Introduction

• Secondary/College English and Social Studies Teachers' Supplementary Reference
• An Elective Biblical Literacy Course in Secondary Public Education
• A Biblical Literacy Course for Homeschooling
• College English Students/ Teachers' Reference
• Secondary Christian Educators' Reference
• After-School Religious Clubs Activities
• Bible/Scholastic Bowl Teams Practice Questions
• Sponsors of Academic Initiatives for Biblical Literacy Reference
• Teens/ Young Adult/Adults Biblical Study Groups
• Bible Study Groups Activities/Reference
• Educational Workshops and Conferences
• High School Teachers of English and History
• Cultural Literacy Reference

 

Introduction

Before I recently retired as a secondary English teacher with more than forty years of experience in teaching students in both public and private schools, I was successful in imparting much information contained in daily and weekly lessons that challenged my students' abilities to think. Like the majority of secondary English teachers in America, I was afforded many opportunities to strengthen students’ literacy skills by connecting the literary and historical elements in Western literature to the history, allusions, symbols, names, themes, and wisdom found in the Hebrew Bible. Oftentimes, however, I found myself filled with shock and dismay as I encountered rampant Biblical illiteracy among high school students, especially in public schools. I recognized that this lack of Biblical knowledge that is so ingrained in Western culture left a void in their overall understanding of many other literary works that “educated” citizens in our society are expected to know. For the past eighteen years, I have agonized over this obvious deficiency in students' reading comprehension which, in turn, has prompted me to work to urge school administrators and educators to include Biblical literacy initiatives in secondary academic curricula. Constitutionally, such lessons and classes may be taught on public school campuses, as long as the studies of the Bible are academic-not devotional (http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/madison/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/teachersguide.pdf).

Across America, the consensus is that more religious studies are needed in public school curricula. To help erase the confusion about the constitutionality of teaching about the Bible or religion in a public school setting, educators need to take the time to revisit the U.S. Supreme Court 1963 ruling in Abington v. Schempp. After explaining its decision for ruling against devotionally teacher-led prayers and daily Bible readings that are not a part of a secular program of academic studies, the Court expressly stated, “It might well be said that one’s education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization. It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities. 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 consistently with the First Amendment.”

However, in spite of the Supreme Court’s clear ruling in support of the academic study about religion, including the literary and historic qualities of the Bible, (because of possible intimidation from “watchdog separation of church and state” interest groups), public schools are still graduating Biblically illiterate students who enter society with a high school education that can largely be classified as “void and without form.”

I believe that a quality education should be grounded in foundational principles, including lessons on morals and values that lead to strong character in all students. I believe that such an education is fundamental to personal and societal progress; therefore, the literary, historical, and moral contributions of the Hebrew Bible to Western culture should be included in the academic process. In the attempt to evaluate ideas and assumptions, high school students should seek, find, examine, and understand foundational truths, especially the timeless truths found in the Hebrew Bible. English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote: “For more than a thousand years, the Bible, collectively taken, has gone hand in hand with civilization, science, law--, in short, with the moral and intellectual cultivation of the species, always supporting and often leading the way.”

The prevalent degree of Biblical illiteracy among today's public school students and in Western society, in general, leaves a void in the overall comprehension of other great works in Western literature, and denies students innumerable opportunities to ponder the wisdom and timeless truths contained in such a "worthy" Book as the Hebrew Bible. In turn, students' levels of reading comprehension are inevitably weakened because of the failure of educators to teach foundational knowledge and proven truths contained in the Hebrew Bible. Consequently, our society is being deprived of the ethical and moral principles essential to the strength and success of any country. Such ignorance is detrimental to the healthy progress of our world. Horace Mann (1796), a forerunner for reforms in American public education, said: “Ignorance breeds monsters to fill up vacancies of the soul that are unoccupied by the verities of knowledge.”

Gallup was right when he said, “We revere the Bible, but we don’t read it.” In public classrooms across America, this is certainly evident when it comes to any lessons or discussions related to the Biblical literature. The shallow responses that the majority of students in public schools give to such literary questions are not at all reflective of the depth of thought associated with advanced interchanges expected of students on a secondary level of instruction. For example, I have taught seniors in high school who did not recognize the biblical names, Adam and Eve. How can any high school student in a senior English class understand and fully appreciate Milton’s Paradise Lost without biblical background knowledge of the characters, Adam and Eve? Some students had never heard of Jacob and Esau, or Samson and Delilah. In fact, years ago, one of my students in an accelerated English 9 class stated that she had never heard of the Biblical David and Goliath when a reference to these characters was made about persons who face challenges in life. Does the definition of literacy change when it relates to the Bible? Can students be classified as functionally literate with so many voids in their comprehension of Biblical literature, since Western literature is so inclusive of the Bible? Does not a complete education entail literacy in general, whether the materials taught are religious or not? Most importantly, why should any public system of education ignore or downplay the Bible as a major work of literature and history when such knowledge is so ingrained in the fabric of American society? Does not the Bible deserve the same treatment given to any other major literary or historic work?

Literacy can be defined on a number of levels. It is that which defines names, phrases, events, or other items that are familiar to most literate Americans. Literacy is obviously concerned with the ability to read and write, but a fuller definition might be: “the capacity to recognize, reproduce, and manipulate the conventions of text shared by a given community.” Acquiring knowledge is more than just passing the SOLs by memorizing facts, punctuating sentences, or defining general and technical terms absent of any reference to the Bible or religion. Fully educated persons should be able to engage in meaningful cultural exchanges that will demonstrate their competencies in ways that earn respect and recognition. Obviously, American society still values knowledge and understanding of the Hebrew Bible. In fact, a Gallup poll taken in October 2000 found that 65% of Americans agree that the Bible “answers all or most of the basic questions of life.” Interestingly, however, 28% of those who agree with this statement admitted that they rarely or never read the Bible. To help close the illiteracy gap, Biblical literature needs to be read, analyzed and discussed in public school settings so that education will be more relevant in real life experiences. Biblically literate students should be given opportunities to participate in personal reflections shared through oral and written interactions that express knowledge and understanding of the Bible as a literary work esteemed so highly in Western culture. The aim of literacy in public education, then, should be to promote cultural and social participation, regardless to whether students endorse a particular religious belief or not, as long as such instruction is academic instead of devotional

(https://www.aarweb.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Publications/epublications/AARK-12CurriculumGuidelines.pdf).

Since teachers are employed as agents of the state, they cannot require students to engage in devotional activities; however, this does not make schools religious-free zones for public school children. While the state cannot impose any particular religious belief on students, students are free to express their own religious beliefs. Most importantly, educators must understand that it is not illegal for public schools to include academic studies about religion in high school curricula. Students can learn about religion, including the Bible, wherever such teaching is presented “objectively as part of a secular program of education.” In guidelines sent to every school district in America in 1995 and again in 1998, the U.S. Department of Education reiterated that public schools “may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion, including the Bible or other sacred scripture.” In keeping with the First Amendment’s mandate of governmental neutrality toward religion, the study of religion in a public school must be educational, not devotional. This same principle holds true whether teaching about the Bible occurs in literature, history, art, music, or any other class, and whether the class is required or is an elective course

http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/08-1995/religion.html ).

