Should the Bible be taught in public schools? Texas says yes. I say... maybe

Starting this year, public high schools in Texas will be required to teach students about the Bible.

Texas House Bill 1287, which passed back in September 2007 but was not enforced because of problems with training and funding, stipulates that the Bible must be taught in an objective way. The goal, according to bill, is to "teach students knowledge of biblical content, characters, poetry, and narratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporary society and culture."

Even though the courses are elective, not mandatory, some parents are furious. "I don't want anybody teaching their religious beliefs to my child unless they want to send their child to my house and let me teach them my religious views," one parent told Texas news station KLTV. "There is no difference."

But does one have to be -- or become -- a believer in order to study the Bible? I don't think so. In fact, I think that the Bible is an important work that should be studied in schools -- but as literature, not as doctrine, and certainly not as devotion.

Think of all of the cultural references that one simply can't understand without a working knowledge of the Bible. Shakespeare. Milton. Stephen Colbert's Colbert Report. The lyrics to The Stone Roses' "Love Spreads." Madeline L'Engle's Many Waters or A Wrinkle in Time. The Indiana Jones movies. On a more serious note, USA Today columnist William R. Mattox points out that "You can't effectively explore American history without teaching about the Rev. King, and then you can't teach about the civil rights leader without helping students understand the meaning and power of his frequent references to 'the Promised Land' and other scriptural metaphors, verses and concepts."

The problem, I'd argue, is when instruction steps over the line into indoctrination. While the bill sets up some stark parameters to prevent that from happening, the curriculum will be left up to individual teachers, and a precedent has already been set: A review of Bible courses currently taught in 25 Texas school districts found that most of the courses were "explicitly devotional," with some even encouraging students to convert to Christianity. Most were taught by people with no academic training in biblical or religious studies and who were not familiar with the issues of separation of church and state.

I think it's fair to say that American history, politics, and even pop culture has been informed by Christianity and the Bible. But in today's multicultural, global society, isn't it also important that high school students in Texas have an understanding of how other religions have shaped the rest of the world? I'm not saying public schools need to have electives on all of the religions out there, just the big ones. For instance, are there courses on the Talmud or the Rig-Veda in the works in Texas?

I don't think so. Which makes me wonder: American tend to consider madrassas, those Muslim schools that focus on a fundamentalist religious education, as hotbeds of terrorism. If they were teaching the Bible instead of the Koran, would we still feel the same way?

Lylah M. Alphonse writes about juggling career and parenthood at The 36-Hour Day and Work It, Mom!, is the Child Caring columnist for Boston.com/Moms, and blogs at Write. Edit. Repeat.