Bible Literacy Unconstitutional: Alternatives for Teaching Religion in Public Schools
Recent actions by lawmakers to increase Bible literacy and to promote the elective study of the Bible in public school curricula highlight a recurrent church-state nightmare in the United States. According to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, government institutions cannot endorse, denounce, or evangelize on behalf of religion. State and federal governments continue to teeter on the edge of unconstitutional law-making when they promote movements like Bible literacy. Considering the separation of church and state and the reality of religious diversity in the United States, lawmakers should abandon Bible literacy initiatives and instead enact policies and programs such as religious literacy education that train teachers to address religious diversity more effectively and constitutionally.
Bible literacy initiatives in public schools are not a novelty, but recent proposals have gained headway in states like Missouri, where it is now legal for public schools to offer elective courses on the Bible. While it is possible for teachers of any religious background to teach about the Bible academically and without commitment to the faith, it is not clear that these bills will make this type of non-devotional study available for students.
The bills will, in many cases, entrust the academic study of the Bible to teachers who have never received training in Biblical studies and do not have the tools to be able to talk about religion without partiality. The lack of training for teachers and the fact that the bills do not implement courses about other religious texts makes the Bible literacy bills constitutionally weak in practice.
“CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF.”
First Amendment of the United States Constitution
The Bible literacy movement is, not surprisingly, supported by and linked to Evangelical Christian organizations. The past year of Bible literacy proposals are part of an initiative called Project Blitz adopted by the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation, with the stated purpose “to protect the free exercise of traditional Judeo-Christian religious values and beliefs in the public square, and to reclaim and properly define the narrative which supports such beliefs.” While protecting the free exercise of religious expression is a constitutional venture, the protection cannot be limited to just one religion. As for reclaiming a Christian narrative in public schools, this endeavor is an elevation of one religious voice above others and is a clear endorsement of religion by the government.
While Bible literacy bills are constitutionally questionable, it remains that having knowledge about religion is still important for young people. Considering the ever-growing landscape of religious diversity in the United States, informing children about the history and practices of religions can foster a deep understanding about “others” as well as dissipate religious prejudice and violence. One approach that can accomplish this feat is called religious literacy education, which is based upon the academic study of religions in their contexts.
Harvard’s Religious Literacy Project defines religious literacy as “the ability to discern and analyze the fundamental intersections of religion and social/political/cultural life through multiple lenses.” This requires that teachers have knowledge about specific traditions as well as the appropriate pedagogical tools to expose students to these intersections.
The American Academy of Religion’s (AAR) handbook about religious literacy, “Guidelines for Teaching About Religion in K-12 Public Schools in the United States,” is one such model of religious literacy education. The AAR identifies that religion has to be a topic of discussion in classrooms, as it is integral to the study of certain humanities subjects like history and English. The handbook also claims that lack of education about religious diversity leads to higher rates of prejudice and violence.
According to the AAR, teachers in public schools should be equipped to teach about religion in a non-devotional way, “exposing” students to religion without “imposing” beliefs or doctrines on them. This requires that teachers become proficient in religious studies themselves, and the handbook suggests pedagogical methods for teachers to employ in order to teach religious literacy as well as further opportunities for teacher training in these areas. Although no teacher can ever be without bias or commitment, it is both possible and crucial to teach about religion accurately, constitutionally, and without endorsement or denouncement.
WHY TEACH ABOUT RELIGION?
1) THERE EXISTS A WIDESPREAD ILLITERACY ABOUT RELIGION IN THE U.S.
2) RELIGIOUS ILLITERACY OFTEN FUELS PREJUDICE AND ANTAGONISM, THEREBY HINDERING EFFORTS AIMED AT PROMOTING RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY, PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE, AND COOPERATIVE ENDEAVORS IN LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND GLOBAL ARENAS.
3) IT IS POSSIBLE TO DIMINISH RELIGIOUS ILLITERACY BY TEACHING ABOUT RELIGION FROM A NON-DEVOTIONAL PERSPECTIVE.
“Guidelines for Teaching About Religion in K-12 Public Schools in the United States,” American Academy of Religion
Although models of religious literacy education could meet the demand for public education about religious diversity within the United States, groups like the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation will likely continue to dominate the discussion in conservative states. With religious prejudice and misunderstandings as serious contributors to xenophobic fear and violence in the United States, citizens, lawmakers, and politicians do well to increase religious literacy initiatives and curb the unconstitutional agenda of the Bible literacy movement.