PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASSES ON BIBLE ARE FAULTED The majority of Bible courses offered as electives in Texas high schools are devotional and sectarian in nature, not academic, as required by a host of rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court on down, a study says. "With a few notable exceptions, the public school courses currently taught in Texas often fail to meet minimal academic standards for teacher qualifications; curriculum, and academic rigor; promote one faith perspective over all others; and push an ideological agenda that is hostile to religious freedom, science and public education," states a yearlong study by the Austin-based Texas Freedom Network. The 76-page report, titled "Reading, Writing and Religion: Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools," is one of the most ambitious looks ever at the Bible courses that have sprouted up in the nation's public high schools. The findings are sure to reignite a culture war as officials of some districts vowed to stick with their Bible courses as is, regardless of outside criticism, reports Lisa Sandberg. The vast majority of Texas Bible courses, despite their titles, don't teach about the Bible in a historical or literary context, as required under state law. Instead, the electives tend to reflect an almost exclusively Christian (usually Protestant) perspective. The Bible often is presented as being divinely inspired and biblical stories treated as literal history. Most Bible courses in Texas are taught by teachers who have no academic training in biblical, religious or theological studies and, it appears, little familiarity with separation of church-state issues. Some districts bring in local clergy to teach their Bible courses and fund them with private money.
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