Pirate's Cove

If anything should bring the ACLU out of the woodwork, well, other than protecting Islamic Jihadis, and cause a full Force 10 freekout, this should

The school year is almost here, and if literature of the Bible is not already offered in your child’s school, it will be this fall.

Books are a common sight in classrooms around the nation, but the Bible is one book that is not. Come this fall, a Texas law says all public schools must offer information relating to the Bible in their curriculum.    

“By the end of the year, what they begin to realize is that it is pervasive. You can’t get away from it. The kids came back and were like ‘It’s everywhere,'” said John Keeling, the social studies chair at Whitehouse High School. Whitehouse already offers a Bible elective. “The purpose of a course like this isn’t even really to get kids to believe it, per se, it is just to appreciate the profound impact that it has had on our history and on our government.”

The law actually passed in 2007, but this will be the first school year it is enforced because the bill says, “The provisions of this act pertaining to a school district do not take effect until the 2009-2010 school year.”

Personally, I find this a toughy. If it is taught more as a history or a sociology course, hey, that’s great. I have always thought that religion should be taught by the parents and the church, though. But, hey, I went to a private school which had mandatory vespers and some religious teaching, and quite a few other folks went to schools where religion is taught. The vast majority of us turned out fine. Interesting how most killers and assassins tend to be left leaners who really do not have a notion of God, though, eh? 

People with a strong notion of morality and God will still have failings, as they are human. But, at least they have a moral center, of which the Bible provides.

So far, it looks like the courts have decided that the law is legal, and in compliance with the Texas State Constitution. The most specific part would be Sections 6 and 7 of their Bill Of Rights

Sec. 6. FREEDOM OF WORSHIP. All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences. No man shall be compelled to attend, erect or support any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry against his consent. No human authority ought, in any case whatever, to control or interfere with the rights of conscience in matters of religion, and no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious society or mode of worship. But it shall be the duty of the Legislature to pass such laws as may be necessary to protect equally every religious denomination in the peaceable enjoyment of its own mode of public worship.

As long as the it is not being taught as a religious class, and forced worship, the law is in compliance.

Sec. 7. APPROPRIATIONS FOR SECTARIAN PURPOSES. No money shall be appropriated, or drawn from the Treasury for the benefit of any sect, or religious society, theological or religious seminary; nor shall property belonging to the State be appropriated for any such purposes.

That is one which, when stretched, could get the law in trouble, but, so far, no challenge has voided the law, and why in the heck am I giving the ACLU ideas?

Oh, and for those who want to quote the 1st Amendment of the Constitution at me, well, it doesn’t apply. The 1st applies to the Federal government, not to any State governments.  What is the first word in it?

Anyhow, it is good to see an American school providing a context for Christianity, rather than for things like Muslim week.

More: Oops. Looks like Excitable Chucky doesn’t actually understand what the 1st Amendment of the United States Bill Of Rights actually means. And, of course, in his Progressive World, everyone who preaches Christianity is a fundamentalist wackjob.

Little Green Footballs 2.0 catches The Daily Kosbats going kosbatty.