Bible elective class bill stirs religious debate

Faith leaders want to tread cautiously on sacred text classes.

By Eileen E. Flynn, Austin American-Statesman , April 12, 2007

A bill that would require Texas schools to offer elective classes based on the Bible has sparked a lot of questions among religious leaders, who hope to get answers today when the bill is discussed in a public hearing.

House Bill 1287, written by Appropriations Committee Chairman Warren Chisum, would give students the option of studying the literature and history of the Old Testament and New Testament eras if at least 15 students in a high school want to take the class.

Chisum has said the class would explore the scriptures' influence on the arts, literature and history and would not be a vehicle for religious indoctrination. About two dozen of the state's 1,040 school districts now have similar classes, and offering the classes is optional.

Religious groups that keep a close eye on the Texas Capitol, including the Baptist Christian Life Commission, the Muslim Freedom & Justice Foundation and the ecumenical Texas Conference of Churches, want to know: Whose version of the Bible would be taught? Which interpretations would be favored? And would teachers receive training and use an acceptable textbook?

Rabbi Alan Freedman, leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Northwest Austin, said he worries that because the Bible is fiercely guarded as the word of God by so many people, it won't be taught in a neutral fashion and that the bill represents "the latest stab at bringing religion into schools."

Chisum's office and supporters say they have taken those concerns seriously. A second hearing on the bill is scheduled for 8 a.m. today before the House Public Education Committee to accommodate those who were unable to testify last week.

The bill will be altered to focus on "Hebrew scripture and the New Testament" rather than Old and New Testament, and it will now include suggested curriculum guides and a provision for teacher training, according to Clare Jones, vice president of the Dallas-based Heritage Alliance, a conservative political action group that supports the bill.

Jones said the bill's proponents realize that the scriptures "are sacred texts and believed to be holy . . . but also recognize that they provide a great source of academic knowledge and challenge."

The Rev. George Bithos, a Greek Orthodox priest and executive director of Texas Conference of Churches, says he sees the value in learning Bible stories, allusions to which appear in many important works of literature and poetry. The Bible has also made a profound impact on government and society throughout history, he said.

"But in the way that (the bill is) structured now," Bithos said, "it has the potential to do more harm than good."

Discrepancies in translations and interpretations could plague the course, he said. For example, Protestant versions of the Bible do not include portions featured in the Catholic Bible. He said people in his congregation have told him they wouldn't feel comfortable with their children taking such an elective.

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