There’s a conservative religious organization that has created this class and its curriculum. They then pay schools to teach the class to students.
I think that notion has always been a bullshit, backdoor way of teaching the bible in public schools. It’s a different story in college programs, because it’s important for understanding the context of virtually every important piece of English literature, but even there it’s more about the cultural significance than the merits of the work itself.
This. Shucks, you need a decent grasp of the Bible in order to fully understand a lot of movies, or The Simpsons. And frankly I don’t think it will be long before the same can be said for the Harry Potter series.
In what way is the Bible remotely literature? Utter gibberish.
Are you saying that you need a decent grasp of the Bible to understand Harry Potter, or that you will need a decent grasp of Harry Potter to understand virtually every important piece of English literature?
Neither
Well, you can’t dispute the cultural significance of the Bible. There are about a dozen passages advocating eating your own children (albeit only under specific circumstances). That’s presumably why some of the devout don’t find it far-fetched that opposition to their theocratic fantasies is coordinated by a cabal of cannibalistic pedophiles.
Agreed. I went to college at a Baptist university in Texas and took a religion class taught by a guy whose last name was Christian. He did not proselytize or attempt in the least to try to convince anyone that the Bible is actually true.
I mean, if you wanted to convince someone that the Bible is true, the last thing you’d do is encourage them to actually read it.
Was this at a college level or a high school level? I would expect a professor of literature to have a stronger interest in maintaining objective academic rigor, as opposed to your average high school teacher who may see their role more as that of guiding young minds on their path to adulthood.
I learned about this book today:
I’ll pass though.
Heh. I think it was 45 years ago that I read God, Man, and Archie Bunker.
If it’s the one I’m thinking of, the son of some friends who were raised Christian but not particularly observant went there. He took a few such courses, including classes wholly devoted to the study of a single religion for the entire term. He ultimately converted to Islam and has had a very happy life.
That book was The Gospel According to the Simpsons. But years before, back in 1965, we had The Gospel According to Peanuts:
I recall having to read that one for our church’s Sunday school in about 1970 or so. But it wasn’t for real school, just our Sunday school at church.
They can’t help themselves. Students are a captive audenience that can’t protest, talk back or leave. Here is more of the same from West Virginia.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/christian-revival-school-prompts-student-walkout-wva-82765607
My dad is a college professor (or was, I guess, teaching IT at a technical college). I used to joke that it was his dream job; he got to talk for an hour, people were forced to listen to him, and on top of it all he got paid. 
What in the world are you talking about? The only mentions of baby-eating I can think of are in Lamentations, where it’s used to illustrate the horrors of famine, certainly not “advocating” it.
Your posts frequently suggest to me that you yourself are not particularly familiar with the text.