Sorry. They are kinda weak opinions. "Religious studies are almost non-existent in the Western world in the public school system. Some would say this is a good thing, as it separates the church and the state, but is it really a bad thing to teach children how to better understand their fellow man?" --That list. Church and State aren't together FOR A REASON. So why should Church and Education?
Well, to be fair, if you are going to study The Bible should you not also have to include other religions' texts as well? Equality and all. Here's a short list I found with a quick search. Religious texts It's going to be a long semester.
If we're going off of things to be said, let me just point out what he just said: To reiterate: There's nothing wrong with studying the bible, like Poetic said, it can be used as a particularly good guideline for how to behave, if you admittedly pick out the more insane bits like chunks of Leviticus, but that comes and goes with the passing of time. Notice what you quoted never really advocates a strong opinion on bringing in bible studies explicitly, it just suggests it. Here lemme help you with that. http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism But I have a feeling you already go there.
Do you know any official Athiest or Voodoo texts? It's Wikipedia. Submit the information for approval and see if it gets added!
The question shouldn't so much be should they be mandatory, but should students have the freedom to express their religion! I have had multiple teachers yell at me for having a bible in school!
Noooooo... That's just like... forcing your religion n others! It's like when the Catholics tried to force the Indians to believe in Christianity. OK, maybe not. But you get my drift.
I agree that bibles shouldnt be mandatory, but I find it aggravating that teachers are getting away with telling people that they can't practice religion. Yes, our system relies on a basis of following, but we follow God not the pastor! We will go as far as firing a Pastor if we believe he is unfit to teach the love of God! I don't agree that you should be viewed as some sort of expert on religion when your an atheist!And we follow god by choice!
Should it be mandatory? Absolutely not. Requiring it would be a violation in the separation of church and state. If studying the bible was mandatory, then in the interest of fairness, all religions' holy doctrines should be mandatory, as well as non-religious belief systems. To me, church is the place to study the bible. There's really no need to bring it into schools. Not to say practicing private religion shouldn't be allowed; it certainly should.
If they teach the bible in school as a extra class then they should be open to all text even Paganism which is the mother of Christianity but at the same time i disagree with it being in school because it would cause so many arguments in the class no one would get work done it would be a unproductive class and a waste of the already very little resources the school has
Private Christian schools can already do whatever they want. This is a public education issue. HECK NO! When I want your zealotry rammed down my throat I'll ask for it, but nobody should be forced to swallow that pill; not only is it immoral but in the United States it is also unconstitutional. No. Sure, Judaism, Christianity and Islam have lots in common, but then there's Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, as well as Wicca, Scientology, Confucianism, Taoism, and many Chinese, African and Native American folk religions.
It's a neigh from me. Religion is one of the many things which shouldn't be shoved down a child's throat. However, I do agree it should be available if the child wants.
