# Can Bible Literacy Act directions be followed in the classroom? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 3, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876 "2019-02-03T15:31:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/41 "2019-02-05T18:33:02Z")
Well, algebra! Screw algebra! And I would love to be there when the first kid notices that one version of the Crucifixion has Jesus contentedly dispatching his soul to God, and another has Him saying “What the _fuck_ did you do to me, Dad?” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/42 "2019-02-05T19:06:19Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Well, algebra! Screw algebra! > > And I would love to be there when the first kid notices that one version of the Crucifixion has Jesus contentedly dispatching his soul to God, and another has Him saying “What the _fuck_ did you do to me, Dad?” Is Algebra a elective? Would that be part of Bible as Literature? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/43 "2019-02-05T20:04:17Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Screw algebra! [That does seem a bit advanced for high school](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_theory#Algebra_of_screws). ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/44 "2019-02-05T20:48:37Z")
Misread what I was responding to. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/45 "2019-02-05T20:56:57Z")
Considering who’s pushing this, I’d wager it’s an end-around to _McCreary County_. But it could backfire. What if Kentucky kids learn enough about the Bible to understand the vast disparity between Jesus’ teachings and the the policies GOP lawmakers ostensibly base on them? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/46 "2019-02-05T20:59:57Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > Considering who’s pushing this, I’d wager it’s an end-around to _McCreary County_. But it could backfire. What if Kentucky kids learn enough about the Bible to understand the vast disparity between Jesus’ teachings and the the policies GOP lawmakers ostensibly base on them? Between the churches and the teachers they will probably hire to promote their agenda, I’m pretty sure indoctrination will win out in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/47 "2019-02-05T21:20:44Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Between the churches and the teachers they will probably hire to promote their agenda, I’m pretty sure indoctrination will win out in the long run. Yeah, they’ll probably harp on all those time Jesus condemned homosexuals … oh, wait … ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/48 "2019-02-05T21:54:21Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Misread what I was responding to. On the SDMB, this should never stop anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/49 "2019-02-05T22:51:00Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Between the churches and the teachers they will probably hire to promote their agenda, I’m pretty sure indoctrination will win out in the long run. Maybe so, but I bet some of the kids will give the teachers a run for their money. Much like the internet has leveled the playing field, out of a church setting and into a public school, even against a stacked deck, I’m sure there will be some kids not lobbing softball type questions, and may even know more about the subject manner than they do. And unlike church where they have the right not to have them back, they can’t deny the kid an education. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/50 "2019-02-05T23:55:01Z")
Yeah, but its still goes on their Permanent Record. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/51 "2019-02-06T00:03:23Z")
If it’s just an elective, what does this act even do? Schools have always been allowed to have a Bible-as-literature class. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/52 "2019-02-06T00:11:35Z")
It allows elected persons to solemnly point to their vote. Alas, prayer in the school is not permissible due to the Muslim Atheist Homo agenda. But they did what they could! We really ought to just call their bluff. Sure, OK, a prayer to start every school day! All you guys gotta do is gather together the Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Presbyterians, Mormons and Pentecostals, get them all to agree on the same prayer. Soon as you got that, you win, we give up. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/53 "2019-02-07T00:34:58Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > We really ought to just call their bluff. Sure, OK, a prayer to start every school day! All you guys gotta do is gather together the Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Presbyterians, Mormons and Pentecostals, get them all to agree on the same prayer. And once the Christians have settled on a single prayer they can then send a delegation to reach agreement with the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Shinto, Baha’i, Yazidi, Asatru etc. representatives. