are teachers allowed to recite a part of the bible in class??

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sheperd343's picture
are teachers allowed to recite a part of the bible in class??

i need help one of my teachers have in the last few weeks recited a few parts of the bible in class and stop us from leaving the class room so a student could recite the paragraph in school and a few other things to that are religiously oriented i do not think this is legal and its highly offensive but i do not know what to do i live in a very religious state and community so i do not think that thay would even take me seriously and would just shrug at my complaint! i need some ideas on what i should do? any help is appreciated!!

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Spewer's picture
It's not illegal per se to

It's not illegal per se to quote from the Bible in school. Some of it depends on the context. For example, in a literature class, you may well have the Bible treated as a seminal literary work, so quoting from it would be expected. In algebra, probably not so much. It also depends on the teacher's intent. If you really believe the teacher is trying to influence children religiously, you may want to contact the nearest branch of the ACLU (assuming you're in the US) and describe the situation in detail. They can make a determination on whether there is any legal remedy available.

Zaphod's picture
I think spewer answered this

I think spewer answered this pretty well while I was answering. I was also answering based on you being in the US.

Zaphod's picture
If your in a public school

If your in a public school located in the US then you can choose not to participate, for private school its another story they play by their own rules. I recommend keeping in mind though its just a book. If you really cant stand it, I recommend going to a higher up in your school system who is not in control of the grade you will receive and ask if you can be transferred to another class. Keep in mind if the teacher you have is the only option that they can greatly effect your grades. If there is only one teacher you can have keep in mind its just a book. Depending on where you are if there are a high number of schools in the area you could transfer to another school system but this might also set you back a bit unless you transfer to an easier one which may ultimately hail hail as genius, you can sometimes still be picked up by bus if it is requirement of yours. When I was was younger I moved around a lot. I also recommend removing yourself from the situation before expressing why you are doing so to avoid negative repercussions. After you are removed from the situations if it matters enough to you, you can try to get media involved this is an extreme example of how far you can take it and your teacher could possibly loose their job. Once again this advise is all for if you are in US public school. There are places I hear of where you would be better advised to take recommendations from others.

I understand trying to exercise your rights to learn about religion in your own way and not have it shoved down your throat. But keep in mind its just a book and everybody is free to interpret it however they want to. So the best course of action is to gain your own interpretation before someone has the chance to force theirs upon you. To avoid a subject matter you don't like or refuse to hear or listen to it can be regarded as ignorance and this is usually not the best course of action, alternatively instead of trying to get out of hearing the reading. You could read up on the subject matter ahead of time take notes and if discussion is allowed politely debate the subject matter. If no discussion of the subject is allowed you could look for ridiculous or conflicting parts of the bible to read to your class. This last bit is probably what I would do essentially turning the bible against itself.

sheperd343's picture
Thanks guys this helped me

Thanks guys this helped me figure out what i am going to do it was kinda random when he did it thow hes a history teacher but him pulling out the bible had nothing at all to do with the lesson also its a public school with a bible class(electoral class) i think thats the reason he thought he could do that(its a new thing in our school to be able to pick what we do during "flex" class)

SammyShazaam's picture
Dude, if it's a Bible Study

Dude, if it's a Bible Study class, and an elective, I think you're a little out of line. You could just withdraw. And if those kinds of things offend you, why did you even sign up?

I for one enjoy Bible Study immensely. It's just a book. I also enjoy studying the Illiad, and other classics.

AnimalLeader's picture
I think that any form of

I think that any form of religion should be studied in schools from an academic point of view only and never as a way to force kids to believe in anything in particular. Teaching them to think should be the norm. Reciting the bible should be done with that in mind.

ginamoon's picture
I think if your comfortable

I think if your comfortable with it, you can discuss it with your teacher personally if he is approachable enough for you. :)
Agree that it was not illegal especially if the people there are majority believers. I also think that reading verses or something should not really be harmful not unless you are forced to believe on what you are reading.

mattyn's picture
So take it as a textbook in a

So take it as a textbook in a manner of speaking?

Spewer's picture
I get the impression that

I get the impression that many fundamentalist believers think they have found a clever way to get more children exposed to the Bible by pushing for it in public school. In this setting, however, teachers will have less leeway to throw in all the Rube Goldberg theological gymnastics necessary to counter the nonsensical content. It could backfire on them big-time, and I'd just point and laugh.

efpierce's picture
I am starting to think that

I am starting to think that school is only beneficial for my child's social skills as the things they are teaching, she already knows and she knows that when they start quoting scripture, that she can listen and learn, but she doesn't have to follow blindly.

mysticrose's picture
I agree that you can take it

I agree that you can take it as an ordinary book, a fiction book so you will not be affected even if your teacher ask you to recite it a lot of times. You'll just be hard to yourself if you let yourself pissed-off from the attitude of your teacher towards the bible and religion. You can choose a non-religious school if you want to prevent it from happening again.

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