As a former teacher of English literature, I found myself constantly struggling with the legal ramifications of teaching a particular literary work with any religious or biblical allusions, themes, symbols, and quotations without breaking “separation of church and state” laws. At the same time, I pondered over the logic of having to downplay the significance of one of the most, if not the most influential books in history, the Hebrew Bible. Unquestionably, the Bible explores all the common questions of human experience. Any teacher of literature understands that biblical literature gives more insight about other literary works, including their overall structures, themes, and background history. Without the academic background needed to fully understand Biblical references in other literary works, written and oral contributions from the majority of students in literature and social studies classes continue to be empty and pointless. Fear of intimidation from “watchdog” groups continues to stifle the full learning process in public education, and ignorance of the law empowers such groups to prevent our teachers and students from experiencing the invaluable contributions that the Hebrew Bible can make in educating our youth.

Psalm 11:3 asks the question: “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Undoubtedly, many other English teachers can relate to my deep concerns over the lack of Biblical literacy skills among high school students. I am sure that many are also troubled about the obvious societal ignorance of the knowledge and wisdom found in the Hebrew Bible. Perhaps some educators can even agree that classroom teachers have a responsibility to our students and to society to teach lessons on morals and values that will help strengthen character development. My premise is that simply agreeing with the truth is not enough. All educators must become agents of action. We must be willing to work today to produce the desired fruits that we hope will be manifested tomorrow. Why not begin repairing the breeches in our educational foundations now? Mahatma Gandhi wisely said, “The future depends on what you do today.” My professional convictions prompt me to devote my present and future years to the goal of providing academic initiatives and resources for the acquisition of Biblical literacy and values education. My aim is to help close this foundational breach in public education. The ultimate objective is to strengthen students' understanding and help build sound character traits through a values education that will benefit our entire society. I plan to provide academic resources for teachers and students (grades seven through twelve) in the forms of books, newsletters, lesson plans, after-school Bible literacy activities (e.g., Scholastic/Bible Bowl teams and tournament study guides), “life skills” lessons and writing prompts from the Book of Proverbs for character and values education. I will also facilitate professional development academic workshops/seminars for English and social studies teachers. These academic and values education lessons and activities can be used in other settings, such as after-school on and off-campus Scholastic Bowl clubs, off-campus youth and adult Bible study groups, Sunday School, community Bible Bowl competitions.  For more information, please visit my website: Academic Initiatives for Biblical Literacy (AIBL) at: www.AIBL.info or e-mail: wilmaforeman@yahoo.com.

My Philosophy of Education

In education, Essentialism and Progressivism have been in conflict for centuries. Essentialism, comparable to Perennialism, emphasizes the vital, or essential, knowledge and skills that productive citizens should have, rather than simply requiring students to learn a set of external truths or facts. William C. Bagley (1874-1946), the founder of Essentialistic Education Society and author of Education and the Emergent Man (1934), believed that “progressive” education damages the intellectual and moral standards of students. He believed that while educators should promote students' interest in subjects, students should learn the importance of duty and discipline in completing their studies. Within a systematic program of studies and activities, the Essentialist believes that teacher-initiative is necessary to guide and direct the young learners toward organized cultural experiences. The Essentialist recognizes the unique abilities of each student and stresses the significance of differential lesson plans that best meet the academic needs of each child (spu.edu/online/essentialism_in_ed.htm).

My philosophy of education is based on an essential or fundamental orientation, rather than on Progressivism. Since an educational leader is a pillar in any society, I do believe that I have an ethical responsibility to fulfill my duties to God and to His children for the general welfare of all in society. Thus,

• I believe that a sound education (knowledge) is the key to building and sustaining a healthy society and that educators are vital agents that help shape future generations.
• I believe that the classroom is a place for training students’ minds, not just to find employment to meet a particular standard of living, but to teach children how to become both principled and productive contributors to society.
• I believe that what is planted in the minds and spirits of the children today will be the fruits that will manifest themselves tomorrow-whether these fruits will be bitter or sweet. 
• I believe that while students must take personal responsibility for their learning, educators are significantly responsible for what is formed (created) in the minds of our youth.
• I believe that an effective teacher does not merely share a systematic set of lessons that are cataloged by facts, events, or rules; instead, the best educators seek to attain, understand, and diligently plant into the minds of students the timeless universal principles and wisdom that govern human existence and experiences.
• I believe in a well-structured curriculum with a meaningful content that will guide students to rational and purposeful thought.
• In the attempt to evaluate ideas and assumptions, I believe that it is important to seek time-proven truths.
• I believe that a quality education for all students is foundational to personal and organizational success on all levels.
• I believe that the timeless truths and principles set forth in the Hebrew Bible are worthy of consideration in public, as well as in private, academic curricula.

A Quality Education: Knowledge + Morality

Every school in America owes its students a quality education. Our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, who wrote: “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” In other words, what is taught to our children today will be mirrored in tomorrow’s society. Based on what I see taking place within the modern educational systems as reflected in the social and intellectual interchanges of our youth, one should be greatly concerned about the future of both our nation and our world! This means that all schools should provide learning experiences that include both knowledge and sound values among our youth-the leaders of tomorrow. In an essay written in 1947, Dr. Martin L. King argued that we must not confuse “knowledge” with “education.” Asserting that a quality education should include critical thinking, as well as moral reasoning skills, Dr. King profoundly stated:

“Education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals…We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate.”

Albert Einstein’s educational premise was:

“The school has always been the most important means of transferring the wealth of tradition from one generation to the next. This applies today in an even higher degree than in former times, for through modern development of the economic life, the family as bearer of tradition and education has been weakened. The continuance and health of human society is, therefore, in a still higher degree dependent on the school than formerly…It should develop in the young individuals those qualities and capabilities which are of value for the welfare of the commonwealth…the aim must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals, who, however, see in the service of the community their highest life problem.”

The key words in the quotation are “…develop in the young individuals those qualities and capabilities which are of value… in the service of the community…” In other words, teaching is a noble profession that demands commitment to transforming the minds and habits of young people that will, in turn, contribute to the good of society. The duty of an educator, then, is to motivate, induce, or mobilize students to seek meaning and purpose in life in order to guide them to become moral, productive, and independent citizens, with the ultimate aim of serving their community.

Values Education: “The Perfection of Reason”

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 BC), the earliest significant educational thinker, saw education as the key to creating and sustaining the state. Plato believed in a just society, and advocated that individual talents within children must be found among all classes, not just from those born among the aristocrats. Plato believed that for the sake of society, a teacher’s duty is to guide students in the direction of what is good, true, and beautiful by implementing lessons that will promote principled habits and dispositions.

Aristotle (384-322), a student of Plato, who, in turn was a student of Socrates, philosophized that “The purpose of the state is to educate the people – to make them virtuous. Virtue is the life principle of the state.” He went on to say that “Virtue is the perfection of reason.” (Retrieved from: http://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/Aristotle.html on June 25, 2011.) While we want our children to gain a quality education that will lead to their “happiness,” we must not forget that true happiness incorporates a measure of virtue, or moral excellence. To be successful and truly happy, one’s life must conform to certain moral laws and uprightness according to the general consensus of the society in which he or she lives.

