It's easy to envision cases of atrial fibrillation cropping up nation wide as this story gets more attention:

School board activities in Odessa. (http://www.myplainview.com/APTexas/parsed/stories/D8957O580.shtml)



" ... The school board in this West Texas town voted unanimously to add a Bible class to its high school curriculum.

Hundreds of people, most of them supporters of the proposal, packed the board meeting Tuesday night. More than 6,000 Odessa residents had signed a petition supporting the class. ... Barring any hurdles, the class should be added to the curriculum in fall 2006 and taught as a history or literature course. ... "

the horror~!!!!!!!!!!!! these people might as well put on the swastika arm band now and get it over with. a bible class... next thing we know they will be chaining gays to walls and running them over with tanks.

Try to relate to reality. You are still caught up in the Limpbaugh, OReally time capsule of the left-right paradyne.

So, when are we going to have a Satanic, Wiccan, Jewish, Hindu, Buddist (and all of the other religions in the world) class? It's either all or nothing. You can't teach religion in a public school, unless you offer to teach all religions

so what is the reality? that allowing a bible class is a slippery slope to taliban like take over of the government? last I heard slippery slope was not a valid argument.

I don't think I'm using a slippery slope argunment. I'm using common sense. If you allow one religion to be taught in school, you must allow all other religions to have a class, too. Otherwise the school is being bias to one religion, which shouldn't be allowed in our schools. I honestly don't have that big of a problem with it. They aren't promoting Christianity in this class. They are just teaching you about the Bible. But I think if you want to learn about the Bible, go to a private school. Honestly. I just don't think it's okay for public schools to teach about one religion, and not the others.

Originally posted by Overdose
So, when are we going to have a Satanic, Wiccan, Jewish, Hindu, Buddist (and all of the other religions in the world) class? It's either all or nothing. You can't teach religion in a public school, unless you offer to teach all religions

they should have a religion class with all of those things in it, I see nothing wrong with that. I doubt there are enough people who folow all of those religions combined to fill a class dedicated to each one though. I am sure a bible class would fill up though. hiring a teacher and allocating a classroom to teach a classs on wiccanism that sits empty just to be fair seems complelty idiotic, but of course in the name of fainess and political correctness anything goes

Originally posted by Overdose
I don't think I'm using a slippery slope argunment. I'm using common sense. If you allow one religion to be taught in school, you must allow all other religions to have a class, too. Otherwise the school is being bias to one religion, which shouldn't be allowed in our schools. I honestly don't have that big of a problem with it. They aren't promoting Christianity in this class. They are just teaching you about the Bible. But I think if you want to learn about the Bible, go to a private school. Honestly. I just don't think it's okay for public schools to teach about one religion, and not the others.

actually I was replyin to that other guy

I went to a high school in a very left leaning community and there was a Bible elective. It wasn't taught as a religious class. There is some relevancy in this course to the culture of this country. The same can't be said about Satanism and Wiccan and that's what makes those topics less relevant.

The reality is that once you start teaching religion you stop teaching science and math and our kids can no longer compete on the world state ... they are simply out-classed.

There are reasons that nearly every civilized country in the world outperfoms us in high-tech, med, bio-med, aerospace, military hardaware, computer sciences ... et al.

We're producing dumb children.

Originally posted by Lungdop Philing
The reality is that once you start teaching religion you stop teaching science and math and our kids can no longer compete on the world state ... they are simply out-classed.


You're right, but there could be room for history also if the length of the school year wasn't the bare minimum necessary to qualify for state aid.

we are producing dumb kids without an elective bible class dop, how is that going to make it any worse? face it, our education system is crapola. instead of throwing a few hundred more billion away why dont we jsut get rid of it and give the money directly to the parents

As long as it's an elective, I don't have a major problem with it. Although I still don't get why the fundies are so obsessed with trying to get religion into schools when they have plenty of opportunities to teach their kids at home.

Maybe the reason fundies want christianity taught in school is because they are too busy knocking on peoples doors and harassing them or blowing up clinics to bother to teach their children about christianity.

