The subject came up this morning in an atheist parenting group that I’m no longer a member of. The conversation started as a link to an article about an Ohio area that is considering teaching Creationism in its schools.
Before I get going- this is NOT about teaching Creationism in a science classroom. Mythology has no place in our science education. If some big discovery comes along and gives Creationism some sort of relevance as a scientific theory- okay- fine. Until then, it should not be taught as science.
The gist of the argument was this: The bible should not, under any circumstance be taught in school. Not even as historical literature because it's violent, sexist, full of rape, slavery, bigotry, etc. Christians also argue that the literature already being taught in school is that way and that it needs to be removed and replaced with the Bible.
The gist of the argument was this: The bible should not, under any circumstance be taught in school. Not even as historical literature because it's violent, sexist, full of rape, slavery, bigotry, etc. Christians also argue that the literature already being taught in school is that way and that it needs to be removed and replaced with the Bible.
On the surface, I agree with the argument, but only on the surface. This is why:
We teach Shakespeare. We teach him to introduce meter, rhyme, conflict and resolution- to help develop critical thinking. These things are important to learn. Anyone who’s read Shakespeare with even a basic understanding knows that his plays are also full of sexism, murder, genocide, suicide, lies, manipulation- all things we don’t want our kids to become part of. But we teach it; because it’s something our kids should know. (We also teach it at an age appropriate level).
We teach Homer. The Iliad and The Odyssey are important books to read. Our tradition of writing comes from the Greeks. We need to know where this came from. But both novels are full of incest, murder, patricide, etc., But they also teach pride, heroism, cultural relevance… and we learn it through an epic poem with main characters who are greatly flawed and overcome themselves anyway.
Not to mention Huckleberry Finn, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Paradise Lost, Hedda Gobbler, and numerous other works of literature that have all of the same types of things in them as the Bible does. If we use the same reasoning above that is being applied to the Bible, we shouldn’t be teaching literature at all. (And all of these books have God or religion in them to some extent).
We teach Homer. The Iliad and The Odyssey are important books to read. Our tradition of writing comes from the Greeks. We need to know where this came from. But both novels are full of incest, murder, patricide, etc., But they also teach pride, heroism, cultural relevance… and we learn it through an epic poem with main characters who are greatly flawed and overcome themselves anyway.
Not to mention Huckleberry Finn, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Paradise Lost, Hedda Gobbler, and numerous other works of literature that have all of the same types of things in them as the Bible does. If we use the same reasoning above that is being applied to the Bible, we shouldn’t be teaching literature at all. (And all of these books have God or religion in them to some extent).
The Bible has some of the world’s best poetry and prose within its pages. Song of Songs is brilliant writing. The story of Noah and the Ark is an awesome adventure that teaches perseverance. It should not be taught as science, of course not! But we cannot ignore the religiosity of our history and our literature as atheists. To do so is to completely ignore where we came from and we’ll never progress if we do that.
So, I say teach the Bible in the classroom, in a literature class, where it will be taught alongside other great literary works.
