But they say don't worry, it's not to indoctrinate the kids.
Sure.
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Georgia lawmakers OK public school Bible classes
By Karen JacobsTue Mar 28, 12:54 PM ET
Georgia lawmakers have approved a measure to fund elective Bible courses
in public schools, raising concern among civil liberties groups the
classes could violate the U.S. constitutional separation of church and
state.
Under the bill, which now goes to Gov. Sonny Perdue for his signature,
the State Board of Education would have to adopt curricula for two
classes on the history and literature of the Old and New Testaments.
School districts would then have the option of offering the courses.
The measure's enactment threatens to again inflame the debate between
secularists and the religious right that has been invigorated under
President George W. Bush.
The elective courses, according to the bill, are to "be taught in an
objective and nondevotional manner with no attempt made to indoctrinate
students," and should "not disparage or encourage a commitment to a set
of religious beliefs."
Senators in the Bible Belt state approved the bill in a 45-2 vote late
on Monday, following passage by the Georgia House of Representatives in
a 151-7 vote the week before.
"Are we to say that the world's best seller, a book that has influenced
Western culture more than any other, is off limits to kids?" Georgia
Sen. Tommie Williams, the measure's chief sponsor, told Reuters, adding
that he was concerned about biblical illiteracy among students. "If you
asked a kid what the Good Samaritan Law means, there's a history behind
that that they probably don't know."
Williams, a Republican, said the proposed curriculum had been widely
adopted in school districts in many states. "The Bible is just so much a
part of our culture that I think it should be taught, but not to
indoctrinate," he said.
While U.S. courts have ruled that Bible courses are constitutionally
sound as long as they are objective, the Georgia law troubles civil
liberties groups worried that classes could promote a Christian
perspective.
ALABAMA TOO?
"The broader issue is there are many U.S. conservative Christians who
feel that public schools have become hostile to their faith," said
Charles Haynes, a senior scholar with the First Amendment Center in
Arlington, Virginia, which educates the public about free-speech issues.
Haynes said he believed the Georgia bill marks the first time a state
has set guidance on how elective Bible classes should be conducted. A
similar bill is being considered in neighboring Alabama, he added.
Haynes said the Georgia measure should have included safeguards to make
sure the courses would pass constitutional muster, such as standards to
ensure teachers will be properly prepared to teach them.
"This is not a Sunday school course," Haynes said. "I think the
legislature didn't do its homework, didn't think about the ramifications
of this."
Judith Schaeffer, deputy legal director at People for the American Way
Foundation in Washington, said she was concerned that the bill would
foster teaching about the Bible as if it were truth, failing to meet a
federal court requirement that public school Bible studies be objective.
"People are entitled to believe the Bible is true as a matter of their
faith, but students in public schools can't be taught that it is true,"
said Schaeffer, whose group has sued school districts that offered Bible
courses.
Despite criticism, Williams said he was confident that the bill would be
signed into law by Perdue, a Republican.
"We're obviously going to have folks that challenge the issue, but if we
do nothing because of fear of a lawsuit, then school boards and
superintendents can live in that fear and kids never learn what they
might need to know," Williams said.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060328/pl_nm/religion_georgia_dc_1
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
-Voltaire
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