the answers to these questions--governments, school boards, principals, teachers, students?
Today in class I read from the Hebrew Bible, what Christians commonly call the Old Testament. How did you feel about this? Is it ok for public school teachers to use the Bible or other scripture in class? Who should get to decide
the answers to these questions--governments, school boards, principals, teachers, students?
27 Comments
Selena Hunter
1/24/2012 09:57:08 am
When you red from the Hebrew bible I felt very comfortable in my seat listening. Other students in the class might have felt that you were trying to push them in to a reign but I thought it was acceptable. You were reading from a famous book and not forcing a relign.i believe it is fine to read from a bible as long as you do not give your personal opinion. The students should be the ones to decide this is fine in school.
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KiTTY
1/24/2012 10:18:34 am
When reading the bible in class, I didn't find it weird or unjust. I thought that it was perfectly acceptable, and legal. I think this because you weren't forcing us into believing something, or teaching us that the answer of "who created man" provided by the bible was the only true and right answer. I think reading the bible in school is perfectly fine if it's being read for the right reason; for example, looking at the bible like we did with the Odyssey, from a creative standpoint in understanding other cultures. I believe that the students, and the government are the ones who can decide whether or not to study modern religious views in school.
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Beth Feindt-Scott
1/24/2012 10:19:06 am
When you read from the bible, I felt completely comfortable. The fact you were reading the passage for education reasons only, I find it completely acceptable to read. You weren't forcing any religion upon the students. As long as the passage is being read for educational reasons, and not personal reasons, it is acceptable.
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Andrew Lombard
1/24/2012 10:24:13 am
When you read from the Bible, I felt completely comfortable. I found it acceptable to read because we were looking at it for mainly educational reasons, and not so much religious. I feel that it is perfectly acceptable to read from the Bible in schools as long as no opinion is being enforced. The students should be allowed to come up with their own.
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Adam
1/24/2012 11:01:25 am
You're reading of the bible in class today was perfectly acceptable in my opinion. The fact that you were reading it to us without forcing religion onto us by saying that we had to believe it was why it was fine. Had you told us that what the bible says is the only correct theory, it would not have been acceptable because you wouldn't be allowing us to believe what we want. That is why I was not uncomfortable during the reading of the bible today in class.
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Sophie E.
1/24/2012 11:02:29 am
I thought that it was a little bit strange at first, as I did not know your reasoning behind reading the Bible to us, but as we went along and it became apparent that a conversation over the legality of the reading was to be discussed, everything seemed to go back to normal. I guess there was a little bit of uncomfortableness at first, as the Bible reading was a surprise, but generally became more comfortable as we went along. I think that it is fine to read the Bible in schools from an analytical or philosophical perspective and discuss it as such, not focusing so much on the religious content and teachings but on the impact it has had on the world. It is necessary to know what others believe, so studying one of the most-read and accepted books in the world would be a good place to start, as long as no opinions are being forced on anyone by the school.
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Joshua Eng
1/24/2012 11:20:51 am
I found nothing wrong with reading the Bible during the class. We were reading the Bible simply for educational purposes only. There was no religious purpose behind it; there was no effort to convert anyone to Christianity. We were not forced to believe in what the Bible says, and you did not tell us that its teachings were the only correct theory of how life began. Reading more religious texts of different religions could be beneficial as well, because it would not make it seem as if we are singling out Christianity as the only religion to study.
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Derek S.
1/24/2012 12:13:56 pm
Depending upon what perspective we read religious texts determines whether it is unlawful or not to read it in schools. If the religious text was read to support and encourage others to convert to that religion, it would be unlawful and, to a more personal degree, awkward. However, I do not see why it should be banned to read these texts as to broaden our perspectives of philosophy. We should acknowledge these texts as an important part of learning as it will teach us what others may believe or once believed in contrast to what we individually may believe. If it were unlawful to read the Bible or the Torah or other similar religious texts in this manner, would it not also be illegal to read the Ancient Greek myths for the same reason?
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Alyssa
1/24/2012 12:56:39 pm
When you read the story of creation from the Hebrew Bible, it didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward, it felt rather familiar, the text being one that I know well. However, what felt a little uncomfortable was when you read a passage from John in the New Testament. It may be my lack of familiarity that caused the slight discomfort. With that being said, I believe that's also why I didn't think twice about the story from Genesis, because I knew it and it was familiar. But as far as should the Bible be read in school or not, I think it doesn't matter as long as there are limits. One of the things that has made the bible so great is not its enforcement of the belief of God but of the teachings of life, and if the bible is looked at through a philisophical way then should be no problem as long as people's beliefs, whether they be that of Jesus is the messiah or he is not, or even if god is real or not, are not attacked or put down in any sort of way.