If teachers are to help guide students to proper decisions and behavior, then we must be able and willing to reference reliable sources that will aid in moral instruction. In Western culture, the Hebrew Bible, in addition to other timeless resources, has proved to be as an invaluable text that can be used to teach lessons on virtue and character building. Replete with practical “life skills” wisdom, the Hebrew Bible has been relied on from one generation to another in Western culture.

America’s Founding Fathers were explicit in understanding the impact that the Hebrew Bible has made on the shaping of this nation’s foundational principles. For example, Thomas Jefferson thought that Jeffersonian notion of education that promotes “moral, in - Intellectual, and civic virtue,” through the mastery of the canon of Western language and philosophy.

 

Fisher Ames (1758), author of final wording of the 1st Amendment in the U.S. Constitution asked,

“Why should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble.”

 

Noah Webster (1758), author of the first American speller and the first dictionary, wrote:

“The moral principles and precepts contained in scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws…All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.”

 

George Washington (1732), first President of the United States of America, expressed these words:

“Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society.”

 

Benjamin Franklin (1706), signer of the Declaration of Independence wrote:

“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.”

 

In 1778, Franklin went on to say to the Continental Congress:

“Whereas true religion and good morals are the only solid foundations of public liberty and happiness…it is earnestly recommended …to take the most effectual measures for the encouragement thereof.”

Major Problems in Progressive Education

In general, today’s systems of modern education are based upon the philosophy of John Dewey.

The Public School Educator’s Dilemma: 

Teaching Morals/Values in a “Politically Correct” World

In 1978, I began my teaching career in Virginia where I taught high school English for over thirty-five years.  As a Christian educator, I believe that teaching is my God-given assignment for life to be used as a tool for the betterment of this world. Many times in the public school classroom, I felt inhibited as a Christian educator. Because of the ever-present threat of infringing upon “separation of church and state” laws, I refrained from teaching lessons that I knew would benefit students, both academically and morally. I was torn between expanding students educational experiences connected to a religious text and the fear of reprisal from administrators who were not very knowledgeable of “separation of church and state” laws. One of their greatest fears was a possible lawsuit by “watchdog” groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 

Ironically, administrators who are sincerely interested in learning and adhering to the legal requirements surrounding “separation of church and state” laws can find information on ACLU’s website: https://www.aclu.org/issues/religious-liberty/religion-and-public-schools 

ACLU guarantees that they will defend 1st Amendment rights of both students and teachers on public school campuses. Read the following excerpt from their web page:

Dating back to the Bible Riots of the mid-1800s, the role of religion in public schools has been one of the most hotly disputed—and most frequently misunderstood—religious freedom issues in America. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court has long made clear that the Constitution prohibits public school-sponsored prayer or religious indoctrination, violations remain rampant in many parts of the country. The ACLU works to protect public school students’ religious freedom by curbing the practice of school-sponsored prayer and proselytizing while simultaneously ensuring that students may freely express and exercise their faith...The right to practice religion, or no religion at all, is among the most fundamental of the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Religious liberty requires that the government permit a wide range of religious exercise and expression for people of all faiths, in public and in private. Government officials may not impede such religious exercise unless it would threaten the rights, welfare, and well-being of others or violate the core constitutional ban on governmental promotion of religion…The ACLU vigorously defends the rights of all Americans to practice their faith. We represent both Christians and adherents of minority faiths, who are often disproportionately affected and treated as second-class citizens.

The Christian Teacher’s Plight of Teaching about Religion in Public Schools

Public school educators, especially Christians, frequently find themselves scrutinized, ridiculed, and even demonized when they take advantage of opportunities to expand students’ understanding of lessons by referring to or expounding on quotations, passages or references from the Bible. For instance, literary themes, such as “good versus evil” can be connected to many Hebrew Biblical narratives in the Book of Genesis. English teachers have numerous opportunities to further develop students’ understanding and research skills by allowing students to explore Biblical references. In both public and private school settings, students can read the Book of Exodus to relate the narrative of the Israelites in bondage to the Egyptians to discuss the basic principles of treating all humans with dignity and respect, and to value human life- no matter what the ethnicity or circumstance. In other words, while most of my professional career was spent in public high schools, where some of the students had never heard of David and Goliath, I have also taught students in a private high school in which some of the students did not know that for more than two hundred years (right here in America), African Americans had once suffered the atrocities inflicted upon them through the morally repugnant institution of slavery. Why are we afraid to teach students truth? Why should we not allow them to examine literary and historical texts that will open their understanding about the differences between right and wrong-good versus evil? Can we not trust in the virtue of truth? Cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901) who wrote the influential novel Coming of Age in Samoa avowed: “I was brought up to believe that the only thing worth doing was to add to the sum of accurate information in the world.” Educators must never forget that we are “seekers of truth.” No matter what the cost, we must be instrumental in “adding to the sum of accurate information in the world.” The Hebrew Bible is a reliable source of accurate information.

Overcoming the Fear of Teaching about the Bible in Public Education

The line stated in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address (1933): “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” is most often quoted as his original thought. In reality, the American writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau (1817) was the first to write in his journal: “Nothing is so much to be feared as fear.” For more than fifty years, public schools administrators and teachers have been terrified at the thought of being sued by “watchdog” groups that oppose any notion of teaching about religion in public schools. Federal clarification guidelines (1995) sent to every school in America from the U.S. Department Education and former President Clinton, along with other documents prepared by 1st Amendment scholars should have dispelled these stifling fears, but until those “pillars of society” entrusted with the awesome responsibility of fully educating our youth begin to view religious liberties as a vital component of a quality education, another fifty years will pass and public education will continue to be “void and without form” (Genesis 1:2). This should be educators’ greatest fear. In order to eradicate this perceived educational threat that holds Biblical literacy and moral education hostage to the mythical bullies known as misinformation, outright lies, and ignorance often perpetuated by the media, remember what Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803) said: 

“When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.”

(Reference: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103054/chapters/Part-II.-Core-Issues-for-All-Schools-to-Consider.aspx)

As a committed professional secondary English teacher for life, I have decided that I cannot afford to be detached from the subject matter and completely “politically correct” in explaining and unfolding the innumerable truths and sound principles found in classical literature, including the Hebrew Bible.

American novelist Harper Lee (1926) said,

“The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think. No book in the world equals the Bible for that.”

 

Our 18th President Ulysess S. Grant (1822) advised: 

“Hold fast to the Bible. To the influence of this Book, we are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization, and to this we must look as our guide in the future.”

As a professional Christian secondary educator and servant leader who has taught in both public and private school environments, I believe that within a community of learners, I have an ethical responsibility to fulfill my duties as a servant leader for the general welfare of the entire society and for the world in general. In fulfilling this mission, I believe that imparting the truths and timeless principles contained in the Hebrew Bible should be included in secular programs of studies on public high school campuses. Such academic instruction can be included in regular classroom discussions and assignments, or students should be afforded the opportunity to take elective courses in religious studies, such as The Bible as Literature and History. 

