Mark's Notebook

Teach, Don't Preach, the Bible

New York Times Op-Ed

by Bruce Feiler

In the landmark 1963 Abington case (which also involved Pennsylvania public schools), the Supreme Court outlawed reading the Bible as part of morning prayers but left the door open for studying the Bible. Writing for the 8-1 majority, Justice Thomas Clark stated that the Bible is "worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities," and added, "Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistent with the First Amendment."

Though the far right may complain that this academic approach to teaching the Bible locks God out of the classroom, and the far left may complain that it sneaks God in, the vast majority of Americans would embrace it.

The Fourth National Survey of Religion and Politics, completed in 2004 by the University of Akron, shows that only 12.6 percent of Americans consider themselves "traditionalist evangelical Protestants," which the survey equates with the term "religious right." A mere 10.7 percent of Americans define themselves as "secular" or "atheist, agnostic." The vast majority of Americans are what survey-takers term centrist or modernist in their religious views.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/21/opinion/21feiler.html?th&emc=th

Mark says: I think these figures are suspect. The problem may be terminology. "Evangelicals" don't always consider themselves "mainstream" or "traditionalist." The combination of "traditionalist evangelical" may be unfamiliar to the poll respondents. Also, may traditional Catholics consider themselves part of the "religious right."

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Last updated Tuesday 13 May 2008