The Bible to be Taught in Alabama Public Schools

By Earl Hunsinger

Today, it is an object of controversy. Yet this is nothing new. For centuries it has been criticized and picked apart. There was a time when even those that claimed to represent it would put you to death just for owning a copy. In spite of this, it is the most widely translated, printed, and distributed book in the history of mankind. In whole or in part it is available in over 2,300 languages. It has been used, and misused, by billions of people over thousands of years. As a result, it has changed the course of history. As one writer once said about Jesus Christ, whose teachings are contained in this book, "All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever were built, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has this one solitary personality."

The book, of course, is the Bible. It is an object of controversy in many places, specifically in the United States, because many have become very sensitive to any connection between religion and government. Because the founding fathers of the United States were fleeing from the kind of religious oppression that can result from a state-sponsored religion, they were very careful to ensure that their new government stayed out of religion. The first amendment to the U.S. constitution specifically prohibits congress from making laws "respecting an establishment of religion," or that prohibit the free exercise of religion. In recent years many have used this guarantee of freedom of religion in the opposite way, not only demanding the right to be irreligious themselves, but petitioning the courts to ensure that religion and religious symbols, including the Bible, are never connected in any way with government.

Yet even if a person prefers to have no religion at all, hates religion and religious people, or actively campaigns against religion, it’s hard to deny the effect that religion, and specifically the Bible, has had on mankind and the history of the world. Even Karl Marx recognized the power of religion, calling it the opium of the people. To ignore the influence of the Bible because you disagree with it is like ignoring communism because you disagree with it.

Apparently recognizing this influence, in 2007 Alabama became the first state in the U. S. to approve a textbook for teaching a course about the Bible in its public schools. The textbook is called The Bible and Its Influence. Although it was first published in 2005 and had already been used in schools in 35 other states, the approval by the Alabama State Board of Education means that it can now be purchased with state funds. The textbook is 392 pages long, has color illustrations, and can be used for either a single semester course or a full-year course.

The Bible and Its Influence was designed to avoid any accusation that it promotes a particular religion or way of life. It approaches a discussion of the Bible from the standpoint of its influence on art, literature, music, philosophy, and political culture. Because of this, its use is opposed by some fundamentalists, who feel that the impact of the word of God is diluted by this type of secular approach. In an attempt to make it constitutionally acceptable, the authors have purposely treated the Bible like any other literary work. As such, it is easy to see that the textbook could be considered an example of the higher criticism that began a couple of hundred years ago. Thus some fear that it could destroy faith. Not surprisingly, other critics of the textbook include secularists, who argue that it violates the First Amendment. Ironically, they feel that it could be used to proselytize.

Has the action taken in Alabama set a precedent for other states? Perhaps, but because of the way the curriculum selection process is set up in some states, in many cases the question won’t even arise for several years.

Should the Bible be taught in public schools? That’s not for me to say. However, considering its place in history, it would seem to be difficult to consider oneself educated without some knowledge of the Bible, as many prominent men have recognized.

U.S. President John Adams called the Bible "the best Book in the world."
The early American Statesman Fisher Ames said that "No one ever became, or can become truly eloquent without being a reader of the Bible, and an admirer of the purity and sublimity of its language."
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt felt that "A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education."
U.S. President Herbert Hoover stated: "The study of the Bible is a post-graduate course in the richest library of human experience."
And the American educator William Lyon Phelps once said: "I thoroughly believe in a university education for men and women, but I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the Bible."

The Bible itself says that it is "alive and exerts power." Like anything with power, it has been misused over the centuries, for purposes that its author never intended. This has caused many to hate it. Yet, like it or not, the Bible is an integral part of the history of the world. Whether we believe that teaching it in public schools is a violation of the first amendment or not, we would do well to ask ourselves, do I personally know what it says?