Flawed Law

Professor Mark A. Chancey’s, “Reading, Writing & Religion” begins with eye-opening laws that are in the state of Texas. I have grown up going to public schools in the state of Texas and am currently studying to become an elementary school teacher. That being said, I had never heard of House Bill 1287 that allows schools to offer Old/New testament “elective” courses and mandates districts, that offer kinder-grade 12, to “include in its required curriculum attention to ‘religious literature, including the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament, and its impact on history and literature”’ (Chancey V).  While there are some guidelines and instructions, Chancey points out that courts have not done much clarify specific details on how to teach religious material in an objective manner. Being a religion major, one can see that it is possible to teach religion courses objectively—but the question here is should this be allowed and should it be a bill? While “the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities”, mandating its study in a public school is controversial for many. Throughout Chancey’s study, one can notice that very few schools are following the guidelines of House Bill 1287 correctly and ultimately, overstepping their boundaries with religious teaching.

            As a future educator and religion major, I do not believe there should be a bill that requires studying of the Bible in public schools. If parents want their kids to be educated in the Bible, there are countless of ways to do that outside of school (Bible studies, Sunday school). While private school is an expensive alternative and some families may not be able to able to afford, it is another option for religious education. One of the most eye-opening parts of Chancey’s study is on page 55 with the section of matching the quotes with the Founding Fathers. In Chancey’s research, it is shown how flawed and controversial it can be to mix religious studies in public schools.