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Lia
1/24/2012 07:53:56 pm
I thought you reading the bible in class did no harm. I personally had no problem with it what so ever. You were not reading it to persuade us in a certain religion, but rather for educational purposes. I find no problem with that. But if you tried telling us to believe everything the Bible says then it wouldn't be acceptable because we wouldn't be believing what we want. This is why I think your reading of the bible in class was perfectly acceptable.
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Virginia
1/25/2012 04:59:00 am
The bible reading didn't make me feel odd or uncomfortable because I had heard it many times before. I was confused at first why you were reading it and I didn't necessarily agree with everything that was being the bible should become a regular thing; however, I don't think it is a huge deal if a teacher decides to read it to the class every once and a while, as long as it is for educational purposes. It's hard to say who can decide whether or not the bible can be read in school, but maybe it should be up to the students themselves. Kids don't always have the same views as their parents to begin with so when being read the bible, their own personal ideas about god are being influenced. They can choose to believe, or not believe, what they are hearing.
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Holly
1/25/2012 05:34:05 am
When you read the bible to us, I didn't feel uncomfortable or felt as if you were pushing us towards christianity. I kept taking glances around the room because I know we have a quite a few jewish people in our class, and they seemed perfectly comfortable and content. I do not find it a big deal to read it as long as it does not happen often. A little reassurance from the bible causes no harm. I do believe that the students should get to choose if we read it or not though.
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Emily
1/25/2012 05:39:47 am
When you read from the bible in class it did not make me feel uncomfortable at all. Although I did think it was a little strange, I figured that there had to be a reason for reading it that relates to what we would be doing in class. The only reason it would be okay for a public school teacher to read from the bible or another scripture in class is if the teacher is not persuading his or her students to follow or believe in that certain religion. I think the principle, the teacher, or even the students should decide if the bible should or should not be read in class. I personally do not mind if the bible is read because I, like many other students, have my own religious beliefs and as long as the teacher is not trying to alter their students' opinions or other values then reading from the bible in class is fine. Everyone has their own views on religion and if those opinions are truly that strong, then it should not matter if the bible is read from in class because having the bible read one time really will not manipulate what is valued by the students.
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Josh Kauffman
1/25/2012 05:45:17 am
When I heard you reading from the Good Book, I was hoping you were doing it to prove a point. If you were reading from this book in a scholarly way as to step back from it and look at it analytically, then you are educating us and doing your job just fine. If you were reading the bible like it's The Word and saying that Christianity is the best like the crazy person I pass sometimes while walking down South Broad towards this great Italian restaurant, then my eighth grade social studies education tells me you're violating the Establishment Clause and should be punished. In my opinion, freedom of religion in schools is extremely important and should be upheld by the highest form of government in the land.
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Elijah House
1/25/2012 05:49:49 am
When you first mentioned that you were reading from the bible, I found it to be awkward. Throughout the actual reading though, I was not uncomfortable. I believe that it is perfectly legal and fine for a teacher to read from the bible or scripture in class, just as long as the teacher doesn't profess the belief to the students. I also believe the students should make the decision of reading the bible or scripture. It would not be okay if the teacher read the bile or scripture every day without the student's consent.
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Chillin Dylan
1/25/2012 06:08:55 am
When I heard you reading from the bible, it did not make me feel uncomfortable at all. It is a familiar story and I do not mind listening to it. I believe it is okay for a teacher to read scripts such as the bible because the class is studying the text of the book, and are not being taught to believe that this is the only answer to everything. I believe it is up to the school board and principal to decide these questions. That way, more than one group is deciding what should be taught. This should not be left to the teachers because they are single individuals and could have much influence on the students.
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Justin
1/25/2012 06:36:55 am
You were reading from the bible without any hesitation and spoke fluidly; you seemed as though you were reading from a textbook. In that context, I felt that it wass perfectly fine to read from any religious text. At the cost of sounding like one of those Christian self-perceived victims of free speech, I doubt that any controversy would be stirred if you were to, say, read from the Koran, or even the Torah (if it actually was a true torah and not an excerpt from the bible). But I believe that the whole issue of separation of church and state is quite overblown; while it is certainly wrong to threaten us with any beliefs that you yourself may hold, no sane person would hold a grudge against you for holding a neutral perspective to the Bible.
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Rochelle
1/25/2012 06:55:34 am
I was perfectly comfortable with you reading from Genesis and John, because they are words that I've heard constantly throughout my whole life. Personally, I don't really believe that there's a problem with reading the Bible out loud in a public school. As long as you treat it as a sort of textbook and not a religious text, there isn't any issue that could resolve from the reading. After all, you're not trying to force a certain set of values on someone or make them believe that Christianity is the true religion to follow. Instead, you're simply treating the Bible as a great book, just like the 'Odyssey' or 'Inherit the Wind' or 'Romeo and Juliet'. As long as you're not focusing on the religious aspect of the Bible-or any other scripture-too much, I don't believe it's an issue that needs to be dealt with.
