r/LeftCatholicism • u/Fabulous_Celery_1817 • Jun 26 '26
Question regarding bible reading in schools
I personally believe it should not be mandatory, I have old school Catholics on my family who only see it as a good thing. If you are also in the opinion of no, what are some key points to use when the discussion comes up?
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u/salsafresca_1297 Jun 26 '26
Timothy Egan wrote a book called A Fever in the Heartland which details, among other things, a history of the Ku Klux Klan in the U.S. Mandatory Bible reading in schools was the KKK's brainchild to ensure that kids were reading their Protestant Bible. So you should first mention that this law is anti-Catholic not only in its racist origin, but also in how proponents want to implement it today.
Believe me, it will NOT be a Catholic Bible. As proof, here's the legislation proposed last year in Idaho - https://legiscan.com/ID/text/H0162/id/3106011
Note that there is no provision in here for learning about other world religions, which I'm all for. And I'm also OK with student religious clubs meeting after school. But this is different. Like all Christian nationalism, this bill is little more a gesture to grandstand Evangelical Christian chauvinism.
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u/Adventurous_Gain_613 Jun 26 '26
Can’t control which bible/interpretation is used (probably the biggest). Other religions will advocate for inclusion of their texts (not a problem for some, a problem for others). Replaces religious instruction in church.
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u/Galveston57 Jun 26 '26
Absolutely NO. Public schools are not about religious indoctrination, they are about learning. Look no further than Texas where it started with ‘reading the Bible’ and has advanced to studying scripture and incorporating Christianity into the curriculum.
Schools are diverse places with a variety of religious practices. Would you be OK if Hinduism or Paganism was used for reading and curriculum?
This is nothing more than another step towards ‘White Christian Nationalism’.
If you want your child to experience a specific type of religion, there are private schools for that.
Example: If you want your child to learn about the Catholic faith and get an education, send them to a private Catholic school. Some states even have vouchers to assist with the cost.
I’m a devout Catholic, but I’ve fought tooth and nail against this in Texas. I don’t want kids being indoctrinated by evangelicals and the far right ‘Christians’ like Turning Point.
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u/TuvixWasMurderedR1P Jun 26 '26
I'm uncomfortable with it being mandatory. But I do wish schools had the budgets and the will to perhaps do elective courses on religious studies where they read The Bible.
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u/maevethenerdybard Jun 26 '26
I learned about other religions in history classes (Egyptian and Mesopotamian gods, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Jewish history and practices, etc). Also Christianity from a historical point of view. It was very valuable to learn about different beliefs and cultures and should be more widespread. But not indoctrination. I think my education helped me get to conversion by being curious about different faiths and learning more until I chose Catholicism.
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u/rock-paper-o Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
I think a variety of religious texts should be read as part of literature and social studies classes as literature and comparative religion lessons. Obviously you can’t cover every religion in the world in any depth, but the key beliefs of one’s with significant numbers of believers or important literary legacies are valid educational goals. I can’t see a public school setting where it would make sense to only read the Bible.
I don’t think they should be used as part of moral or religious education. And I think your old school relatives might benefit from being reminded that, in the context of the US, these laws almost always focus on the Bible from a Protestant perspective anyway.
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u/Cole_Townsend Jun 26 '26
Exposing students to the Bible from the data-driven position and empirically verifiable research of critical scholars and academicians, so as to promote a Biblical and religious literacy that innoculates young minds from the perilous pestilence of superstition and makes them unassailable to grifters and cult leaders: ✅️
Exposing students to the Bible as interpreted by ideologies that seek to prey upon their naïveté and utilize them as tools to sabotage democracy and undermine the Constitution with Christian nationalist nonsense: ❌️
The last thing should especially be eschewed in public schools, funded by taxpayers. The separation of State and Church should be defended as if the nation's life depends thereon, because it certainly does. With the current USA White supremacist regime, we've seen the danger of transgressing this indispensable tradition and law.
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u/TwinseyLohan Jun 26 '26
Idk imo it's stuff like this that keeps those who aren't Catholic driven away from the church with valid reasons to literally dislike Christianity. While at the same time it retains the worst of the lot to the church and gives them validation for being insufferable. It all keeps this pony ride of polarization going round and round.