Because of the indelible imprint that the Hebrew Bible has made on the shaping of Western society the American public education systems should not continue to graduate Biblically illiterate students year after year. More effort should be made to quell the confusion concerning “separation of church and state” issues that have resulted in more than fifty years of a barrage of media hype, misinterpretations, and the deliberate propagation of inaccurate information should be clarified so that teachers and students can be set free from the ignorance. In the 1963 ruling (Abington v. Schempp ) , the U. S. Supreme Court expressly stated:

“ It might well be said that one’s education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization. It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities.”

As agents of the state, educators cannot religiously indoctrinate students by promoting one religion over another, however, the Constitution does not forbid public educators from teaching about religion in public classrooms, including instruction that pertains to the timeless truths found in the Hebrew Scriptures. Legally, however, educators must keep in mind that such instruction must be academic (not devotional) as part of a secular program of studies.

While no teacher should impose his or her religion on any student in a state sponsored school, constitutionally, educators and students do not have to hide their own religious identity when they enter public classrooms (Retrieved from: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=51609 on January 23, 2006).

Considerations for Teaching about the Bible in Public Education

(1st Amendment Rights of Students and Teachers on Public Schools Campuses)

On August 10, 1995, the Clinton administration directed the Secretary of State, Richard Riley, to issue to every school superintendent in America a “statement of principles” titled “Religious Expression in Public Schools.” At a time in our nation’s history when religion (especially Christianity) was undergoing intense attacks on the academic and scholarly campuses, these clarification guidelines were sent to inform administrators, teachers, students, and parents of students in public schools of their religious liberties guaranteed by the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The communication reads as follows:

Memorandum for the Secretary of Education, the Attorney General

Subject: Religious Expression in Public Schools

Religious freedom is perhaps the most precious of all American liberties—called by many our "first freedom." Many of the first European settlers in North America sought refuge from religious persecution in their native countries. Since that time, people of faith and religious institutions have played a central role in the history of this Nation. In the First Amendment, our Bill of Rights recognizes the twin pillars of religious liberty: the constitutional protection for the free exercise of religion, and the constitutional prohibition on the establishment of religion by the state. Our Nation's founders knew that religion helps to give our people the character without which a democracy cannot survive. Our founders also recognized the need for a space of freedom between government and the people—that the government must not be permitted to coerce the conscience of any individual or group.

In the over 200 years since the First Amendment was included in our Constitution, religion and religious institutions have thrived throughout the United States. In 1993, I was proud to reaffirm the historic place of religion when I signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which restores a high legal standard to protect the exercise of religion from being inappropriately burdened by government action. In the greatest traditions of American citizenship, a broad coalition of individuals and organizations came together to support the fullest protection for religious practice and expression. I share the concern and frustration that many Americans feel about situations where the protections accorded by the First Amendment are not recognized or understood. This problem has manifested itself in our Nation's public schools. It appears that some school officials, teachers and parents have assumed that religious expression of any type is either inappropriate, or forbidden altogether, in public schools.

As our courts have reaffirmed, however, nothing in the First Amendment converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the schoolhouse door. While the government may not use schools to coerce the consciences of our students, or to convey official endorsement of religion, the government's schools also may not discriminate against private religious expression during the school day.

I have been advised by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education that the First Amendment permits—and protects—a greater degree of religious expression in public schools than many Americans may now understand. The Departments of Justice and Education have advised me that, while application may depend upon specific factual contexts and will require careful consideration in particular cases, the following principles are among those that apply to religious expression in our schools:

Student prayer and religious discussion: The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment does not prohibit purely private religious speech by students. Students therefore have the same right to engage in individual or group prayer and religious discussion during the school day as they do to engage in other comparable activity. For example, students may read their Bibles or other scriptures, say grace before meals, and pray before tests to the same extent they may engage in comparable nonreligious activities. Local school authorities possess substantial discretion to impose rules of order and other pedagogical restrictions on student activities, but they may not structure or administer such rules to discriminate against religious activity or speech.

Generally, students may pray in a non-disruptive manner when not engaged in school activities or instruction, and subject to the rules that normally pertain in the applicable setting. Specifically, students in informal settings, such as cafeterias and hallways, may pray and discuss their religious views with each other, subject to the same rules of order as apply to other student activities and speech. Students may also speak to, and attempt to persuade, their peers about religious topics just as they do with regard to political topics. School officials, however, should intercede to stop student speech that constitutes harassment aimed at a student or a group of students.

Students may also participate in before or after school events with religious content, such as "see you at the flag pole" gatherings, on the same terms as they may participate in other noncurricular activities on school premises. School officials may neither discourage nor encourage participation in such an event.

The right to engage in voluntary prayer or religious discussion free from discrimination does not include the right to have a captive audience listen, or to compel other students to participate. Teachers and school administrators should ensure that no student is in any way coerced to participate in religious activity.

Graduation prayer and baccalaureates: Under current Supreme Court decisions, school officials may not mandate or organize prayer at graduation, nor organize religious baccalaureate ceremonies. If a school generally opens its facilities to private groups, it must make its facilities available on the same terms to organizers of privately sponsored religious baccalaureate services. A school may not extend preferential treatment to baccalaureate ceremonies and may in some instances be obliged to disclaim official endorsement of such ceremonies.

Official neutrality regarding religious activity: Teachers and school administrators, when acting in those capacities, are representatives of the state and are prohibited by the establishment clause from soliciting or encouraging religious activity, and from participating in such activity with students. Teachers and administrators also are prohibited from discouraging activity because of its religious content, and from soliciting or encouraging antireligious activity.

Teaching about religion: Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion, including the Bible or other scripture: the history of religion, comparative religion, the Bible (or other scripture)-as-literature, and the role of religion in the history of the United States and other countries all are permissible public school subjects. Similarly, it is permissible to consider religious influences on art, music, literature, and social studies.

Although public schools may teach about religious holidays, including their religious aspects, and may celebrate the secular aspects of holidays, schools may not observe holidays as religious events or promote such observance by students.

Student assignments: Students may express their beliefs about religion in the form of homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free of discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions. Such home and classroom work should be judged by ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance, and against other legitimate pedagogical concerns identified by the school.

Religious literature: Students have a right to distribute religious literature to their schoolmates on the same terms as they are permitted to distribute other literature that is unrelated to school curriculum or activities. Generally, schools may allow  or restrict the same amount of time, place, and manner for distributing  religious materials as they do for nonreligious literature, but they may not single out religious literature for special regulation.

Religious excusals: Subject to applicable State laws, schools enjoy substantial discretion to excuse individual students from lessons that are objectionable to the student or the students' parents on religious or other conscientious grounds. School officials may neither encourage nor discourage students from availing themselves of an excusal option. Under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, if it is proved that particular lessons substantially burden a student's free exercise of religion and if the school cannot prove a compelling interest in requiring attendance, the school would be legally required to excuse the student.

Released time: Subject to applicable State laws, schools have the discretion to dismiss students to off-premises religious instruction, provided that schools do not encourage or discourage participation or penalize those who do not attend. Schools may not allow religious instruction by outsiders on school premises during the school day.

