High School Credit for Off-Campus Bible Education

According to the South Carolina newspaper, The State, 6500 students leave their high school campuses each year and learn about the Bible and Ten Commandments for credit, each year. A 1952 court ruling stipulated that it was constitutional for students to leave campus and take part in religious education. Should students be allowed to study the Bible and Ten Commandments for public high school credit?

The Bible is the best selling book of all time. It stands as a part of the foundation of Western Civilization. Christians, Jews and Muslims look to the Bible as a sacred text. It has exerted a huge influence in the course of world history. Much of Western literature contains references, both direct and suttle, to the Bible. Not only should high school students be allowed to study the Bible, they should be required to study the Bible. For individuals who do not understand the Bible simply cannot grasp much of Western culture.

However, there is a great difference between studying the Bible as a literary text and studing the Bible as a religious document. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution specifically prohibits the United States Congress, or any state, from making any law that either promotes a specific religion or impedes any religion. American public schools should not offer classes that promote any specific understandings of the Bible.

Students of all religions should be permitted to take any high school course. Every religion has its own particular understandings of the Bible. If a particular class encouraged students to undertand the Bible from any specific perspective, the class would simultaneously discourage students from accepting other perspectives. Certainly, this should not be permitted. The South Carolina newspaper states that students are taking religious education courses. It is utterly inappropriate for students to do this. Today's Court should rule any laws that permit this unconstitutional.

As a teacher I know that students can glean incredible ideas from studying great works of literature, like the Bible. I also know that students can be made to feel uncomfortable if their own political or religious views are dismissed as inappropriate. American educators must seek to welcome all students into our classes and help these students develop the skills to celebrate their own heritages and ideas. The Bible should be taught as a literary text but not as a religious text.