By Brandon Evans | Published Sunday, September 27, 2009
"The separation of church and state is extremely important to any of us who holds to the original traditions of our nation. To change these traditions by changing our traditional attitude toward public education would be harmful to our whole attitude of tolerance in the religion area. If we look at situations which have arisen in the past in Europe and other world areas, I think we will see the reasons why it is wise to hold to our early traditions." - Eleanor Roosevelt
The congregation settles into their pews as the pastor approaches the pulpit on a bright Sunday morning.
But instead of reaching for his weathered, leather-bound King James Version of the Holy Bible, he pulls out a pocketbook copy of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" and proceeds to read aloud from the 1859 work.
As ridiculous as the above scenario sounds, Rep. Warren Chisum, a 71-year-old Republican from Pampa, has accomplished something similar. He drafted a law that forces public schools to introduce biblical instruction into their curriculum. In spring 2008, Gov. Rick Perry signed it officially into law after it easily passed both the House and Senate.
Chisum has effectively forced religious dogma into public schools. A notion nearly as anathema as an atheist introducing evolutionary study into churches.
The only other courses Texas public schools must offer are English, math, science, physical education, fine arts, economy and technology. House Bill 1287 forced all districts to add Biblical coursework into their curriculum for the 2009-10 school year as well. At the same time, another change made the teaching of health, which used to be required, optional.
I understand Chisum to an extent. An understanding of the Bible provides great insight into the heritage of Western Civilization. But the problem is that his bill ends with the Bible. That seems to flow in direct opposition of the first amendment. A world religion course would be more in line with Constitutional law by not giving priority to a single faith.
The course should include excerpts from the Muslim Koran, the Hindu Upanishads and Veda and Bhagavad Gita, the Buddhist Dhamma, the Jewish Talmud, the Taoist Tao-te-ching and Confucianism's Five Classics at least. If Chisum truly valued a well rounded education for Texas students, he would have included these texts to also be studied for their historical and literary significance.
A peak at many long-standing conflicts finds religion playing a key role. These include the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the high altitude firefights between India and Pakistan (which has possible nuclear implications) and terrorists groups such as Al Qaeda assailing the West and our allies around the globe. These faith-infused frays fragment peace and people around the planet.
Our generation nor the preceding generations have found solutions to these problems. Only through knowledge can we begin to foster an understanding that might eventually unravel these vicious entanglements.
As cultures of the world become more intertwined, it's important for future generations to have a broad view of all the world's inhabitants and the different faiths that have helped carve out their respective cultures and heritage.
But the legislation sponsored by Chisum only honors a single religious tradition and ignores the rest.
What's more, the state provided no funds to hire or train teachers in Biblical instruction.
"It is an unfunded mandate," said Travis Whisenant, Bridgeport ISD's, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.
BISD has chosen probably the best course of action with this new state mandate. Rather than create a whole new course, which would require hiring new or training an existing staff member, the district chose to implement it into an existing social studies course. This is the path most districts in Wise County have chosen. However, Paradise ISD introduced a Bible course in 2008-09 that has drawn positive reviews.
The bill gives no specifics on guidelines, funding for materials or teacher training.
Each district pretty much calls the shots on what to teach.
"When you have a local area decide what the religious instruction is, with no standards to teach from, it can lead to some problems," Whisenant said.
An education in the religion and philosophies of the world is vital to understanding the international state of affairs today. The course or coursework would best serve students if it included the impact of all the world religions on history.
Instead, Chisum successfully introduced and passed an unfunded mandate that trumps the first amendment and threatens the future of religious freedom in Texas.