Teaching values: Though schools must be neutral with respect to religion, they may play an active role with respect to teaching civic values and virtue, and the moral code that holds us together as a community. The fact that some of these values are held also by religions does not make it unlawful to teach them in school.

Student garb: Students may display religious messages on items of clothing to the same extent that they are permitted to display other comparable messages. Religious messages may not be singled out for suppression, but rather are subject to the same rules as generally apply to comparable messages. When wearing particular attire, such as yarmulkes and head scarves, during the school day is part of students' religious practice, under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act schools generally may not prohibit the wearing of such items.

I hereby direct the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General, to use appropriate means to ensure that public school districts and school officials in the United States are informed, by the start of the coming school year, of the principles set forth above.

The Equal Access Act

The Equal Access Act is designed to ensure that, consistent with the First Amendment, student religious activities are accorded the same access to public school facilities as are student secular activities. Based on decisions of the Federal courts, as well as its interpretations of the Act, the Department of Justice has advised me of its position that the Act should be interpreted as providing, among other things, that:

General provisions: Student religious groups at public secondary schools have the same right of access to school facilities as is enjoyed by other comparable student groups. Under the Equal Access Act, a school receiving federal funds must allow one or more student noncurricular-related clubs to meet on its premises during non-instructional time. The school may not refuse access to student religious groups.

Prayer services and worship exercises covered: A meeting, as defined and protected by the Equal Access Act, may include a prayer service, Bible reading, or other worship exercise.

Equal access to means of publicizing meetings: A school receiving Federal funds must allow student groups meeting under the Act to use the school media—including the public address system, the school newspaper, and the school bulletin board—to announce their meetings on the same terms as other non-curriculum-related student groups are allowed to use the school media. Any policy concerning the use of school media must be applied to all non-curriculum-related student groups in a nondiscriminatory matter. Schools, however, may inform students that certain groups are not school sponsored.

A public school creates a limited open forum under the Equal Access Act when it allows students to meet during their lunch periods or other non-instructional time during the school day, as well as when it allows students to meet before and after the school day.

I hereby direct the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General, to use appropriate means to ensure that public school districts and school officials in the United States are informed, by the start of the coming school year, of these interpretations of the Equal Access Act.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

(Citation: William J. Clinton: "Memorandum on Religious Expression in Public Schools," July 12, 1995. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=51609)

The “Power” of Bible Knowledge

The aphorism “ scientai est potential” is translated as “Knowledge is power.” This phrase is commonly attributed to Sir Francis Bacon. A related maxim, “sapientia est potential” is translated “Wisdom is power.” The saying implies that with knowledge or education, one’s potential or abilities to succeed will increase in life. Proverbs 24:5 reads: “A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.” According to The American College Dictionary, the word “knowledge” denotes “the body of truths or facts accumulated by mankind in the course of time; understanding; erudition; scholarship; wisdom.” For generations in many cultures, demonstrating knowledge and wisdom has proved to be the basis for improving a person’s reputation and influence in society, thus, giving one power. In Western civilization, without a doubt, the wisdom of gleaned from Hebrew Scriptures has empowered many.

Joseph Benson (1749), an early English Methodist minister who was one of the leaders of the Methodist movement during the time of its founder John Wesley (1703) wrote in The Benson Commentary: “The very first, and indeed, the principle thing which is to be instilled into all men’s minds (without which they will make no progress) is true wisdom.” In ancient near Eastern cultures, such as Israel, “wisdom” was a way of viewing and approaching life. Instruction involved teaching the youth proper conduct and morality, along with equipping them both mentally and spiritually to answer the philosophical questions about the meaning of life. Old Testament wisdom on one level describes skilled arts and artisans, such as weavers in Exodus 35:25-26 and builders in Exodus 35:30-36. On the next level, wisdom pertains to keen insight about life and how to handle the problems of life. This was the kind of wisdom that Solomon sought (1 Kings 3:1-15; 1 Kings 4:32-34). The term “understanding” is synonymous to “wisdom” in speaking of Solomon. The terms “wisdom” and “wise” were used in ancient Israel to represent orderly, socially sensitive, and moral conduct. This was the highest opinion of wisdom in the Old Testament, especially as represented in the Book of Proverbs, which gives instruction on personal behavior to the young (e.g., Proverbs 22:6), as well as the proper way to treat one’s neighbor (Proverbs 24:29). In ancient Hebrew society, then, the primary goal of wisdom was to construct an orderly and functional society in accordance to the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai ( ). Though The Book of Proverbs does not mention the Mosaic law as a set code, the moral propositions of the Ten Commandments were underwritten in the Wisdom Literature of the Hebrew Bible. (www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/wisdom).

One of the Bible’s most popular Scriptures is Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The psalmist is saying that respect, or a reverential awe, toward God is the beginning of understanding, but the foolish hate good instruction and discipline. 

Exodus 20: 1-7 reads: 

And God spake all these words, saying,

I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Losing Wisdom in the Quest for Knowledge

Someone once asked: “Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? In Western culture, the idea of possessing “knowledge” has endured from generation to generation, but how important is seeking “true wisdom” in our culture? According to the 18th century Anglican evangelist and founder of the Wesleyan Tradition and author of Explanatory Notes, John Wesley stated that when one does not have “true wisdom,” he or she is unstable (double-minded), perpetually disagreeing with both himself and others. He wrote:“ For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed…Yea, such are all who have not asked and obtained wisdom.” 

The Greek word “dipsuchos” is translated as “double-minded.” James 1:8 says that “a double- minded man is unstable in all his ways.” The Apostle used the term to describe someone who is divided in his loyalties, uncertain, half-hearted, and two-faced. This kind of person is usually in a compromised state-whether the end results of the thinking involve one personally or include someone else. In other words, one without sound knowledge or wisdom can expect to be someone who wavers, or is indecisive about life’s choices. In verse 22, James goes on to explain how double-mindedness can affect one’s attitude and character, and proposes that a person of character and wisdom lives beyond his passions, for feelings can be deceiving. The application of “true wisdom,” then, stabilizes and guides one through the difficult challenges of life. “True wisdom,” especially the knowledge and wisdom contained within Hebrew Scripture, gives the reader a sense of purpose and direction. 

Modern versus Traditional Education

John Dewey (1859)

The American author of the 1932 book Public Opinion, reporter, and political commentator Walter Lippmann (1889) became famous for his role in introducing the concept of Cold War. He has been called the "most influential" journalist of the 20th century, and “Father of Modern Journalism.” His views regarding the role of journalism in a democracy were quite different from the contemporaneous writings of John Dewey (1859) in what has been retrospectively named the Lippmann-Dewey debate. 

Walter Lippmann observed that "a boy can take you into the open at night and show you the stars; he might tell you no end of things about them, conceivably all that an astronomer could teach. But until and unless he feels the vast indifference of the universe to his own fate, and has placed himself in the perspective of cold and illimitable space, he has not looked maturely at the heavens. Until he has felt this, and unless he can endure this, he remains a child, and in his childishness, he will resent the heavens when they are not accommodating. He will demand sunshine when he wishes to play, and rain when the ground is dry, and he will look upon storms as anger directed at him, and the thunder as a personal threat." He may know knowledge but he doesn't have wisdom. Wisdom places us in our proper roles in relationship to everything else around us and in so doing helps us to develop emotional maturity (http://www.foundationsmag.com/wisdom.html).

