BIble + Education = ...

Okay, I know I was going to continue our lesson on bitching, but I am delaying that for a much more important post. Sorry if you were taking notes, feel free to put down your pencils for a sec so you can listen to me ponder this new and vastly interesting subject.
Classroom Bibles
This whole tale ain't a new one, but this article presents a point that wasn't brought up before, or at least not as clearly and concisely as this one did. Now, if you feel like being lazy and not clicking the article above, phe, take a moment and read the whole thing and let it mull around in your head.
Surprisingly...I think it's a good idea. I whole heartedly agree, I feel that most students of a high school age should read up on biblical writings. I would actually go further than just the bible, but from what the article implies, they are doing so. Aside from the fact that the American society is built strongly upon the tenants of this one religion, and much of the modern law is built upon it (or in some cases, trying to be built upon it), the article is right...it is an important piece of historical literature. Without the Bible, we wouldn't have much of Shakespeare's writings, we wouldn't have Dante's Inferno (for you little emo bastards), and we wouldn't have most of the modern philosophers ramblings on the inherent nature of God. Our greatest thinking and creative minds have at one time or another been influenced by the writings in the scripture. How can one truely understand the works of, say Da Vinci or Michealangelo without reading what they were painting referrences of?
I have always found it unfortunate that most of the classes I encountered in regards to biblical study were often too preachy and secular, and left a critical eye on the sidelines in favour of simply turning it into Sunday School. Leave the moral message behind, if possible, just teach the historical significance of the book please. But I understand that this is hard, as well, it's a book that most people feel strongly about. But if we can teach other literature text from an objective viewpoint, why not this?
I look forward to seeing if this actual textbook gets approved, and of course any fallout afterwards. Who will we hear from first, I wonder. That dipshit in California who can't seem to get past the word GOD in an age old pledge that most children don't understand? Or will the religious groups be upset that we aren't teaching the moral compass held inside the pages of the Bible? We'll see, I have a feeling this may stir up a wildly entertaining and contentious fight.
SInce this is going to be for High School age classes, I am not too worried about the whole 'religion interfering with education', even though honestly, I normally would be. The fact that religious groups are currently involved in the sexual education of our high schoolers is BEYOND repulsive to me, especially in light of the fact that they are sidestepping fact and reason in favour of outdated and misguided moral upholdings. But...this is different. This is literature, and studying it at it's most critical point is key to really understanding the rest of the world. Remember, kiddies, Mama started as an English major, so I suppose this whole thing has a particular significance to me.
But I'd also, of course, so selfishly, like to think that if we start teaching these young and critically thinking minds the actual texts of the bible in their purest, unbiased, uninterpreted form, we may have less morons running around the world misquoting it and twisting it's actual wordings for personal/political gain.
This is a chance I feel for us as Americans to rise above our caveman like grunting and ranting about religion and christianity. Taking such an influential text OUT of it's reverred and dubiously shrouded pretext and simply understanding it for what it IS may allow our next generation to grow up more insightful then the last few we've spat out.
So, for those of you have have joined Mama in her cries of keeping religion out of the schools, let's not forget to keep understand society IN there.