As I mentioned earlier, The Texas Tribune warned early last week: the state’s board of education voted on friday To support a “biblical” curriculum in public schools. Associated Press The materials adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, defy criticism that the lessons encourage proselytism among young learners and alienate students of non-Christian faiths. It passed by a final vote of 8-7.
The Tribune added:
Critics, including experts in religious studies, They argue that curriculum lessons allude to Christianity more than any other religion, leading to bullying and isolation of non-Christian students, undermining the separation of church and state, and discouraging the state in how children learn about religion. They argue that it could allow for widespread control. They also questioned the accuracy of some lessons.
The precious wall separating religion and state, perhaps the crown jewel of American democracy’s founding vision, is crumbling before our eyes.
American Jews have often been troubled by these trends, and many Jewish communities have felt threatened by both external and internal forces. In addition to conservative voices in the media, the growing influence of Orthodox groups, especially Chabad, long ago succumbed to the sugar-coated marketing of lighting menorahs on government grounds. The leaders became silent. They see little harm in bringing some of the old religion back into schools, given that the alternative, in the eyes of some conservatives, is over-wokeness. God forbid we learn about slavery unless it is from Egypt.
The Texas decision comes alongside a move by Louisiana to insist that the Ten Commandments be posted in all public school classrooms.currently blocked by the courts), This signals that the separation of religion and state, long a smoldering sideshow, is returning to its rightful place on the center stage of the culture wars.
This is the perfect move for the new Trump administration, which wants to push abortion aside for now, and LGBTQ rights may be too risky to attack head-on, but not yet. But there is an immense sense of satisfaction when the curriculum includes more of Christ.
Let’s be clear about what this is all about: establishing Christianity as the state religion of the United States. Despite what proponents of the curriculum claim, this is not about forcing “Judeo-Christian” values into the educational system. After all, they say, the Bible is a “collection of ancient texts” whose various parts are “the core book of the Judeo-Christian religions.” In fact, the Christian Bible isCompleted by the Gospels and Paulas Jewish as a lobster roll.
The Tribune article continues:
This material teaches teachers about how Governor Plymouth prayed and gave a speech that included references to “several passages from the Psalms of the Christian Bible” in a third-grade class on the first Thanksgiving. I’m asking you to talk. Teachers are then instructed to tell students that the Psalms are a collection of songs, poems, and hymns “used in both Jewish and Christian worship.”
It is an insult to Jews to drag us into being the beneficiaries of a process whose end goal is to convert us. If the Bluebonnets were serious about the “Jewish” part, they could start by enforcing Sabbath rules and banning Friday night football.
I thought not.
How about removing ham sandwiches from cafeterias? That’s what the Bible teaches – us. So it’s time to get rid of the “Jewish” facade.
In fact, there is a legal and political battle in Israel over whether hospitals can provide bread for Passover. However, since Israel is officially a Jewish democratic state, one might expect such questions to arise. America is not a Christian nation, and in fact recent demographic trends are trending in the opposite direction. To quote Recent Pew research:
In all scenarios, the percentage of the U.S. population that is Christian will decline. “Depending on whether religious switching continues at recent rates, accelerates, or stops altogether,” the report said, the center projects that Christians will become the largest percentage of Americans of all ages in 2020. It is expected to decrease from 64% to 54% to 35% by 2070.
So that’s what Texans fear, and part of why they want to instill good old Biblical values in their children. The Tribune article quotes Houston Republican Will Hickman as saying:
In my view, these stories are educational and establish cultural literacy. There are also religious concepts that all students should know about, such as the Good Samaritan, the Golden Rule, and Moses.
Yes, certainly. The proposed curriculum would encourage teachers to tell kindergartners the story of “The Good Samaritan,” a fable about loving everyone, including your enemies, as an example of what it means to follow the Golden Rule. I’m urging you.
In my Hebrew school, Samaritans were not necessarily good people. In ancient sources they are often depicted as idolaters, and their disloyalty to the central temple in Jerusalem caused a schism. Their holy place is not in Jerusalem (although the Samaritans still exist) to this day, but in the mountains of Samaria. For this reason, the Samaritan has not been portrayed in such a bright light in Jewish education.