“True wisdom” empowers one’s mind, or thought processes. The Greek word for “mind” is “nous.” The Bible defines the human minds as not just thoughts, reason, or intellect, but one’s entire conceptual process. According to Scripture, man has a mind, body and soul. The process of thinking begins in the spirit of man that resides at the core of his being, and ends with life actions that are produced by the soul. The Hebrew word for “soul” is “self,” “being,” “one,” or “I/me” (www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/soul/). 

In 1Corinthians 9:26, the Apostle Paul compares himself to the racers and combatants in the Isthmian games well known to the Corinthians: “ I therefore so run, not as uncertainty so fight I, not as one that beateth the air.” (KJV)This is to say that “true wisdom” teaches discipline of the mind and body. A wise person will prepare himself for hardships as he aims toward specific goals. He does not waste precious time “beating the air,” or shadow boxing because of his uncertain ways, nor does he mistakenly believe he has accomplished much, when, in reality, nothing of substance has been achieved. The content of the knowledge that students receive in education is just as much as the importance of finding competent teachers and effective instructional strategies for imparting information/knowledge. Certainly, the Hebrew Bible should be included in a secular program of education when one aspires to gain wisdom, or knowledge. Following are some of the word spoken by famous people on the importance of including the Bible in one’s quest for instruction:

Napoleon (1769), Emperor of the French (1804-1814) wrote: 

“The gospel is not a book; it is a living being, with an action, a power, which invades every thing that opposes its extension, behold! It is upon this table: This book, surpassing all others. I never omit to read it, and every day with some pleasure.”

 

Isaac Newton, English mathematician and scientist, 1642-1727:

“I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever.”

 

The Cambridge History of the Bible:

“No other book has known anything approaching this constant circulation.”

 

Sir Ambrose Flemming, British electrical engineer and inventor, 1849-1945:

“We must not build on the sands of an uncertain and ever-changing science…but upon the rock of inspired Scriptures.”

 

Jean Jacques Rousseau, French skeptic

“Jewish authors would never have invented either that style nor that morality; and the Gospel has marks of truth so great, so striking, so utterly inimitable, that the invention of it would be more astonishing than the hero.”

 

Patrick Henry, American Revolutionary leader and orator, 1736-1799:

“There is a book worth all other books which were ever printed.”

 

President Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States:

“Of the many influences that have shaped the United States into a distinctive nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible.”

 

President George Washington, First President of the United States:

“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible.”

 

Immanuel Kant, German idealist philosopher, 1724-1804:

“I believe that the existence of the Bible is the greatest benefit to the human race. Any attempt to belittle it, I believe, is a crime against humanity.”

 

Robert E. Lee, Confederate Civil War General:

“In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.”

 

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, 1809-1865:

“I am busily engaged in the study of the Bible. I believe it is God’s word because it finds me where I am.”

“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good of the Savior of the world is communicated to us through the Book.”

 

Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, 1856-1924

“When you have read the Bible, you know it is the word of God, because it is the key to your heart, your own happiness, and your own duty.”

 

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, 1858-1919:

“A thorough understanding of the Bible is better than a college education.”

 

Components of a Quality Education

Schools should train students to become rational and moral thinkers.

In his literary classic, As Man Thinketh (1903), James Allen stated:

"The thoughtless, the ignorant, and indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of law, of fortune, and chance. Seeing a man grow rich, they say, 'How lucky he is!' Observing another become intellectual they exclaim, 'How highly favored he is!' And noting the saintly character and wide influence of another, they remark, 'How chance aids him at every turn!' They don't see the trials and failures and the struggles which these men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their experience; have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have made, of the undaunted efforts they have put forth, of the faith they have exercised, that they might overcome the apparently insurmountable, and realize the vision of their heart. They do not know the darkness and the heart aches; they only see the light and the Joy, and they call it 'luck'; do not see the longing arduous journey, but only behold the pleasant goal, and call it 'good fortune'; do not understand the process, but only perceive the result, and call it 'chance'.”

“Separation of Church and State” Issues

(Understanding Religious Freedoms Guaranteed by the 1st Amendment)

As a professional Christian secondary educator and servant leader who has taught in both public and private school environments, I believe that within a community of learners, I have an ethical responsibility to fulfill my duties as a servant leader for the general welfare of the entire society and for the world in general. In fulfilling this mission, I believe that imparting the truths and timeless principles contained in the Hebrew Bible should be included in secular programs of studies on public high school campuses. Such academic instruction can be included in regular classroom discussions and assignments, or students should be afforded the opportunity to take elective courses in religious studies, such as The Bible as Literature and History. 

Because of the indelible imprint that the Hebrew Bible has made on the shaping of Western society the American public education systems should not continue to graduate Biblically illiterate students year after year. More effort should be made to quell the confusion concerning “separation of church and state” issues that have resulted in more than fifty years of a barrage of media hype, misinterpretations, and the deliberate propagation of inaccurate information should be clarified so that teachers and students can be set free from the ignorance. In the 1963 ruling (Abington v. Schempp ) , the U. S. Supreme Court expressly stated:

“It might well be said that one’s education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization. It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities.”

As agents of the state, educators cannot religiously indoctrinate students by promoting one religion over another, however, the Constitution does not forbid public educators from teaching about religion in public classrooms, including instruction that pertains to the timeless truths found in the Hebrew Scriptures. Legally, however, educators must keep in mind that such instruction must be academic (not devotional) as part of a secular program of studies.

While no teacher should impose his or her religion on any student in a state sponsored school, constitutionally, educators and students do not have to hide their own religious identity when they enter public classrooms (Retrieved from: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=51609 on January 23, 2006).

Considerations for Teaching about the Bible in Public Education

(1st Amendment Rights of Students and Teachers in Public Schools)

On August 10, 1995, the Clinton administration directed the Secretary of State, Richard Riley, to issue to every school superintendent in America a “statement of principles” titled “Religious Expression in Public Schools.” At a time in our nation’s history when religion (especially Christianity) was undergoing intense attacks on the academic and scholarly campuses, these clarification guidelines were sent to inform administrators, teachers, students, and parents of students in public schools of their religious liberties guaranteed by the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The communication reads as follows:

 

Memorandum for the Secretary of Education, the Attorney General

Subject: Religious Expression in Public Schools

Religious freedom is perhaps the most precious of all American liberties—called by many our "first freedom." Many of the first European settlers in North America sought refuge from religious persecution in their native countries. Since that time, people of faith and religious institutions have played a central role in the history of this Nation. In the First Amendment, our Bill of Rights recognizes the twin pillars of religious liberty: the constitutional protection for the free exercise of religion, and the constitutional prohibition on the establishment of religion by the state. Our Nation's founders knew that religion helps to give our people the character without which a democracy cannot survive. Our founders also recognized the need for a space of freedom between government and the people—that the government must not be permitted to coerce the conscience of any individual or group.

