The buzz word in some Christian setting is should the Bible be made a textbook, since it is a part of history. The Bible was here before Christopher Columbus, before Lincoln, and before Elvis Presley. All these people have been written about in history books. So, why can't the oldest book possibly known to man be fashioned into a history textbook and offered as a course in grade schools?
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Name : Rhonda, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 42, City : Knoxville, State : TN Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, You're absolutely right. It should and since we're going to go there I think that other similar textbooks should be added as well. Paganism for example was here long before the Bible. In your view history is history so we should also include that as well and if we're going to go there we need a book on Jews, the Buddha, and and and. Again America is a place of free religion so how can it be right to single out just one to be noticed when America is full of so many?
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Name : Heather, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : Fybromyalgia & Raynaud's, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 31, City : Somewhere, State : WV Country : United States, Occupation : Disabled-medical, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Middle class, First, the Bible is not the oldest book known to man. Second, the reason it is not used as a textbook is that, as a piece of ancient Jewish folklore, it contains many absurdities and historical inaccuracies. Therefore, teaching it as fact would lead to more ignorance in the world. That's why educators generally use more criteria when choosing texts than whether or not the book predates Elvis Presley.
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Name : Rochelle28665, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Methodist, City : Williston, State : ND Country : United States, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Lower middle class, While we're on the subject, why don't we remake Grimm's Fairy Tales and Mother Goose into 'history' books and force feed them to kids as 'fact' as well...
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Name : Ann L. Lowenstein, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Animist, Age : 37, City : K.C., State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : Administrative Assistant, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, It is hardly the oldest known book. I beleive the 'Pali Canon' and certain other religious texts from Hinduism and Buddhism predate it. There are also old scrolls from certain places like the library of Alexandria.
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Name : Drew28712, Gender : M, City : Toronto, State : NA Country : Canada, You're correct, the Bible is older than Lincoln, Christopher Columbus, and Elvis, but so are several great works such as The Odyssey, (much older than the Bible in fact). In that way, the Bible can be used in literature classrooms as a 'great work'. Still, while Christians may take the Bible to be historically accurate, many in the nation do not and as such, it cannot be considered in curriculum as a history text. Even among Christians some take the Bible literally and some contextually. In the same way, if this were a predominantly Muslim country, a Christian may not accept the Koran as historically accurate. In any context, the Bible in grade schools crosses the line between church and state and it is that line that defends the religious freedoms of all religions in this country.
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Name : Meghan, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 26, City : Portland, State : OR Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I am currently engaged in a public education system that is 95 percent Catholic and that treats the Bible as a textbook. This situation desperately needs undoing, as it is intolerant to anyone who has their own opinions and it flies in the face of modern science, something an education system ought to promote. Therefore, I say that no way should the Bible become a textbook in your schools as it only serves to alienate large numbers of pupils.
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Name : Nelaosjk, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 15, City : Dublin, State : NA Country : Ireland, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, Hell no! What you seem to be overlooking is that all those people you mentioned are real people, who lived real lives, and left behind solid evidence to their lives. We actually know how they lived and what they did for a fact. The Bible, on the other hand is, as far as I'm concerned, a work of fiction. They could certainly offer it as a course in high school that looked into the supposed lives of the prophets and referenced the Bible with known historical facts, and to be honest I'd probably take that course. But very little of the Bible is known fact, and therefore cannot be taught as fact, especially in elementary or junior-high as a required class. Parents would be outraged and might even have to transfer their kids to a different school. What you propose is simply preposterous.
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Name : Erika, Gender : F, Religion : Atheist, Age : 15, City : allyn, State : WA Country : United States, In my freshman English class, we read the first chapter of Genesis. You can make them read the Bible all you want, it is a matter of how it is presented. We read it as a piece of literature, to get a background on the history of writing and the culture of areas. It was not presented as fact or something we should follow. It was merely a study of a culture's beliefs.
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Name : Nadège, Gender : F, Age : 16, City : Peoria, State : AZ Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, The Bible has as much evidence to back it up as Intelligent Design, namely none. As conservative Christians attempt to recreate the circumstances around the Scopes Monkey trial, they are also confusing the general public with what it means to be a scientific theory. They are using the meaning of the word in everyday life to describe intelligent design, which is as scientific as a theory that states that tomorrow all the grilled cheeses in the world are going to become sentient and animate, and rise up and kill us all, after which they will create a new world order and there shall be peace and proseperity for millenia to come.
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Name : J-Bartholoma28705, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 16, City : Bloomfield Hills, State : MI Country : United States, I do not think the Bible should be made into a textbook. However, I do believe there should be a Bible class in every school. Since our country was founded on a Christian basis, I feel everyone should be familiar with the Bible.
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Name : Mary28731, Gender : F, City : Jacksonville, State : MS Country : United States, I would hate to undermine your passionate efforts, but I must point out that a lot of the Bible is historically accurate. Though indeed we both hold biases and we can't be impartial, we must look at the facts and act accordingly. The parting of the Red Sea: Chariots and armor were found at the bottom of that sea that dates to Moses's time. Fall of Jerusalem: So much evidence and testimony apart from Scriptures exist that it is nauseating. Resurrection of Jesus: There is more evidence apart from the Bible that Jesus rose from the dead than Napolean losing at the Battle of Waterloo.
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Name : Alex-DeLuna, Gender : M, Age : 19, City : San Ramon, State : CA Country : United States, I do not believe that the Bible should be treated as a textbook. A text book gains authority through careful and tedious research and citations to other credible sources. The Bible can offer no such backing. Some parts of it may possibly be proven through comparing it to texts that were dated as being written at the same time or research in the present day, but this is not sufficient data to use it as a text book. I believe in the words of the Bible because of my faith, which does not need citations or research. But to expect members of an academic community (even that of an elementary school classroom) to believe a text without documentation is just poor scholarship.
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Name : Colleen28852, Gender : Female, Religion : Lutheran, City : Salem, State : VA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Religion is a personal choice. To try and make one person's beliefs everyone's by forcing it to become part of a curriculum is not only wrong but would definitely have catastrophic consequences. In the words of George Carlin, 'Keep thy religion to yourself'
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Name : T28890, Gender : Male, Age : 21, City : Middletown, State : CT Country : United States, They already have world religions classes in many high schools. These classes are broad and cover more than one religion, Christianity, Islam, the Jews, and so on. This is a good class if you want to know more about religion and it is an elective and therefore optional to be taken. I say that if the students want to learn more in depth about one or more of the religions I say let them. Have classes about the Bible, the Torah, the Koran, whatever the holy book is. They would be electives and completely optional so just because you're an atheist it doesn't mean you should be able to say these kids can't learn about something that they want to learn about, and just because I'm a Christian it doesn't mean I can say you're wrong or that any other religion is.
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Name : DaneR, Age : 19, City : Jacksonville, State : FL Country : United States, 
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