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David Yin
1/25/2012 07:45:40 am
It was perfectly fine for me to listen to you read the bible during class. You weren't trying to make us believe in a religion or anything. You were just reading it for educational purposes so it was fine. It was a little weird at first when you read it but other than that it was okay for you to read it to us. If anyone didn't want to listen then they could have objected since it should be the students that decide because they can think for themselves.
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Sam
1/25/2012 07:48:50 am
When you read the Bible to us, I didn't feel uncomfortable at all, although that may be because I am a Christian. I believe that reading the Bible is just like reading a textbook that is thousands of years old. It has at least one story everyone has heard before. This is also the first time that you have read from the Bible this year to this class, and you read the passages from Genesis and John to explain something you were teaching about laws. Overall, you should be able to read the Bible since you are not trying to convert students to become Christians.
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Anna J
1/25/2012 09:03:42 am
When you read from the Bible in class, I didn't feel uncomfortable in any way. It didn't seem as though you were pushing beliefs at anyone, rather exploring them. In class, we are constantly addressing various religions and beliefs, such as those of the Ancient Greeks. In this way, I do feel it is ok for public school teachers to use the Bible or other scriptures in class. As we discuss other cultures and beliefs, I feel like the Bible is one that shouldn't be left out. I think that the teachers should use their judgement to answer these questions: making sure that during a lesson they are not favoring any beliefs but rather exploring them. When referring to a high school, I think that this becomes a less severe case. The government should realize that students of our age have already formed strong beliefs, and talking about various ones in class will not affect the students automatically, as being raised with them won't compare to discussing them in English class.
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Kelly
1/25/2012 09:13:53 am
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Katie S.
1/25/2012 09:31:08 am
When you read the Bible during class today, I was not uncomfortable or surprised. Religion is relatable to many of the things we are taught during class, so I didn't think it was weird or out of place. It is completely fine for teachers to read from the Bible, as long as they have reasoning and educational purposes to support it. It was fine because you did not tell us what to think about the reading, or whether it was right or wrong. However, if you decided to start preaching to us about the correct religion we should have, it would of been completely inappropriate. I think it is completely fine for public school teachers to read scriptures in class, without preaching, because they are historical books that give us educational ideas as well as ideas about religion. I think the teacher can decide whether or not to read books like these, but they should only do so if their students feel comfortable. THe government should do some enforcing to make sure that teachers don't take advantage of their rights, but the teachers should have some freedom as well.
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Jimmy Donoghue
1/25/2012 10:31:05 am
I saw no problem in the bible being read in our class. We alrready teach evolution in science class, so I see no problem in examining the other side of the argument over the origin of man by reading the bible. My first reaction when I heard that we were reading the bible was "Hey, I don't think that you're allowed to do that." As time went on, I realized that we were only reading the Bible to get a understanding of evoloution's opposition; we weren't reading the bible to promote christianity. Teachers are allowed to talk about politics in class as long as they do not inflict their view points on thier students. The values of christianity were not forced on us, so reading the bible in class was perfectly fine.
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Taylor
1/25/2012 12:23:01 pm
When you read the Bible in class the other day, I thought it was perfectly fine and I was not offended by your act of reading from it. I think it is okay to read the Bible or any other type of scripture in public schools as long as all the students feel comfortable with what is happeneing, if not, I believe the teacher should be respectful and obey the students feelings. I feel that students should have the decison to decide if they want these events to occur in class, as well as the teacher, who is reading it because the government has no clue how we feel about reading any scriptures in class and majority of children could care less, so I believe students and teachers should have the right of deciding of what they can and can not read with the exception of someone feeling uncomfortable with the event occuring in the particular class.
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Jamie
1/26/2012 06:48:54 am
When you read the Bible to us it was a little strange at first, but i understood why you were doing it. If you were forcing it upon us, making us believe in a certain religion it would have been unjust but for educational purposes, like comparing it to the Odyssey is fine. I think teachers should decide if they are allowed but only for bettering our education.
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Caroline Lentz
1/29/2012 11:23:45 am
I don't think it's okay to read the Bible in school. It didn't bother me personally, but I know I have really mild opinions compared to some people. I think that with enough Christians in the room, the one Buddhist might feel like they are imposing. Nobody should have to feel uncomfortable in school, and the Bible is not required material so I don't see any point in having the teacher read it to their class. The Bible should be left for church.
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