Bible Curriculum
"In what light soever we regard the Bible, whether with reference to revelation, to history, or to morality, it is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue." ~John Quincy Adams
About the issue:
In classrooms all over the world, students study such works as Shakespeare's Hamlet, John Milton's Paradise Lost, and Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper". All of these well-known and loved classic masterpieces contain Biblical allusions and references. That is why Liberty Institute has worked to encourage schools to offer instruction on the Bible's historical and literary value.
Not only does teaching about the Bible's impact on literature, culture, and history give students and academic edge, The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy insists that such teaching should be an important part of the educational experience: "No one in the English-speaking world can be considered literate without a basic knowledge of the Bible... The Bible is also essential for understanding many of the moral and spiritual values of our culture, whatever our religious beliefs."
In two separate opinions, the Supreme Court of the United States has affirmed the academic advantage of Bible instruction:
"[I]t might well be said that one's education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization. It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities. Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment," School Dist. of Abington Township v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203, 225 (1963)(June 17, 1963)
The "study of religions and of the Bible from a literary and historic viewpoint, presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, need not collide with the First Amendment's prohibition..." Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97, 106 (1968)(November 12, 1968)
What We're Doing:
In 2007, Liberty Institute successfully helped to push legislation through the Texas Legislature that requires public schools to offer instruction on the Bible's impact on history and culture. Additionally, with help from Liberty Institute, the Texas State Board of Education passed Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards that define the Bible curriculum that should be taught either in an elective Bible course or implemented into existing history and literature courses.
Also in 2007, Liberty Institute's legal team represented a West Texas school district against an ACLU attempt to shut down a Bible course in the school district.