Here is something to chew on...If they ever get christianity taught in school you can count on all the christian religions arguning over whose version they want taught. Holy rollers, snake tamers, catholics, mormans, babtists, toungue speakers, lutherans, ba'hai, JW's, the list is endless. These peole will never stop trying to push their own particular brand of sky fairy god on the rest of the country, so what makes anyone think that they will be able to decide between themselfs which one to teach in school?

Lionel, I'm with you. If it's an elective and it's a class that is teaching about the Bible as literature, then it flies with me.

As for Brooks' comment about Satanism and Wicca, please know this (and you probably already do, if so, I apologize): Satanism is not Wicca or Paganism and vice versa. Wicca and Paganism are a couple of the oldest religions known to man.

We are taught that Christianity played a major role in the foundation of the USA (USA remember, NOT Native America).
But the conservative bible beaters thrust Christianity down our throats at every turn, so we may never know just how important any other religion or belief may have been.

Originally posted by Overdose
So, when are we going to have a Satanic, Wiccan, Jewish, Hindu, Buddist (and all of the other religions in the world) class? It's either all or nothing. You can't teach religion in a public school, unless you offer to teach all religions


well, maybe when these religions have hundreds of people coming to support the class.... and thousands of signatures.... then you can talk. this IS a democracy.... remember?

Originally posted by Lungdop Philing
The reality is that once you start teaching religion you stop teaching science and math and our kids can no longer compete on the world state ... they are simply out-classed.........We're producing dumb children.

Any time the young of a nation are being taught that a sky fairy is real, but scientifically proven phenomena, like global warming for instance, is "a hoax", (as it is so often called by various talking heads in the Media) you are creating a society of ignorant superstitionists, and one that will forever be unable to think critically.

The Powers-that-Be behind the most powerful nation on earth demand that it be that way.........the more ignorant and superstitious the herd, the easier it is to brainwash them into voting AGAINST their own interests, and FOR the interests of the powerful and the wealthy, and the Corporations.

Which is exactly the current arrangement.

It starts with an elective bible class, then it's pro-life-anti-abortion programming, then it's anti-GLBT and so on. Anyone that let's their children be educated by any of these religious whack-jobs, including the catholics, should be charged with child abuse and have their children taken away.

These are the same educators that sexually abuse children at just about every chance. It happens everyday.

Originally posted by Lungdop Philing
It starts with an elective bible class, then it's pro-choice-anti-abortion programming, then it's anti-GLBT and so on.

sounds like a slippery slope to me. wierd how a bible class can be a slippery slope but redefining the definition of marriage is not. I have come to excpect this though, so no surprise

Originally posted by Travh20
sounds like a slippery slope to me.

No slope.

He's simply describing the indoctrination process of turning an ostensibly sane human being into a superstitious, flag-waving, unthinking, obedient drone of the Corporate State.

your doublespeak is sickening. its a slippery slope argument and you damn well know it frethinker. indoctrination, LOL. from now on I will rename my gay marriage slippery slope argument a gay indoctrination of our youth. of course I will be run out of town, as well I should be for such a stupid statement. at least I have the balls to call it what it is, a slippery slope

Originally posted by Travh20
sounds like a slippery slope to me. wierd how a bible class can be a slippery slope but redefining the definition of marriage is not. I have come to excpect this though, so no surprise

...can't top this

Superstition should NOT be taught in school. Those who want their children to be believe in a sky fairy can teach them at home, send them to sunday school or send them to a sky fairy school.

If sky fairy classes are ever mandated in public school there will be a tax revolt in this country that will be unprecidented. Most people want their children to learn their PARTICULAR brand of sky fairy and not the governments version.

THINK ABOUT IT!

Originally posted by Brooks
...can't top this

Obviously you don't understand there is a huge difference between man-made definition and human behaviour.

OK dop, why do I get made out to be the worlds biggest idiot for using the slippery slope argument as an argument against homosexual marriage, but you describe to a T how a bible class is a slippery slope to anti GLBT indoctrination but it is not a slippery slope. I think this whole discussion is turning into a slippery slope.

