According to the Religious News Service, the “Museum of the Bible Curriculum” created by Hobby Lobby’s President Steve Green (pictured above) will be beta-tested in Oklahoma’s Mustang Public School district beginning in the Fall of 2014.
Green hopes the program — which will be overseen by Jerry Pattengale, head of the Green Scholars Initiative — will be placed in “hundreds” of high schools by 2016, and “thousands” by 2017. It is a four-year elective course in which students will study the narrative, history, and impact of the Bible on Western Civilization. Because the book is being taught within an academic purview, it does not violate the Establishment Clause of the Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court in Abington School District v. Schempp.
“Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible,” the Court decided, “when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment.”
I actually agree with the judge up to a point.
An elective course that studies the impact of the Bible on Western civilization could be an interesting and informative class.
However since this is coming from the ultra religious Hobby Lobby people, it's goal is far more subversive than simple education about the impact of the book.
“The goal is to show that the impact of this book, when we apply it to our lives, has been good, because it has. So it’s good, and it’s true,” Green said, before moving on to discuss the other section of the curriculum, which would be “the story of the Bible.”
“We’re as ignorant [as] we’ve ever been, would be my argument,” Green said, “because we aren’t teaching it in our schools.”
“That would be the goal,” he continued, “to reintroduce this book to this nation, because it is in danger, because of its ignorance, of what God has taught. There is [sic] lessons of the past that we can learn from the dangers of ignorance of this book. We need to know it, and if we don’t know it, our future is going to be very scary.”
Green also labeled the Bible a "reliable historical document" which is far from the truth as you can get.
In my opinion, if this course is offered in Oklahoma public schools then it opens up the door for a course about Islam, in which the Koran is describes as a "reliable historic document."
Or a course about Sikhism where the Adi Granth is taught as a "reliable historic document."
Or perhaps an elective course that studied the Vedas as a "reliable historic document."
Each and every one of them deserve the same consideration in an academic environment, unless it can be proven, scientifically, that one book is more reliable than another.
And THAT should be the test before this course is introduced into the Oklahoma public school classrooms.
My oldest son attended a Catholic High School. About 1/2 the student population was non- Catholic including him, and they did require a relidion course each year, but the choices always included world religions and cultures. Nothing wrong with that, he liked it and learned a lot. There was nothing sneaky about it and faith wasn't demanded of them. It was taught as information and history.
ReplyDelete"These people" are sneaky and subversive cult members. I wouldn't trust them with a dogcatcher job.
They have no ulterior motive, oh yeah I believe that. Freaks.
Thank god my kids are not being educated in the Republican state of OK! If I lived there, I'd be quickly looking for another job in another state!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat about the Flying Spaghetti Monster? At least we know that flight and spaghetti are well documented!
ReplyDeleteI went to Catholic schools for 12 years and it was in my junior year when we all took a class about religions of the world that I became agnostic. (As late as 7th grade I had thought I was destined to become a nun!) I could see that there were many religions believed by their own followers as fervently as the Catholic religion was by Catholics. And they had some interesting ideas no more outlandish than what I had been taught of the Catholic religion. My favorite was Taoism.
ReplyDeleteI might also add that it was at this very Catholic high school that all seniors were taught all methods of birth control in religion class, no less! During our junior year, one of the cheerleaders was impregnated by the football team captain and we just couldn't have that! (In the infinite wisdom of the Catholic church, she was forced to leave school.)
I might also add that the Catholic priest principal of this school at the time left the priesthood a few years later to pursue an acting/modeling career in New York City. I know this is true because I saw him in an ad in an educational magazine and in a role as an extra in "Tootsie." There was also a rumor that he himself had impregnated a cheerleader in the class a year ahead of me, but whether that's more than a rumor, I don't know.
but whether that's more than a rumor, I don't know.
DeleteYeah hard to believe that could have ever happened...a priest and a cheerleader.
The pregnant cheerleader was forced to leave school. But the football team captain who impregnated her was allowed to stay? Grrr.