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/54 "2019-02-07T00:54:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If it’s just an elective, what does this act even do? Schools have always been allowed to have a Bible-as-literature class. Other than getting it specifically on the books, I would say this (as posted earlier) is the real purpose - > [@nelliebly](#): > > The Act contains this hidden nugget: > > Any school council organized pursuant to KRS 160.345 or, if none exists, the > principal[school’s governing body], may authorize the display of historic artifacts, > monuments, symbols, and texts, including but not limited to religious materials, in > conjunction with a course of study that includes an elective course in history, > civilization, ethics, comparative religion, literature, or other subject area that uses > such artifacts, monuments, symbols, and texts as instructional material if the display > is: > (a)[(1)] Appropriate to the overall educational purpose of the course; and > (b)[(2)] Consistent with the requirements of KRS 42.705. > > I suspect part of the hidden agenda here is to display the Bible, Ten Commandments, and the like in the school and justify them as relevant to courses taught there, much as science projects might be displayed. You may recall that the SCOTUS decision in _McCreary County_ vs. _The ACLU_ (2005) forced Kentucky to stop displaying the Ten Commandments in courthouses and public schools for religious purposes. This Act neatly bypasses that. The open display of iconography … ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/55 "2019-02-07T02:44:45Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > And once the Christians have settled on a single prayer they can then send a delegation to reach agreement with the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Shinto, Baha’i, Yazidi, Asatru etc. representatives. Well, OK, but Scientology is still _right_ out! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/56 "2019-02-07T08:01:11Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Other than getting it specifically on the books, I would say this (as posted earlier) is the real purpose - > > The open display of iconography … Which is legal as part of a historical display that include stuff like the Code of Hammurabi, Magna Charta and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![Batano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@Batano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batano)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/57 "2019-02-07T11:14:15Z")
I can just imagine the fights that will break out. How are the 10 Commandments grouped and numbered? Is it “kill” or “murder” that is prohibited? What translation do they choose? Do you include the Roman Catholic Apocrypha? There are probably a dozen stories in the Bible that would be nice for anyone in Western countries to know: Adam and Eve and the tree of knowledge, Noah and the flood, Abraham and his son, Soddom and Gomorra, Exodus, etc. A lot of good sayings (eye for an eye), but slogging through the begats to get there would be tedious. It’s ironic that the US is one of the most, if not the most, religious of the developed countries even though we have freedom of religion baked into our constitution. To me it’s not despite that fact, it’s because of it. Cram religion down people’s throats and they will rebel. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/58 "2019-02-07T13:30:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Which is legal as part of a historical display that include stuff like the Code of Hammurabi, Magna Charta and so forth. Is that the reason you think that it was included? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/59 "2019-02-07T20:29:19Z")
> [@Batano](#): > > It’s ironic that the US is one of the most, if not the most, religious of the developed countries even though we have freedom of religion baked into our constitution… Cite? And no cherry picking with “developed” . Turkey is certainly a developed nation. How about Israel? Or France. Italy. Portugal. Brazil. Saudi Arabia. > **[Importance of religion by country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Importance_of_religion_by_country)** > > This article charts a list of countries by importance of religion. > The table below is based on the global Gallup Poll in 2009 research which asked "Is religion important in your daily life?". Percentages for "yes" and "no" answers are listed below; they often do not add up to 100% because some answered "don't know" or did not answer. > General: We actually rank in about the middle. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876/60 "2019-02-07T21:26:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Which is legal as part of a historical display that include stuff like the Code of Hammurabi, Magna Charta and so forth. You’ve summed up their disingenuousness nicely. Why, we’re not displaying the Ten Commandments as a religious icon! It’s just part of a course! And see, the students made their own versions of the stone tablets out of clay! Didn’t they do a nice job? And this one here is on display because the kid did such a nice job writing John 14:6 in calligraphy: "“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light. No one gets to the Father except through Me.” It had _nothing_ to do with religious messages we want to get across! And then there’s this: > [@](#): > > Kentucky Education Board spokeswoman Nancy Rodriguez said in an email that the department cannot determine curriculum to ensure teachers follow the standards but placed that responsibility with individual schools. Translation: Don’t sue _us_! Sue each of the schools! > [@](#): > > In its January letter to the board, the ACLU of Kentucky said it obtained course material from some school districts and had found some classes were being taught as devotional study, rather than literature. > > In some cases, students were assigned to memorize Bible verses, it said. In other instances, students were asked “What are some promises in the Bible that God gives to everyone who believes in him?” or assigned to “do your best to develop close relationships with other Christians.” > > Some worksheets and other material appeared to have come from Sunday school websites and in one county, students viewed religious videos promoting Christianity such as “God is Not Dead 2.” The ACLU cites specific districts in which these instances occurred. Try doing _that_ with the Magna Carta. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-bible-literacy-act-directions-be-followed-in-the-classroom/828876.md?page=4)