A First Amendment Dilemma: Keeping the Bible in Public Schools

-- By JeffreyPan - 26 Feb 2010

The First Amendment and the idea of the separation of church and state has led to an unhealthy antagonism of Christianity in the public square. This can be seen particularly clearly with the controversy over whether to allow the Bible into public schools.

A History of the Separation of Church and State

The phrase "wall of separation" was never meant to connote a separation of religion from the public square. It was first used by theologian Roger Williams and adopted by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptists, a religious minority, in order to assure them that the First Amendment would prevent the Government from interfering with their exercise of religion. (Letter to the Danbury Baptists)

When the First Amendment was ratified, the founders intended to separate church and state on the federal level, but not on the state level. In fact, Madison actually had to assure Representative Benjamin Huntington that the First Amendment would not interfere with Connecticut's ability to have an official state religion. (Courting Religion)

Gradually, through the passage of the 14th Amendment and numerous Supreme Court cases, the separation of church and state evolved into the doctrine that it is today. In many instances, the Court has used the First Amendment to protect religious freedom. For example, in the landmark case, Engel v. Vitale, the Court prohibited public schools from requiring the recitation of an official school prayer.

Encouraging Individual Religious Expression and Biblical Literacy

Recently the push to separate church and state has gone too far by pushing the Bible out of many public schools altogether. This is not say that schools should be encouraging one form of religion over another, but there are two reasons for which the Bible should be allowed into public schools: (1) individual religious expression (2) biblical literacy.

Individual Religious Expression

Christianity is an important part of the upbringing and lives of many Americans. Thus, Christian students should be allowed to express their faith, as it pertains to them, in the classroom. In Busch v. Marple Newton School District, the Court of Appeals upheld the school's decision not to let the mother of a kindergartner, Wesley, share a Bible passage as part of an "All About Me" unit on the interests and identities of all the students.

The Court explained, "A reading from the Bible...is more than a message and unquestionably conveys a strong sense of spiritual and moral authority. In this case, the audience is involuntary and very young. Parents of public school kindergarten students may reasonably expect their children will not become captive audiences to an adult's reading of religious texts."

While the Court makes an important point about the impressionability of young children, it seems to forget the context in which the Bible is being introduced in this case. As part of the "All About Me" week, Wesley was invited to read part of his favorite book to the class and he told his mother that he wished to read the Bible. In response, Wesley's mother picked Psalm 118:1-4 and 14, an inspiring and poetic passage from one of Wesley's favorite books of the Bible. Wesley's mother was not teaching a lesson about the Bible, nor even explicitly referencing Christianity. Instead, Wesley and his mother were sharing about an important part of their identity. Isn't that what "All About Me" week was really all about? (Busch v. Marple Newton)

Biblical Illiteracy of Americans

The second reason why the Bible should be allowed into schools is to promote Biblical literacy among Americans. According to a recent poll on Biblical literacy, surveying 1,002 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18, two-thirds of those polled could not identify a quotation from the Sermon on the Mount and fewer than one-third could identify basic facts about King David. (Bible Literacy Report) According to a recent Time article, only half of U.S. adults know the title of even one Gospel and most can't name the Bible's first book. (The Case for Teaching the Bible)

Importance of Biblical Education

Why is Biblical literacy important? Because "the Bible is the most influential book ever written." The Bible is referenced and alluded to throughout English literature. Shakespeare alone referenced the Bible some 1,300 times in his works. (Ibid.) The Bible has also had a major impact on U.S. history. America's first settlers came here in search of freedom to practice their religion according to the Bible. The early Americans compared themselves to the Israelites: they viewed their voyage across the Atlantic as a modern-day exodus out of Egypt. Manifest Destiny paralleled Israel's settlement of the holy land. (Bible Illiteracy in America). In the political realm, America's greatest leaders have quoted the Bible throughout the ages. Winthrop's description of America as a "shining city on the hill"; was a quote from the book of Matthew. Martin Luther King Jr.'s image of "Justice rolling down like waters"; was borrowed from the Old Testament book of Amos. Today, the bible continues to play an important, if controversial, role in political dialogue.

Many people are fearful that bringing the Bible into schools will illegally promote religion in the classroom. Others fear that it is just the first step towards a theocratic country. However when classrooms decide to exclude the Bible, or when schools decide to prohibit Biblical literacy electives, as was the case at Frankenmuth High School in Michigan recently, students lose out on a complete education. (The Bible in Class: Is It Ever Legal?)

Conclusion

The First Amendment plays an important role in protecting religious freedom in America's schools, but if Courts continue to push the Bible out of public schools, they will be infringing on the rights of Christian students to express their faith and the rights of all students to learn about the importance of the Bible in American history and society.