In the over 200 years since the First Amendment was included in our Constitution, religion and religious institutions have thrived throughout the United States. In 1993, I was proud to reaffirm the historic place of religion when I signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which restores a high legal standard to protect the exercise of religion from being inappropriately burdened by government action. In the greatest traditions of American citizenship, a broad coalition of individuals and organizations came together to support the fullest protection for religious practice and expression.

Religious Expression in Public Schools (continued)

I share the concern and frustration that many Americans feel about situations where the protections accorded by the First Amendment are not recognized or understood. This problem has manifested itself in our Nation's public schools. It appears that some school officials, teachers and parents have assumed that religious expression of any type is either inappropriate, or forbidden altogether, in public schools.

As our courts have reaffirmed, however, nothing in the First Amendment converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the schoolhouse door. While the government may not use schools to coerce the consciences of our students, or to convey official endorsement of religion, the government's schools also may not discriminate against private religious expression during the school day.

I have been advised by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education that the First Amendment permits—and protects—a greater degree of religious expression in public schools than many Americans may now understand. The Departments of Justice and Education have advised me that, while application may depend upon specific factual contexts and will require careful consideration in particular cases, the following principles are among those that apply to religious expression in our schools:

Student prayer and religious discussion: The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment does not prohibit purely private religious speech by students. Students therefore have the same right to engage in individual or group prayer and religious discussion during the school day as they do to engage in other comparable activity. For example, students may read their Bibles or other scriptures, say grace before meals, and pray before tests to the same extent they may engage in comparable non-disruptive activities. Local school authorities possess substantial discretion to impose rules of order and other pedagogical restrictions on student activities, but they may not structure or administer such rules to discriminate against religious activity or speech.

Generally, students may pray in a non-disruptive manner when not engaged in school activities or instruction, and subject to the rules that normally pertain in the applicable setting. Specifically, students in informal settings, such as cafeterias and hallways, may pray and discuss their religious views with each other, subject to the same rules of order as apply to other student activities and speech. Students may also speak to, and attempt to persuade, their peers about religious topics just as they do with regard to political topics. School officials, however, should intercede to stop student speech that constitutes harassment aimed at a student or a group of students.

Students may also participate in before or after school events with religious content, such as "see you at the flag pole" gatherings, on the same terms as they may participate in other non-curricular activities on school premises. School officials may neither discourage nor encourage participation in such an event.

The right to engage in voluntary prayer or religious discussion free from discrimination does not include the right to have a captive audience listen, or to compel other students to participate. Teachers and school administrators should ensure that no student is in any way coerced to participate in religious activity.

Graduation prayer and baccalaureates: Under current Supreme Court decisions, school officials may not mandate or organize prayer at graduation, nor organize religious baccalaureate ceremonies. If a school generally opens its facilities to private groups, it must make its facilities available on the same terms to organizers of privately sponsored religious baccalaureate services. A school may not extend preferential treatment to baccalaureate ceremonies and may in some instances be obliged to disclaim official endorsement of such ceremonies.

Official neutrality regarding religious activity: Teachers and school administrators, when acting in those capacities, are representatives of the state and are prohibited by the establishment clause from soliciting or encouraging religious activity, and from participating in such activity with students. Teachers and administrators also are prohibited from discouraging activity because of its religious content, and from soliciting or encouraging anti-religious activity.

Teaching about religion: Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion, including the Bible or other scripture: the history of religion, comparative religion, the Bible (or other scripture)-as-literature, and the role of religion in the history of the United States and other countries all are permissible public school subjects. Similarly, it is permissible to consider religious influences on art, music, literature, and social studies.

Although public schools may teach about religious holidays, including their religious aspects, and may celebrate the secular aspects of holidays, schools may not observe holidays as religious events or promote such observance by students.

Student assignments: Students may express their beliefs about religion in the form of homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free of discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions. Such home and classroom work should be judged by ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance, and against other legitimate pedagogical concerns identified by the school.

Religious literature: Students have a right to distribute religious literature to their schoolmates on the same terms as they are permitted to distribute other literature that is unrelated to school curriculum or activities. Schools may provide the same reasonable time, place, and manner or other constitutional restrictions on distribution of religious literature as they do on secular literature generally, but they may not single out religious literature for special regulation.

Religious excusals: Subject to applicable State laws, schools enjoy substantial discretion to excuse individual students from lessons that are objectionable to the student or the students' parents on religious or other conscientious grounds. School officials may neither encourage nor discourage students from availing themselves of an excusal option. Under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, if it is proved that particular lessons substantially burden a student's free exercise of religion and if the school cannot prove a compelling interest in requiring attendance, the school would be legally required to excuse the student.

Released time: Subject to applicable State laws, schools have the discretion to dismiss students to off-premises religious instruction, provided that schools do not encourage or discourage participation or penalize those who do not attend. Schools may not allow religious instruction by outsiders on school premises during the school day.

Teaching values: Though schools must be neutral with respect to religion, they may play an active role with respect to teaching civic values and virtue, and the moral code that holds us together as a community. The fact that some of these values are held also by religions does not make it unlawful to teach them in school.

Student garb: Students may display religious messages on items of clothing to the same extent that they are permitted to display other comparable messages. Religious messages may not be singled out for suppression, but rather are subject to the same rules as generally apply to comparable messages. When wearing particular attire, such as yarmulkes and head scarves, during the school day is part of students' religious practice, under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act schools generally may not prohibit the wearing of such items.

I hereby direct the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General, to use appropriate means to ensure that public school districts and school officials in the United States are informed, by the start of the coming school year, of the principles set forth above.

The Equal Access Act

The Equal Access Act is designed to ensure that, consistent with the First Amendment, student religious activities are accorded the same access to public school facilities as are student secular activities. Based on decisions of the Federal courts, as well as its interpretations of the Act, the Department of Justice has advised me of its position that the Act should be interpreted as providing, among other things, that:

General provisions: Student religious groups at public secondary schools have the same right of access to school facilities as is enjoyed by other comparable student groups. Under the Equal Access Act, a school receiving Federal funds that allows one or more student noncurricular-related clubs to meet on its premises during non-instructional time may not refuse access to student religious groups.

Prayer services and worship exercises covered: A meeting, as defined and protected by the Equal Access Act, may include a prayer service, Bible reading, or other worship exercise.

Equal access to means of publicizing meetings: A school receiving Federal funds must allow student groups meeting under the Act to use the school media—including the public address system, the school newspaper, and the school bulletin board—to announce their meetings on the same terms as other noncurricular-related student groups are allowed to use the school media. Any policy concerning the use of school media must be applied to all noncurricular-related student groups in a nondiscriminatory matter. Schools, however, may inform students that certain groups are not school sponsored.

Lunch-time and recess covered: A school creates a limited open forum under the Equal Access Act, triggering equal access rights for religious groups, when it allows students to meet during their lunch periods or other non-instructional time during the school day, as well as when it allows students to meet before and after the school day.

I hereby direct the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General, to use appropriate means to ensure that public school districts and school officials in the United States are informed, by the start of the coming school year, of these interpretations of the Equal Access Act.