DeleteMy sibling lives in OKC and makes their living off of the crazy religious people down there. They don't mind "pretending" as long as the check clears.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that there is nothing wrong with having an elective class studying the Bible.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that if this is deemed constitutional, that classes covering other religions will be offered, and the Christians will lose their minds, once again completely blindsided by the concept that other religious texts, as well as the ideas of Atheism should get the same consideration as theirs.
What with so many people converting to the Pagan faiths in the U.S. over the last 30 years or so, students really need an overview of modern American Paganism.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the time when I was on a school board and one of the directors wanted to have a class about Bethlehem and Christmas. He pointed out that people worship the Pagan gods to this day, which of course is true. It's taught as mythology and stories about the gods because the ancient people were so ignorant they invented gods and their myths to explain the world to themselves. And Greco-Roman mythology is a part of a standard education. I asked him if he planned to teach Christmas as stories invented by the ignorant to explain the world to the peasants? Because I thought that would probably piss off large numbers of our community members. And then he dropped the subject.
My 2 kids read the bible as literature in their HS AP English class. Although neither were particularly religious (they were brought up as Jews), they both said reading the bible made them atheists! Bright kids...
ReplyDelete“The goal is to show that the impact of this book, when we apply it to our lives, has been good, because it has. So it’s good, and it’s true,” Green said, before moving on to discuss the other section of the curriculum, which would be “the story of the Bible.”
ReplyDelete~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
bull fuking shit !! brainless koch_suker's
"Selling cheap, tacky shit made with child & slave labor under inhumane, unsafe conditions and imported from Malaysia, Bangladesh and China is our main business, but if we can sell religion to uneducated, superstitious people, too, it makes just good, plain business sense. Cuz selling religious crap to stupid people is even easier and more profitable."
Delete~ Steve Green, President, Hobby Lobby
Hey you guys, I'll bet you think you live in a 'democracy'. Think again.
ReplyDeleteMajor Study Finds The US Is An Oligarchy
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/major-study-finds-that-the-us-is-an-oligarchy-2014-4#ixzz2z5fBf0D2
really ?!?
Deletewhere've you been ?
we've been more than tilting that way for more than a little while ..
Did you catch the 'four year elective course' part? 4 years? Think of what classes those kids are not getting...foreign languages, music, phys ed, AP classes of all sorts...you don't need 4 YEARS to teach a non-religious class on the Bible. I hope this fails, but it is OK..yet another state to avoid.
ReplyDeleteThey've probably replaced social studies with the Bible class. It's one thing to offer a genuine "religions of the world" kind of class as part of the social studies program but we all know that the idea behind this is fake Christian proselytizing. Besides, who at Hobby Lobby knows anything about education or how to teach?
DeleteBeaglemom
Good lord almighty, OK is going to hell in a handbasket.
ReplyDeleteScorpie
If taught as a piece of literature or as part of a comparative religion class then it's fine. However, these people will undoubtedly present it as a historical/scientific (non-fiction) textbook.
ReplyDeleteOne more reason for future employers to be extra cautious about hiring, and colleges extra cautious about accepting, graduates of the Oklahoma public school system.
Thanks for the illustration- NOW I get it. Hobby Lobby sells just this sort of crap. Probably expecting to make a killing on fake pearls, "gold" metal jewelry-crafting items and what looks like a weirdo decoupage Egyptian doll/mummy. I'm sure they are rolling out the "art kits" so children can make bible-inspired pictures and costumes conforming to the class lessons.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the above kitschy doo-dads are made in (Communist!) China, where abortion is mandated by the state.
Wild (gag me with a faux spoon) Tortoise
I have a much better idea for Hobby Lobby. The owner is so deeply religious, and he wants anyone who works for Hobby Lobby to follow his religious belief. regarding birth control, for example.I suggest that Hobby Lobby make it a daily practice to have all of the employees meet for a short period before work begins and again, after work is over to pray. They would be praying for good business in the AM, and thanking God for the business in the evening prayer.
