BACK TO SCHOOL WITH "BIBLE LITERACY" COURSES: ACLU REMINDS KENTUCKY STUDENTS OF THEIR RIGHTS

[MineralMan]

Apparently, the ACLU and religionists in Kentucky aren't on the same page at all, as some seem to claim. Here's a page from the ACLU's website that explains the huge chasm between the ACLU's understanding of how the Bible can be used in schools and Kentucky's understanding of the same. Rather than rely on reports from religiously-biased online sources like religionnews.com, here is information directly from the ACLU in Kentucky. Clearly there is no real common ground between the ACLU and what is actually happening in schools in some states:

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/back-school-bible-literacy-courses-aclu-reminds-kentucky-students-their-rights

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH “BIBLE LITERACY” COURSES: ACLU REMINDS KENTUCKY STUDENTS OF THEIR RIGHTS

Last school year, an ACLU-KY Open Records Act Investigation uncovered public school teachers using the Bible to impart religious life lessons (Barren, McCracken, and Letcher Counties), the use of online Sunday School lessons and worksheets for course source material (Letcher and Wayne Counties), and assignments and rote memorization of Biblical text (Letcher, Wayne, Whitley, and Lewis Counties), practices which fall far short of constitutionally-permissive academic and objective study of the Bible and its historical context or literary value.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has since released draft academic standards for these elective courses. The document points out, “The standards address what is to be learned but do not address how learning experiences are to be designed or what resources should be used.” It remains the responsibility of local school districts to implement courses that fall within constitutional strictures, which require any use of religious text in the classroom to be secular, objective, nondevotional, and must not promote any specific religious view.

“Our investigation of ‘Bible Literacy’ courses demonstrated the need for clear, concise, and controlled guidance for teachers in addition to a plan for monitoring these courses,” said ACLU-KY attorney Heather Gatnarek. “Unfortunately, the draft standards from KDE fall short of what is needed to help districts with the difficult task of implementing a constitutionally sound course focused on one religious text. Without more specific guidance, we fear some classrooms will once again be filled with preaching, not teaching.”

The ACLU-KY reminds students and parents that “Bible Literacy” courses may not promote religion or a particular religious viewpoint, test students on matters of religious faith, nor be designed to instill religious life lessons. Religious education is best left to parents and churches, not school or government. Families that believe their rights may have been violated are encouraged to keep copies of questionable course materials and assignments and to file a request for legal assistance with the ACLU of Kentucky.

[orangecrush]

1. GOOD

It's right wing indoctrination thinly disguised as religion.

[MineralMan]

2. Or vice-versa. Either way, it's indoctrination.

Kentucky is a hotbed of right-wing Southern Baptist preachers, each of whom seeks to stuff children's heads full of Jesus.

In such states, "religion education" will never be objective, nor will it simply describe a broad range of religious beliefs to inform, rather than indoctrinate. Instead, the schools will pretend to do so, while bringing Southern Baptist Sunday School into public school classrooms.

The ACLU knows this and is vigilant, but the problem persists on a perpetual basis.

Believing that religionists and the ACLU have any common goals is a fallacy, regardless of what some writer for religionnews.com has to say. There is no common ground between the two. Just a gaping chasm.

[keithbvadu2]

3. Which Bible is the officially approved one? The Protestant or Catholic, or other?

Which Bible is the officially approved one? The Protestant or Catholic, or other?

[MineralMan]

4. KJV-Only!

God wrote that version himself, I understand.

[onetexan]

5. The Gideons version

[saidsimplesimon]

6. Exactly what

I was thinking. Your version provides comic relief.

[trotsky]

7. "Religious education is best left to parents and churches, not school or government."

But... but... but... someone just spent the better part of another thread scolding everyone that the ACLU *wants* schools to teach religion.

[MineralMan]

8. Well, that just wasn't true, was it?

Dissembling for Jesus is standard practice for some. Truth is secondary when religion is the topic.

[guillaumeb]

10. And if you read the joint statement from my post,

you know that this is correct.

[MineralMan]

13. Did you write what was in your post?

Do you accept the excerpt from religionnews.com as complete and factual? It is neither. That website has a heavy religious bias. You knew that, right?

[guillaumeb]

14. A joint statement.

Do you understand that?

Assuming so, there is no reason for further discussion.

[MineralMan]

15. Did you write it?

It is a second-hand reference from a biased publication. I quoted from an original source. Do you not see the difference?

[trotsky]

16. LMAO

Whatever you say!

[guillaumeb]

9. All caps for visibility.

In site of this attempt to call me a liar, there was this from my post:

Intriguingly, much of this crisis may be rooted in a myth. School districts and state boards of education fear recriminations if they deal with matters of faith in the classroom. Yet even the American Civil Liberties Union — dreaded in many American school districts for its lawsuits against religion in public education — urges objective teaching of the world’s religions. In its Joint Statement on Current Law and Religion in the Public Schools, the organization declared, “It is both permissible and desirable to teach objectively about the role of religion in the history of the United States and other countries.”

Note that the bolded portion is from the ACLU itself.

[MineralMan]

11. As it was at the link, M. B.

My entire quote is from the ACLU. My words appear above the excerpt. Religionnews.com is a biased source. It chooses things to quote, selectively and out of context. Yet you trust their second-hand interpretation.

We do not, necessarily. I did a little research at an actual, first-hand source instead.

Bye, now...

[MineralMan]

12. I did not attempt to or actually call you a liar.

Your post had no comment in it from you. It was nothing but an excerpt from religionnews.com. If anyone was lying, it was the author of that article. That was not you, right?

[MineralMan]

17. Actually, the quote used in that article

came from a book written in 1995. You can find the reference here:

https://books.google.com/books?id=1cnTel1o59YC&pg=PA249&lpg=PA249

Go look it up! Scroll down to the Consensus section.

The author lied or did not look it up.

[Karadeniz]

18. Seeing that Jesus said his truths were hidden, I see no point in teaching the literal level.

[Voltaire2]

19. Oh my.

Such a massive disconnect between what the ACLU’s actual position is and what was posted in that other thread.

I would be shocked, except this was just ssdd.

Another train another wreck.