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Should Christianity be banned from public schools?
2015-10-07Staff Report 2 Recently there has been a bit of discussion about the possibility of removing Christianity and the teaching of the Bible from public school life. I strongly disagree, although teaching the Bible is of course a touchy subject - one cannot broach it without someone barking “separation of church and state” and “forcing religion”. If we hope to save what little remains of civilisation in a schoolyard dominated by drugs, guns and teen pregnancies, then what better way can we follow rather than allowing the Bible to be taught in school? I would like us to look at why we shouldn’t abolish Christianity in our school and why we should encourage our children to read or learn the Bible. The Bible consists of several literary genres. There is the wisdom literature found in Proverbs, the narrative stories of Jesus’ parables and the poetry in the book of Psalms. Children benefit from reading the various examples of all major literary styles that are present in the Bible, since these are usually taught in literature classes in high school, thus incorporating biblical writings would enhance instruction. The Bible provides a wealth of morality and virtue. While parents might disagree with a particular religion being taught in schools, very few would object to their children learning about loving their neighbour or helping others in need. Teaching the Bible or Christianity in public schools could improve children’s behaviour as part of character building courses. Again, it carries us back in history to the very birth of the Earth and forward to the magnificent throne of God. It’s a shame to neglect such a marvellous, true adventure. We must make time to share it with our children. In conclusion, the Bible has affected the world for centuries in innumerable ways, including art, literature, philosophy, government, philanthropy, education, social justice and humanitarianism. One would think that a text of such significance would be taught regularly in schools. Not so. That is because of the “stumbling block” (the Bible again or Christianity). It is time to change that for the sake of the nation’s children. It is time to encourage, perhaps even mandate the teaching of Christianity or the Bible in public schools as a primary source document of modern civilisation. Essay Writing Competition, Overall Winner: NSSCO: Jonas Shifidi T. 95% - Southern Region 2015-10-07Staff Report 2
