The Case for Teaching The Bible

[Jiggymike]

I think what was most interesting about the class I am describing (titled: Cultures: Ancient Israel) was that when I was younger and went to Hebrew School, we were taught the Bible as holy doctrine. This class I took basically deconstructed the Old Testament (I had another class that looked at the New Testament but quite different and not nearly as good) and showed us 1) how different people and cultures had influenced it 2) literary analysis of which parts were written by different authors 3) matching up with archaeological evidence to see what could be considered "true" 4) lots of talk about the symbolism of the Bible and what it meant to the people who were writing it, among other things.

All in all, a great class. However a class that public schools are not quite ready for.

[MrMon]

Considering how much the history and culture of Western Civilization is tied in with Christianity, teaching the Bible is probably a good idea just from a fundamentals point of view. And I say that as a diehard agnostic who's never read the Bible, though I certainly went to my share of Sunday school. Having at least a passing knowledge of what's in the book and how it's a source for inspiration and conflict, both in the past and now, actually seems to me a better idea than studying something more "multicultural". The key, of course, is getting it presented warts and all, which wouldn't be easy, but done correctly, the Bible as part of history sounds like a great idea.

As for which version one should use, I think that's obvious - translations of the versions in use at the time of the events being studied. Good News For Modern Man would hardly be appropriate when teaching about the Protestant Reformation, so just simply use whatever version(s) were in use at the time. That's probably going to mean not using any one specific version, so that means a textbook with select passages, but quite frankly, having kids study the highlights seems to me far preferential to having them all carry around bibles in high school, where some could object to the way the book is treated physically.

[LCposter]

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the laws and morality of the Bible (especially Old Testament) again are in direct contradiction to our current legal structure and generally accepted morality.

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Don't accept Dawkins' conclusions as your own so quickly - he writes well, granted - But think about it. There a few examples of where this is the case - however reading the book as a whole shows a very close picture to the Moral Zeitgeist today.

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GodBoy,

It's interested that you concluded I am agreeing with Dawkins - I've actually never read any of his work. Was my choice of wording reminiscent of his writing?

I have a basic grasp of his ideas from the little I've read in the Dawkins and Evolution thread, but that's about it. The statement I made about the disconnect between the Bible (especially Old Testament) and current law and morality is a conclusion I have arrived at completely on my own, based upon passages of the Bible that I have read.

[godBoy]

How funny - yes, the very same argument is made in 'The God Delusion'. I'm sure a lot of his ideas have been thrown around in this forum over the past year - so it doesn't surprise me all that much.

The thing you need to remember is that the bible is an ancient text - it has obviously been preserved 'warts and all' and Dawkins' makes the point that historians cannot judge past actions by our current standard of morals.

I think much of the old testament was written in ways that the people of that time would be able to understand - wether it be relating to myths / stories / cults / religions of that time. You can however study it and learn much about ancient culture and see how morals do indeed change over time.

The New Testament has been one of the books that has largely formed much of our current sense of Morality and Law - It's indisputable. - That being said - The moral zeitgeist can move largely in 2000 years - So I would expect to see some attitudes recorded in it that would quite different to ours today.

[arahant]

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The New Testament has been one of the books that has largely formed much of our current sense of Morality and Law - It's indisputable.

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And by 'indisputable', you mean 'what i'd like to believe', right? Is there ANY evidence that the new testament has influenced our morality and law? You think maybe things like murder were ok before the sweet, kindly Jesus showed up?

pssst....YOU'RE IN A CULT!

[godBoy]

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And by 'indisputable', you mean 'what i'd like to believe', right? Is there ANY evidence that the new testament has influenced our morality and law? You think maybe things like murder were ok before the sweet, kindly Jesus showed up?

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There's such a lack of respect on this forum for theists.
The arrogance of many atheists on this forum is contemptible and it should be obvious to all (the poor oppressed) atheists here that - Theists aren't stupid people, they don't have to use faulty logic and bad reasoning as a last resort in supporting that which is comforting.
Any person here on the forum deserves respect - If you're intolerance wasn't so widely shared I would overlook it.

In response to your crappy response - Jesus is seen by all well-educated, unbiased people as a great leader who's ideals / beliefs have largely formed society' morals and laws - you could start by reading the new testament - 'The message' version is a paraphrase that you might enjoy.

You're an idiot! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] - with utmost respect for your views.

[wtfsvi]

Teaching the bible in high school can't be that bad. It has had and still has tremendous importance to western culture. Not to mention it will give the kids something constructive to rebel against.

[Lestat]

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But - I think that the bible because of it's relevance to the Law / Morals of our society is an especially enriching read.

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What makes you think the bible has significant moral relevance in today's society?

What would you think of a guy who shoots his fiance dead on her father's doorstep after learning she's not a virgin?

[arahant]

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And by 'indisputable', you mean 'what i'd like to believe', right? Is there ANY evidence that the new testament has influenced our morality and law? You think maybe things like murder were ok before the sweet, kindly Jesus showed up?

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There's such a lack of respect on this forum for theists.
The arrogance of many atheists on this forum is contemptible and it should be obvious to all (the poor oppressed) atheists here that - Theists aren't stupid people, they don't have to use faulty logic and bad reasoning as a last resort in supporting that which is comforting.
Any person here on the forum deserves respect - If you're intolerance wasn't so widely shared I would overlook it.

In response to your crappy response - Jesus is seen by all well-educated, unbiased people as a great leader who's ideals / beliefs have largely formed society' morals and laws - you could start by reading the new testament - 'The message' version is a paraphrase that you might enjoy.

You're an idiot! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] - with utmost respect for your views.

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wtf? where is there a lack of respect there? Or any criticism of your logical skills?

I admit that you failed to address the point, but that was only after I posted [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

The bible didn't inspire any moral code that I'm aware of. I've already read the new testament. What is it in the new testament that you think is original in the way of moral guidance?