my kids were also given the opportunity to be instructed in Christianity and to attend Jewish services, and all but one took that opportunity, but didn’t buy what they were selling either. All are now atheists.
You’re anecdote is nice and all, but it’s an anecdote.
I couldn’t find much data specifically on rates of students of religious schools leaving that religion, but what little data I found says more people stay in the religion when enrolled in religious schools than not.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4621974
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S073805932500238X
Most students in religious schools have very religious parents who indoctrinate them from early childhood, and my anecdotes are different from yours. Few students decide that losing their friends and support system are worth leaving the religion, and remain in it even if they have doubts. The more you force religion to be a part of a person’s social support system, the tighter you hold them in.
I agree that if they start reading and studying it honestly the more disillusioned they’ll become, that’s my personal experience also. But most people in my experience do not have the critical thinking skills or the ability to study independently to come to those conclusions, they rely on the religious text being interpreted for them, and they accept a figure head (priest or pastor or Imam or Rabi) to answer difficult questions and reject anything that makes them “question” their faith, because they’ve been warned about the evil world that will try to get them to question their faith their whole life. They don’t begin engaging critically with counterarguments because religious apologetics give them comfort.
Cult members might be fooled, but cult leaders aren’t stupid, they know what they’re doing. They’re targeting people who aren’t in religious schools, and don’t have religious indoctrination already, so there’s no effect on “leaving” the faith to consider here, any hooked student is a success.
Forcing students to read the Bible will create a loooooot more Atheists.
Forcing students to pretend to be Christian in order to get educational perks and avoid harsh discipline will create a lot more implicit segregation and cliches of Mean Girls who can harass non-confirming students with impunity.
Check out The Third Wave
Like others in here, I have a lot of concerns about indoctrination and separation between religion and government. However, I can see a serious argument for Jonah and the Whale and especially David and Goliath as cultural touchstones that are regularly referenced in modern media. Other stories may be a harder pitch, maybe Cain & Abel?
Yeah, if I set aside my deep seated hatred for religious people undermining the Texas public education system-
I do actually think some of those stories are relevant literature to have read, alongside beowulf, epic of gilgamesh, the Iliad, arthurian legends, etc.
Samson is another but even as a kid it felt very „look how the evil woman he trusted betrayed this godly man“. The Old Testament is full of those.
David and Goliath whitewashes and celebrates a genocide.
Yeah, but those stories are plagiarized along with most things in the Bible.
A more correct way of putting it is that they’re embodiments of far more ancient cultural traditions (none of which were copyrighted, you can’t steal a myth).
none of which were copyrighted, you can’t steal a myth
and wouldn’t
Texastan
Good, the best way to get more atheists is to force students to read the Bible.
it’s ridiculous tripe
Those kids would be furious if they could read.
I just joined Lemmus today. This is the very first post I see and this being my first comment. I think this is gonna be fun.
Welcome!
They gonna be real angry when they get to Leviticus and find out what foods they can’t eat…
Lol, jk they’ll skip the inconvenient sections.
And wait until they find out that their mixed polyester/cotton clothing is an abomination.
One of my own deeply held beliefs is that any religion that bans shellfish and carnitas cannot possibly be divinely inspired.
I don’t know about American politics much but I thougt mockery of Christianity in the Show The boys was just an edgy joke, but holy shit they talking real shit lmao.
Meanwhile I was forced to read Bible by my parents and didn’t really help much rather than fuelling the fire of hate of for a religion being forced on me.
I don’t care what the bible says.
You’ll care when they come after you because of how they interpret some oblique passage.
and we shall fight back against having religion forced on us
there is no freedom of religion without freedom from religion