Originally posted by saycricket
But the conservative bible beaters thrust Christianity down our throats at every turn,

I hear this phrase around here a lot, but no one explains how this happens.

*************
It is possible to teach the Bible in a non-religious setting. I know a lot about Judaism, but I have never set foot in a temple or schule. And guess what - I didn't convert and wasn't offended.

Originally posted by Brooks
I hear this phrase around here a lot, but no one explains how this happens.


Perhaps you have a bit of US currency in your pocket.

Or maybe you will tune in to the televised Congressional goings-on and hear the Christian minister, paid for with our taxdollar, delivering a psychic message to the Christian's little invisible friend-in-the-sky before Congress can begin.

Or maybe you'll see a president being required to place his hand upon their gigantic tome of superstition and supernaturalist nonsense before he can be sworn in.

Trav - there is no slippery slope when you start at the bottom and make no attempt to climb higher.

That's "shoving it down your throat"? I overestimated your strength.

Originally posted by Brooks
That's "shoving it down your throat"?



Fortunately, I am able to heave it out of my body before I am poisoned.

Sadly, many of the sheep eagerly accept it down THEIR throats.

Some small words on your money, and Congress's words on C-Span, which you probably don't watch.

That throat of yours is either very weak or very accepting.

Seriously... if the class were to promote the bible as LITERATURE, what harm would it do? Heck, we studied Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, The Great Gatsby and all. The Bible is just a bunch of selected stories bound together. In fact, it might be a good thing. If the professor/teacher were indeed, unbiased and non-religious, it may make the students scratch their head and wonder WHY it has received all the hype for hundreds of years.

Originally posted by Brooks
Some small words on your money, and Congress's words on C-Span, which you probably don't watch.

a) those two things hardly comprise all the ways that the 100-million-strong sky-god faction exert their dominance over American society.

b) the fact that "Congress' words go out over C-span" is not the objection, and it is extremely intellectually dishonest to portray it as if that is the only thing for which an objection is being raised. It is that throughout U.S. history, the government and the political class have been in thrall to the Christian religion and are forced to pander to it ceaslessly and to uphold its myriad prejudices and taboos.

Originally posted by saycricket
Seriously... if the class were to promote the bible as LITERATURE, what harm would it do?

In the same vein, if the public school class were to begin a course of study based on the Satanic Bible (of Anton LaVey) as LITERATURE, what harm would it do?

Yet for some reason, I don't think a move to such a curriculum would be welcomed by the hypocrites of the Reliigious Right.

Originally posted by Overdose
I don't think I'm using a slippery slope argunment. I'm using common sense. If you allow one religion to be taught in school, you must allow all other religions to have a class, too. Otherwise the school is being bias to one religion, which shouldn't be allowed in our schools. I honestly don't have that big of a problem with it. They aren't promoting Christianity in this class. They are just teaching you about the Bible. But I think if you want to learn about the Bible, go to a private school. Honestly. I just don't think it's okay for public schools to teach about one religion, and not the others. OD, you are so correct. anyone not seeing the logic in what you're saying, should go back to the racial arguments. when they say, if you set something aside for blacks, you should do it for everyone ! you are making the same argument, but people just want to be selective about correctness. but whats good for the goose, is good for the geese !

Originally posted by Brooks
I went to a high school in a very left leaning community and there was a Bible elective. It wasn't taught as a religious class. There is some relevancy in this course to the culture of this country. The same can't be said about Satanism and Wiccan and that's what makes those topics less relevant. if you think real hard mr brooks, our country may profess to be more bible foundated, but we act more satanic with our contradicting ways . we dont raise our kids with discipline, its against the law. we dont love thy neighbor, and although, the bible says "judge not", thats all we do. look at what the republicans are saying about the dems, " they dont believe in god ? ". just for some damn votes. whats so godly about our actions.? do you know, that according to the bible, police are ministers of god, but do they really act like it ? lawmakers are ministers of god, but do they act like it ? god has government, law abidding people who run the land with the peoples interest. we have polititians, blood sucking parasites who prey on the poor and weak !!! sounds godly to me !