Nor, for that matter, is Jesus.
The Tribune reports that the new Christian-based curriculum explains that the Golden Rule was “spoken by a man named Jesus” as part of the Sermon on the Mount, and that it includes “what you think you did to yourself.” Do the same for others.” ”
of course, many other religions Texas has its own Golden Rule, which covers Texans’ inclusion of it without running afoul of the Establishment Clause, which constitutionally prohibits such proselytism in public schools.
However, in order to be consistent with the Constitution, I have included a version of the Jewish sage Hillel and a version of Rabbi Akiva that differs from the one found in Leviticus in the unit on the Golden Rule, as well as a version of Rabbi Akiva, for that matter. I hope it includes a discussion of Confucius’ version. Quran and Mahabharata. I’m very happy to see that.
But on the day a kindergarten teacher in Louisiana points to that thing on the wall with two tablets and bluntly answers a child who asks what infidelity is, there will be no such balance in a Texas classroom. Maybe you’ll see a presentation.
If we want to ensure that the Texas curriculum includes the “Jewish” parts of Judaism and Christianity, I would be happy to hear any other suggestions as to what Biblical writings should be included in the curriculum. I plan to.
First of all, Jews don’t call it the Old Testament. This means that there is a New Testament that is contrary to our faith. So if you don’t want to offend Jews, avoid that term. Ideally, avoid “new” terminology altogether.
If you include the New Testament, Jews have a version of the “New Testament.” Our “complete” Hebrew Bible is a corpus of rabbinic sources based on the Talmud. So if you can match all the Gospel citations to Talmudic references, that’s a start.
Oh, and don’t forget to include the next book. Esther, It contains a strong feminist message and depictions of Diaspora Jews standing up for their identity and fighting back (sometimes quite brutally) against their oppressors. (By the way, I read it Esther actually have incorporated into the curriculum, But in a way that Jews find offensive). And how about that a song within a song, This soft-porn love poem may make some teachers blush at its graphic depiction. or Ecclesiastes and work, His sharp cynicism about religion might make progressives blush.
Remember that much of the New Testament is aimed at anti-Jewish polemics. Therefore, there is a lot of detail and slander against the “scribes and Pharisees.” A passionate story that has fueled anti-Semitism for centuries.
But to give that same amount of time, Rabbi Eliezer Diamond of the Jewish Theological Seminary did a lot of research. anti-christian controversy Found in the Talmud and later Jewish sources. They are quite frank and crude and, I must confess, insult their Christian neighbors. These are the words of the great medieval philosopher Maimonides: He has had the luxury of living in a predominantly Muslim world and was asked to tell us what he really thinks about Christianity.
Jesus of Nazareth, who aspired to become the Messiah and was executed in court, is also mentioned in Daniel’s prophecy, as in the same book. 11:14 says, “The profane among your people will exalt themselves trying to fulfill the vision, but they will stumble.”
Is there a greater stumbling block than Christianity? All the prophets spoke of the Messiah as the Savior of Israel, the Messiah who would gather the scattered Israelites and strengthen their observance of mitzvot. In contrast, Christianity put the Jews to the sword, their remnants were scattered, the Law was altered, and the majority of the world mistakenly came to serve a god other than the Lord.
Should we incorporate that into the Bluebonnet curriculum? I didn’t think so. So, Houston Republican Will Hickman, what do you think about this? your Was your faith insulted?
Want to know what else is an insult? Post the Ten Commandments on the classroom wall. For Jews, the Big Ten is just the beginning. we count 613 commandments Just Torah. Will they fit on the walls of Mrs. Smith’s kindergarten, right next to the children’s cute sketches of robins and pussy willows?
“Mrs. Smith, what is a circumcision?”
I want religious and moral values to be taught in schools in a way that is neither insulting nor forced. I would like to include all religions, but Relatively but not competitively. Jefferson and the Founders understood that it would be nearly impossible to achieve that. Therefore, an establishment clause is required.
My argument is not against religion. I have spent my life studying and teaching it. And there are places where you can teach it beautifully. They are called churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques. of Hartford Institute Estimates There are approximately 350,000 religious congregations in the United States.
I think there are a lot of them in Texas.