- WILLIAM J. CLINTON

Citation: William J. Clinton: "Memorandum on Religious Expression in Public Schools," July 12, 1995. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=51609. 

The Role of the Bible in American History

Throughout American history, the Hebrew Bible has been invoked on various occasions, especially during times of tragedy. Politicians refer to the Bible as they debate many public-policies. Biblical principles have been applied to effect changes in many debates social movements, such as the abolition of slavery, temperance, and the Civil Rights Movement. Learning about the role that the Bible has played in American history will definitely enhance students’ ability to engage in meaningful discussions about social occurrences which, in turn, contributes to their cultural literacy strengths.

Strengthening Public Education by Applying 1st Amendment Rights

This abundance of knowledge set before us concerning our 1st Amendment rights can be used to strengthen the foundation of public education. In 1995, the clarification guidelines for religious expression in public schools were sent to superintendents and principals across the country for the express purpose of correcting and eradicating the misunderstandings, innuendos, confusion, chaos, and ignorance related to religious issues in public education.

(References: www.2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/religionand schools/prayer.guidance.html; https://www.aclu.org/joint-statement-current-law-religion-public-schools; www.firstadmentcenter.org; https://www.aarweb.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Publications/epublications/AARK-12CurriculumGuidelines.pdf 

First of all, however, administrators, teachers, parents, students, and community stakeholders must recognize the significance of exercising our 1st Amendment right to religious liberty. Then, they must be willing to work diligently to dispel the myths and ignorance surrounding “separation of church and state” issues by participating in well-planned and legally sound academic initiatives that will enlighten our misinformed society about their religious liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Such steps may include: accessing reliable online sources, written and oral communications to national and state legislators, professional and community workshops/newsletters/seminars, along with intensive college training for student teachers. This invaluable information is available for us to use for the betterment of education, and, in turn, for the good of our world.

If we continue to ignore such an important documents that were placed into the hands of public school administrators since more than fifteen years ago, how can we blame anyone except ourselves for the future consequences of allowing such a void in our children’s education? Ignorance of the law is no longer an excuse for any of us! We must summon the strength needed to rebuild the educational foundation upon which our country was founded!

The Internet abounds with reliable resources that may be referenced when one has questions about the legalities surrounding religion and public schools. Such sites include:

• A Teacher's Guide to Religion in Public Schools (Published by The First Amendment Center)

Web Address:

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/madison/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/teachersguide.pdf

• Guidelines for Teaching about Religion in K-12 Public Schools in the United States (2010) (Produced by the AAR Religion in the Schools Task Force)

Web Address: https://www.aarweb.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Publications/epublications/AARK-12CurriculumGuidelines.pdf

• Religion in the Public Schools: A Joint Statement of Current Law (ACLU, 2015)

Web Address: https://www.aclu.org/joint-statement-current-law-religion-public-schools

Following is an excerpt about teaching values in a public school setting taken from ACLU’s Religion in the Public Schools: A Joint Statement of Current Law:

Schools may teach civic virtues, including honesty, good citizenship, sportsmanship, courage, respect for the rights and freedoms of others, respect for persons and their property, civility, the dual virtues of moral conviction and tolerance and hard work. Subject to whatever rights of excusal exist …under the federal Constitution and state law, schools may teach sexual abstinence and contraception; whether and how schools teach these sensitive subjects is a matter of educational policy. However, these may not be taught as religious tenets. The mere fact that most, if not all, religions also teach these values does not make it unlawful to teach them. 

Following is an excerpt from the 2010 publication: American Academy of Religion:

The United States Department of Education requires states to develop content standards and academic assessments for each subject taught in public schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12). State departments of education are guided in this task by national educational associations that have crafted their own standards and guidelines using the collective wisdom of scholars and educators in each subject. Though religion is not a separate, required subject in public K 12 schools, religion is embedded in curriculum standards across disciplines, especially in social studies and English, and there are a growing number of elective courses that focus on religious themes or topics explicitly.

Because 1) the study of religion is already present in public schools, 2) there are no content and skill guidelines for educators about religion itself that are constructed by religious studies scholars, and 3) educators and school boards are often confused about how to teach about religion in constitutionally sound and intellectually responsible ways, the American Academy of Religion (the world’s largest association of religion scholars) has published these Guidelines as a resource for educators and interested citizens. Three premises inform this project: illiteracy regarding religion 1) is widespread, 2) fuels prejudice and antagonism, and 3) can be diminished by teaching about religion in public schools using a non-devotional, academic perspective, called religious studies. There are important differences between this approach and a faith-based approach to teaching and learning about religion. These Guidelines support the former, constitutionally sound approach for teaching about religion in public schools—encouraging student awareness of religions, but not acceptance of a particular religion; studying about religion, but not practicing religion; exposing students to a diversity of religious views, but not imposing any particular view; and educating students about all religions, but not promoting or denigrating religion.

In teaching about religion, public school teachers draw on the following methodological approaches: historical, literary, traditions based, and cultural studies. Regardless of the approaches used, however, teaching about religion needs to convey three central premises of academic learning about religion: religions are internally diverse; religions are dynamic; and religions are embedded in our culture. Given that few educators have taken religious studies courses, the AAR encourages using these Guidelines in substantial teacher pre-service and professional training that imparts content, pedagogy, and academically and constitutionally sound approaches for teaching about religion in K-12 public schools. (Retrieved from:

https://www.aarweb.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Publications/epublications/AARK-12CurriculumGuidelines.pdf on February1, 2016.)

The Significance of Teaching Virtue

(Values Education: “The Perfection of Reason”)

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 BC), the earliest significant educational thinker, saw education as the key to creating and sustaining the state. Plato believed in a just society, and advocated that individual talents within children must be found among all classes, not just from those born among the aristocrats. Plato believed that for the sake of society, a teacher’s duty is to guide students in the direction of what is good, true, and beautiful by implementing lessons that will promote principled habits and dispositions.

Aristotle (384-322), a student of Plato, who, in turn was a student of Socrates, philosophized that “ The purpose of the state is to educate the people – to make them virtuous. Virtue is the life principle of the state.” He went on to say that “Virtue is the perfection of reason.” (Retrieved from: http://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/Aristotle.html on June 25, 2011). While we want our children to gain a quality education that will lead to their “happiness,” we must not forget that true happiness incorporates a measure of virtue, or moral excellence. To be successful and truly happy, one’s life must conform to certain moral laws and uprightness.

If teachers are to help guide students to proper decisions and behavior, then we must have be able and willing to reference reliable sources that will aid in the moral instruction. In Western culture, the Hebrew Bible, in addition to other timeless sources, has proved to be as an invaluable resource that can be used to teach lessons on virtue and character building. Replete with practical “life skills” wisdom, Western culture has relied on this Book from one generation to another. America’s Founding Fathers were explicit in understanding of the impact that the Hebrew Bible has made on the shaping of this nation’s foundational principles.

For example, Fisher Ames, author of final wording of the 1st Amendment in the U.S. Constitution asked,

“Why should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble.”

 

Noah Webster, author of the first American speller and the first dictionary, said:

“The moral principles and precepts contained in scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws…All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.”