ReplyDeleteThen, Hobby Lobby should be playing religious music in all their stores, and post religious images, prayers, crosses, statues of saints in all their stores. Every hour, there should be a short prayer session offered over the loudspeaker for everyone in the store, whether they want a sermon or a prayer or not, whether they practice that religion or not. Go ahead, Hobby Lobby, and run your brand of religion through your store from morning to night, day after day, and lets see if your sales increase or decrease. Let's see if more people are attracted to Hobby Lobby or turned off by their religiosity. I dare them to try it.
"Then, Hobby Lobby should be playing religious music in all their stores,"
ReplyDeleteThey already do. Listen to the background music closely next time and you'll probably recognize familiar church music.
I'm ok with it as long as the religious books of others are included and there's a four year elective exemption for non believers. And the Religions taught "pitch in" and pay for electricity, heat, air conditioning, textbook, etc. How, exactly, did the four year period come to be? Aren't most electives two years or less?
ReplyDeleteMustang, OK is suburb of OKC, OK. The racial makeup of the city was 91.63% White, 0.59% African American, 3.33% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 3.08% from two or more races. 3.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Source: 2000 Census.
ReplyDeleteReckon they got any teabaggers in this area that was "Indian Territory" until less than 125 years ago?
Yes, Bible history...
ReplyDeleteThese guys, the brothers of the House of Israel, threw their little brother Joe into a dry well because Joe was kind of an asshole (they didn't like him because he was such a little tattle-tale).
Some nomads came along and pulled Joe out of the well and took him along with them to Egypt where the Pharaoh made Joe an important person (because Joe could interpret dreams).
There was a drought in Israel so all of Joe's brothers voluntarily left their homes and came down to Egypt and set up camp there.
Eventually the evil Pharaoh made all the Jews slaves so a great Jewish leader, Moses (who could do magic), rose up and led them on an escape.
It took them 40 years to get back to The Promised Land, even though it's only about 250 miles - about the distance from New York City to Boston.
But while they were wandering around God gave Moses the Ten Commandments that were written on stone tablets. When Moses showed up back at camp with his new tablets, the people had already made some graven images so Moses thew a FIT and broke the tablets. Well, everyone was sorry so they made an ark (a nice box) to put the pieces of the tablets in and said they'd continue to follow Moses some more.
Once they got "home" they gleefully murdered many people that lived there.
Some places they murdered every man, woman, child and even all the domestic animals and pets - because God told them to - because their god was the god of Love...
But some of the people living in the area - that's right, even though they knew better since they, themselves had just come from bondage -- they enslaved many of the people they conquered.
They made them slaves.
And treated them horribly...
...Because their god was the god of LOVE.
See? Isn't bible history FUN?
Coming up...
David fights a giant and has a homosexual relationship with Jonathon (a boy)... Dave gets the hots for Michal (a girl) but her dad (King Saul) wants 100 foreskins (to make a scarf that turns into a blanket when you rub it?) but David likes gathering foreskins so much he brings 200!
Solomon takes hundreds of wives as well as having a harem with hundreds of women he just liked to have sex with, but didn't like them quite enough to marry...
They made fun laws like Deuteronomy 25:11-12, if a guy gets into a fight and his wife tries to cut off his assailants nuts, she gets her hand cut off: don't touch the junk, ladies! Oh, and by the way - no one who has had his balls cut off can enter the church anymore either, sorry guys.
And the story of Tobit, where a guy falls for a girl that has a demon living in her hoo-hah! - that, when he puts in it her, the demon bites the end of the dick of her husband on their wedding night and kills him! It's only happened seven times so far, when Toby marries her... (I left out the parts where his dad goes blind because a sparrow shit in his eyes and the time a fish tried to eat Toby's foot...)
Oh, yes - they really SHOULD be teaching this stuff in school.
I could on...
Hey! Perhaps I should write the textbook!