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| Oklahoma school chief Ryan Walters (NY Post) |
These were my thoughts when Louisiana decided to mandate posters of the Ten Commandments in the classrooms of all their schools. As I said at the time, there was a plus in the sense of restoring biblically based morality back into American culture, On the other hand there was a minus in the sense of the slippery slope of religious doctrine becoming a part of that. This is why I had mixed feelings about it. I am worried about where the lines will be drawn.
The current ethos of American culture has discarded many of the biblical values held dear by religious people of all faiths. Having been replaced by liberal humanistic values based on personal rights and a attitude of ‘If it feels good - do it’. Who cares what some archaic ancient books say about the morality of doing it!’
Teaching biblical values will help stem the tide away from that kind of indoctrination. An indoctrination fed by extremely influential sources in our culture: The entertainment industry in all of its facets (e.g. TV, movies, music, and instantly accessible hard core online porn in the palm of your hand) . There is little to counter it. Not in school. Not at home (parental guidance notwithstanding - if there even is any these days). And not in church or synagogue where attendance has been steadily declining.
Something has to be done to restore moral decency into the culture and mandating biblical values being taught in the schools would have a significant impact to stem the tide of moral decline we are now facing.
But now Oklahoma has decided to mandate teaching the bible as a ‘historical’ document’. This is the slippery slope I am worried about. Whose bible will they use?
The bible is not a historical document. It is a religious document that teaches religious doctrine. If the Christian bible is studied it will include their New Testament. Which is anathema to Judaism. A government funded publicly mandated school being required to teach the New Testament would perhaps be the ultimate violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment. That is not arguable. You cannot say with a straight faces that forcing children to be taught Christian dogma is in any way a study of history.
Now it’s possible that they will only teach the ‘Old Testament’ which is basically our Torah. But I find it highly unlikely that a good Christian with strong beliefs won’t somehow slip ‘New Testament’ theology into the classroom as part of the historical context
This is why we should oppose teaching the bible in a public school. That slope is way too slippery and a dangerous one for any Jewish child to be exposed to. Especially when the typical Jewish child that attends public school has little if any Jewish education to begin with. Making them sitting ducks for Christian public school teachers devoted to ‘saving the Jews’.
So how do we get the biblical values that all religious people believe in - back into the culture? Especially considering the onslaught of influences in the other direction?
I think that the shared values of all religious people that once was an integral part of American culture can be restored if they are taught in a universalist manner using the common denominator of God. These are values shared by God fearing people of al religious persuasions. These values can be taught without referencing a single passage in the bible or the Koran. Students should then be encouraged to ask their parents or clergy about the sources of those values.
If we don’t want this country to descend into an immoral abyss, we need to counter the immoral influences that are so pervasive in our culture without teaching the religious dogma that might accompany them. This is one way to do it.
I do not believe that would be a violation of the First Amendment. And it might just have enough of an impact to counter those overwhelming negative influences. You never know.
