NEWS: Bible Classes! DURING SCHOOL!

CULTURE: Bible Classes! DURING SCHOOL!

Most high schools offer some kind of off-campus Bible classes. Churches usually spend money and time picked students up, taking them off-campus, and returning them with time to spare. At my high school, the biggest church in town paid for a small lot next to the high school, built a small building the size of a rest area bathroom, and held classes just off campus. Parents of students that went to their Bible classes made them do it, it was off campus, and everyone was happy.

But in Virginia, some parents were shocked to find out their children were attending a public school where a similar arrangement was going on.

Children really don’t need one more thing to tease other children. If parents want their children to have a solid Christian education in addition to their other studies, the State isn’t paying for it, and other organizations are footing the bill, I say why not allow these classes to occur. I think you can teach morality in a secular society, but for some parents, that methodology is simply not enough.

This is not something to be done during school time. period. after school on school grounds fine. but not while other classes are going on.

Crazy....The thing that gets me is there has to be some type of permission slip that should've been sent home with any kid who chooses such program. I know that anytime I left campus I had to get a permission slip. Hopefully there was one sent home. If there was did the parents read it? Also, it sounds like the kids want to partake in the program so why not allow them to have an open mind and explore religion. Some parents shelter there kids entirely too much.

The classes are fine, but have them at the end of the day or something along that line, not in the middle of the day, when it would cause a forced break and create two specific groups that interact, break off into their own " posses" , and then rejoin. It creates a problematic environment in some ways, and that's the rub. Holding these classes at the END of the school day, whether by ending school half an hour early, and allowing for the kids who so choose to go to bible classes, and let the other students remain behind to either leave or learn separately, might be a solution. In this case, it becomes a question of what do you want the children ot learn, which is incredibly valid.
This would eliminate part of the problem of creaitng cliques, since it would be less of a separation from the other students, and more of an extracurricular activity.
This is a huge topic though, and I can just imagine how much discussion this will go through in the Virginia legislature.
And morality isn't tied to religion, morality is tied to the beliefs of individuals on how they should interact with other people, and I agree with Christopher that while it CAN be taught in our current culture, i believe that often times it is lacking because people don't take the time to consider their actions, and don't make a conscious effort to act in such a manner.

I agree that it shouldn't be done during school. Too many students will use it as an excuse to miss classes to go "Study the Bible"

So wait, is your objection that kids would make fun of those who choose to opt-out of the classes?

parents should not depend on the school system to raise their children. They need to learn methods of parenting that they can use in order to teach their children good morals and so fourth. If parents want their children to have a good christian education than either 1. enroll them in a christian private school or 2. take them to sunday school at the local church which every church provides!! There is aboslutley no reason for a public schools to be taking time away from actual important studies to waste on something that parents can have their children do on their own time.

i wish i could care either way. it's only a shock subject because it is talking about church.. and you want to be offended.

In the article I didn't find any mention of when these activities took place. There are breaks in the days for children this age that are accommodating for such activities.

They are first through third graders. Attention span is an issue.

jaLopY wrote:
In the article I didn't find any mention of when these activities took place. There are breaks in the days for children this age that are accommodating for such activities."

There is a huge break after school that should accomedate these activities.

Should? Why?

goddamn, these people would be shocked if they moved to utah. It doesn't happen at the elementary school level (yet) but as soon as you hit middle school, all the mormon kids sign up for "release time" and they go to seminary, which is located right next to every single middle school and high school in the state.
I see no major problem with it at that age level, i signed up for it for first period and went to school late every day, there wasn't anything they could officially do.
elementary though, is a little different story, you're not changing classes yet, and to separate kids on the basis of religion is a little wack i think.

While I completely agree that parents can teach their children their family's values at home, I also think this is a situation where the people who're anti bible study are acting stupid.

If the kids not attending are actually being ostercized then either the school should actually do something about it (which never EVER happens, lazy fucks), or have the parents address the other parents, and whichever Dad is bigger will settle it.

this kind of shit would stop real quick if public schools just devoted an entire period to scripture study.
if you want to read your new testement, koran, torrah, tripitaka, bhagavad-gita, fine.
if you dont believe in God, play friggin game-boy.
once the students and teachers have to spend an extra 45 minutes at school they'll decide religion is best kept out of public schools.

edit: typo

[Edited on Feb 14, 2005 by katiebarthedoor]

The thing about sep of church and state (and public schools ARE the state) is that if you don't stick to it, the next thing that happens is it becomes "Oh, we didn't mean YOUR religion, we meant OUR religion, you know - THE religion. Not some, you know, cult!!!"

The founding fathers knew this. That's why half of their families dragged their asses here in the first place.

We had this, "The Bible Bus." It was actually really fun. We sang songs and colored pictures, and the Bible Lady put on puppet shows of important biblical events. I never saw anyone harassed for not partcipating.

And I can still name all the books in the new testament

I think that is more of a problem than a bunch of little kids singing "Jesus Loves Me."

Wait, is this during time that would be lesson time, or just during the school day but not duriong lesson time?

I don't think that anyone under the age of sixteen should be exposed to religion. They have enough bollocks with santa and the easter bunny.

I'm not sure what the problem is here- the classes are voluntary. If a kid doesn't want to go to them, he doesn't have to and he gets 1/2 an hour extra time to study on something he cares about than the other kids. How is that detrimental to his studies?

If it's such a big deal being picked on for not going to classes (and I suspect that more kids are jealous of them than critical of them), then why don't they just go to the classes and be done with it?

It IS only 1/2 hour out of a 40 hour week or something...

I hate people with this fucking attitude. Just because people go to church does not mean they will avoid sex, drugs and porn. Just because they don't go to church doesn't mean they will do these things. Maybe the PARENTS should try to teach the kids something for once.

I have found little anecdotal evidence to support this guy's thinking. I live in an area now where there are tons of Christian wackos and such. There are still many people using drugs and people who watch porn and there are lots of unmarried people who get pregnant.

If people don't want to do something, they won't do it. I don't think forcing a religious belief system will necessarily help this process in one direction or another.

Same here. What's the great moral lesson in Abraham coming this close to ritually murdering his son, or the divine genocide of the 10th Plague?

cnn actually has a better version of this story here.

the best quote is from one of the teachers repeating an experience with one of the young students who had been attending the bible classes.

"Beverly Ridell, who grew up going to the Staunton schools, teaches first- and second-grade Sunday school at church and opposes religious classes during school time.

"I asked them whether Jesus was a Christian and they said 'yes.' When I said, 'Jesus was a Jew,' one girl said, 'But Jesus was a good person,"' Ridell said."

stuff like that is exactly why that church shouldn't be related to that school in any way.

Word.

If the rest of us did our part and consumed more drugs and pornography, the prices would go up and kid's wouldn't be able to afford it.

Think of the children!

The main part I disagree with is the without religious classes kids gets into trouble...etc.

I'm sure the 1st through 3rd graders would be falling into the den of sin, having sex, reading porn, and shooting drugs. The moral structure you learn isn't from a weekly class, and learning "Jesus loves you" songs doesn't teach you morals.

Yes, your traditions probably need to evolve, and address modern day culture. Learn to do good at an early age - learn to recycle, learn how to care for those in need, learn how to think critically...hopefully that can be covered through your public schools.