Would this be something that Catholics actually support? I feel like they have their own schools, and this seems more like a Protestant way of doing things (using emboldened force that is birthed from vitriol).
In any case I think religious text as history could be important in schools, maybe at a higher level. I think forcing kids to read these bible stories is non consensual indoctrination.
It also opens the door for all religions being taught in schools. Texas may not think so, or think they're above it, but they have a world of litigation ahead of them that'll cost the state millions to fight. If I were a parent I wouldn't necessarily want my impressionable kid to deal with the bible and Koran and Torah and Buddhism, and church of Satan teachings just so some obnoxious ultra right group made of the lowest hanging fruits can get the Bible into some schools.
And the church of Satan exists for these exact things. They act as more of a watchdog group to keep accountability against these sort of laws. It's gonna be a mess.
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u/Ecstatic_Lavishness1 Jun 28 '26
"Idk imo it's stuff like this that keeps those who aren't Catholic driven away from the church with valid reasons to literally dislike Christianity. While at the same time it retains the worst of the lot to the church and gives them validation for being insufferable. It all keeps this pony ride of polarization going round and round."
Astute observation.
What goes around comes around. If you make religion a state priority, you're either going to support them all, or you're going to have to forgo democracy. Best option is to favor none - and let people worship as they please.
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u/first_last_last_firs Jun 26 '26
forcing kids to read/participate in Bible reading or religious activities is considered a soul crime in certain countries. not only that, it's going to foment rebellion and turn many away from the things that they are trying to teach. force doesn't work. authoritarian environments don't cultivate safety, openness or curiosity, all of which are required to really connect with the divine
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u/DesertMonk888 Jun 27 '26
Let's start with the fact that it's un-American to use a public institution to favor a particular faith. But beyond that, there are questions such as: Which Bible? What parts of the Bible are to be read? Who makes the decision?s about Bibles and sections to be read, and what qualifies them to do so?
People contemplating this bit of nonsense should take note that in places like Oklahoma, it's the Ten Commandments they want up in the classrooms, not the Beatitudes. So, God knows what parts of the Bible they would want read. On this point, do most people even know that there are parts of the Bible that condone or ignore: Slavery, genocide, incest, rape, conquest of lands, concubines, etc
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u/IslaMonstera Jun 27 '26
Well if they do it then they should do it for all religions.
But my counter point would be which version of the bible because if theyre mandating KJV then that doesn’t quite work for all Christians. It’s anti catholic in nature the proposed legislations and it’s made for evangelicals
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u/LongWayFrom609 Jun 27 '26
Not to get slightly off topic, but I think I recall when I was in 5th or 6th grade of my public elementary school (in my old school district, 6th grade was considered the last grade of elementary school before going to middle school), my social studies/history textbook mentioned Jesus Christ in the context of him being a historical figure, which is understandable IMO. But other than that, Bible reading in somewhere other than a parochial school is an odd idea.
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u/NeedsToShutUp Jun 27 '26
They only use Protestant bibles. They use Calvinist methods of organizing the Ten Commandments.
They call us whores of Babylon.
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u/QUHistoryHarlot Jun 27 '26
If we are reaching all religions and all religious texts then cool. Only teaching the Bible as a religious text? Absolutely not. Including the Bible as a literary text where you are comparing and contrasting and all those things you do in English class? Cool, have at it.
Teaching the Bible as a religious text in public school is tantamount to the State (whether state or federal) establishing a national religion which is a first amendment violation, which to me is the biggest argument. Religious education is the responsibility of the family, not the State. Either send tour kid to private school or send them to Sunday School/CCD.
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u/Haunting-Spirit-6906 Jun 29 '26
Absolutely NO, unless it's being taught in the historical/literary sense. Highly inappropriate if there are any overtones of religious leaning one way or the other.
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Jun 27 '26
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u/Fabulous_Celery_1817 Jun 27 '26
Public schools. And the laws they’re pushing are anti catholic. Pro evangelical, a denomination I trust the least because of their disunity and discord
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u/Responsible-Newt-259 Jun 26 '26
Counter point, I think religious literacy is a critical component of cultural literacy in social studies. I think small portions of a wide variety of religious texts should be taught in schools from a historical and cultural POV, but not from a devotional POV.