[Vision2020] Boise Man Seeks to Put Bible Education in Idaho Schools

[Sue Hovey]

Great idea.  I'll teach it.  I had a  high school Bible class once...It was 
taught by a wonderful man, our Southern Baptist pastor, and I hung on every 
word he said. I recall he told the one Catholic in the class he didn't have 
to believe everything in the lectures, but he needed to take notes so he 
could give the correct answers on the quizzes.   Then I went off to Baylor 
University and learned a lot more about the Bible (King James version, 
naturally)--especially the New Testament. I know for a fact that Jesus 
didn't turn water into the drink we know as wine--it was more like Kool Aid. 
(Remember, we didn't dance at Baylor either.)   I'd have a bit of problem 
teaching the Bible as "the greatest book ever written," as I've read quite a 
few books with considerably more literary merit--(I'm thinking Huckleberry 
Finn.)  It couldn't be taught as fiction--that would antagonize 
fundamentalists, or as history--historians would bring suit, or as science 
(well maybe in Idaho).  And in high school I'd probably decide not to deal 
with Song of Solomon, or the admonition to burn witches (high school 
students sometimes have a bit of trouble with inference:  "if witches tend 
to be female, then females tend to be teachers, therefore teachers tend to 
be witches--we'll use the homecoming bonfire."

Even with my credentials, fundamentalist parents would consider me not a 
good choice. They would be correct.   And of course we couldn't have a 
Jewish teacher--no New Testament; or an athiest or agnostic, or even a 
deist--not religious enough.  An LDS?  Heavens, they'd probably use the Book 
of Mormon as a supplemental text.  A Jehovah's Witness--thank goodness 
they'd refuse, but they'd want to distribute their literature.  Not a 
Unitarian either, everyone just knows they don't have a good handle on 
belief.  Even the  KKK, when they burned crosses in the South, planted 
question marks ? in the yards of Unitarians.

Seriously,  even as an elective course, an appropriate and historically 
accurate teaching of the Bible as literature would be impossible.  Perhaps 
it caused limited damage in my little homogeneous hometown of  50 years ago, 
but even though we had a wonderful, compassionate, intelligent teacher, he 
was unable to distance himself from doctrine.  And he would have faulted 
himself as a minister had he done so.  I think a serious, intelligent 
teacher would be equally incapable of designing a curriculum which would be 
inoffensive to the students who might elect that high school class.  And if 
it were, I doubt it would be worth the students' time.

When you are offered the chance to sign that petition, think about it, and 
then refuse.

Sue Hovey


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
To: "Moscow Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 8:21 AM
Subject: [Vision2020] Boise Man Seeks to Put Bible Education in Idaho 
Schools


> Courtesy of today's (June 22, 2009) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
> Boise man seeks to put Bible education in Idaho schools
> Petition supports ballot initiative allowing non-sectarian study of the 
> Bible
> By Halley Griffin, Daily News staff writer
>
> Chuck Seldon is a man on a mission.
>
> The Boise resident is working hard to bring Bible study back to public
> schools in Idaho, in the form of elective history or literature classes.
>
> "We have a year and a half to get 51,000 signatures, and then it goes on
> the ballot and we've got the Bible back into the public schools," said
> Seldon, 77, a retired educator and founder of Our Godly American Heritage,
> a group working to bring Bible curriculum back into public schools.
>
> He must gather at least 51,000 signatures from registered Idaho voters to
> get the initiative on the 2010 general election ballot.
>
> The initiative would add a section of Idaho Code authorizing school boards
> to offer an elective Bible course in public secondary schools.
>
> The proposed statute reads, "Recognizing that the United States Supreme
> Court declared in Abington v. Schempp (1963) that '(t)he Bible is worth of
> study for its literary and historic qualities' and that 'such study of the
> Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as a part of a secular
> program of education' is consistent with the First Amendment of the United
> States Constitution, it shall be lawful for any local school board in
> Idaho to allow for elective Bible course curricula to be approved and
> offered in its public secondary schools."
>
> The Idaho Constitution states that "no sectarian or religious tenets or
> doctrines shall ever be taught in the public schools," but Seldon says the
> proposed statute forbids the endorsement of sectarian or denominational
> doctrine in the elective classes.
>
> Seldon and his wife "left the public schools in 1973 because we didn't
> like the direction they were going, and so we started setting up Christian
> schools around the world," he said.
>
> Seldon said he first heard of the National Council on Bible Curriculum in
> Public Schools, another group pushing for Bible curriculum in public
> schools, when he moved to Idaho to retire.
>
> The group's Web site claims its Bible curriculum has been voted into 487
> school districts in 38 states to date.
>
> Seldon said he got very excited when he learned about the project and
> decided to dedicate the rest of his life to the cause.
>
> "There's hope for our public schools. The greatest book ever written, and
> it's not in the public schools? It's amazing," he said.
>
> University of Idaho student Kate Carlson said she supports Seldon's
> project, and would willingly add her signature to the petition.
>
> "I am Christian and I fully believe in religious education," she said.
> "And not making people do it, but giving them the option. I definitely
> think it would be a good thing."
>
> Moscow resident Sharon Andres agreed.
>
> "I think that would be great," she said. "They throw everything else at
> the kids."
>
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
> Comments?
>
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
>
> "The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
> and the Realist adjusts his sails."
>
> - Unknown
>
>
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