Jan 13
2010Texans Debate Adding Religious Emphasis in History Class
Filed Under (Uncategorized) by Gary on 13-01-2010
Tagged Under : Current Events, history, Religion
Texas is considering adding to the high school curriculum more emphasis on how religion influenced American History. Such as the founders’ faith and how Christianity impacted the early nation.
Over the past several months, much of the debate has centered on proposals highlighting the religious beliefs of the nation’s founding fathers. Some require that students “identify major intellectual, philosophical, political, and religious traditions that informed the American founding, including Judeo-Christian (especially biblical law);” explain the significance of religious holidays and observances such as Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, and the annual hajj; and describe religious motivation for immigration and influence on social movements, including the impact of the first and second Great Awakenings.
Of course there is opposition:
Texas Freedom Network, an organization of religious and community leaders advocating for church-state separation, fear students in public schools classrooms may learn that the United States favors one faith over other faiths.
“Some board members and the non-expert ideologues they appointed to a review panel have made it clear that they want students to learn that the founding fathers intended America to be an explicitly Christian nation with laws based on their own narrow interpretations of the Bible,” said Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, according to The Associated Press.
But others argue that the proposed standards do not declare the United States to be a Christian nation. Rather, they provide understanding that the biblical world view of the founding fathers was a big influence in shaping the principles on which the nation was founded.
