LETTERS

Public School Bible Classes: A Disservice To Religion?

I read the article on the Bible Literacy Project with great interest ("The Bible Literacy Project: Chuck Stetson's Trojan Horse?" January Church & State).

I have two children and have sent each of them at one time or another to Vacation Bible School or Sunday School because I believe that they need to know about the Bible and Christianity.

It seems to me that introducing Bible classes into public schools would do a great disservice to churches. After all, I would have little interest in taking my kids to church if they were already getting religion at school (especially since the other great contribution of churches, community service, has been integrated into the school curriculum).

Nor, I imagine, would my children have much motivation to go to church if their introduction to the Bible was through public school. After all, how many of us continue to play dodge ball as adults, do calculus in our spare time or say the Pledge of Allegiance in the morning?

And, if the schools do as poor a job with religion as they do with science, I'm afraid my kids wouldn't even learn much. Introducing religion into the public schools might have the unintended effect of discouraging interest in religion.

Thank you, Americans United, for fighting the good fight.

-Sherri Bergman

Sewanee, Tenn.

Intelligent Design And Schools: A 'Real World' Solution

I'd like to offer my recommendation about how to approach the teaching of "intelligent design" in our schools. I believe that this topic is best approached by discussing "Naturalism" and "Supernaturalism" and where each should be taught.

I define Naturalism as the system of thought holding that all phenomena can be explained in terms of natural causes and laws. Supernaturalism, in contrast, is belief in a supernatural agency that intervenes in the course of natural laws. Naturalism should be taught in our schools, and Supernaturalism should be taught in the home and in the church.

Teaching Supernaturalism (including intelligent design) in our schools has proven to be very divisive within the community - witness what happened in Dover, Pa., and in Frazier Park, Calif. Every parent has an opinion on what constitutes the "correct" view of the Supernatural, and parents will be very concerned that their children will be taught an "incorrect" view. Therefore, there will be massive parental involvement in the form of debating, arguing, berating and accusations regarding any curriculum that covers the Supernatural, be it a mandatory class or an elective class. Students would be far better off if their parents would spend a fraction of the time they'll spend arguing about the Supernatural content of courses helping their children do better in school.

Furthermore, many teachers will attempt to promote their personal view of the Supernatural based on their particular faith - it will just be too hard to resist. For example, in Frazier Park, Calif., a teacher was planning to teach biblical accounts of creation in a course that was supposed to focus on intelligent design.

Teaching Supernaturalism in schools will also sap precious resources away from teaching students the critical life skills that they need. In many cases, our schools are graduating students who are barely literate and barely able to do math. Dropout rates are unacceptably high. Drug and alcohol use is rampant, as is teenage pregnancy. Schools need to focus on these issues, not Supernaturalism.

Because evolution is the cornerstone of biology, if evolution is denigrated, biology education will likewise suffer. As biology education suffers, so will medical education. This would all be very detrimental to our country's future as the world's leader in science and medicine.

In an ideal world, Supernaturalism could perhaps be taught in our schools and the above problems wouldn't occur. However, in the real world, all of the above problems_will occur and society in general, and students in particular, will suffer.

I believe that parents, not schools, should have the responsibility and the privilege to provide instruction in the Supernatural to their children.

-Dave Sventek

Fort Collins, Colo.

Let Parents Teach Religion

Let's call a spade a spade. "Intelligent design" is nothing more, nor less, than a religious doctrine. It supposes that the true story of the creation of the universe is recounted in the Bible. It takes a leap of faith to rely on a higher authority called God to explain the unexplainable, and that is the essence of religion.

Adherents of creationism would have us rely on religion where evolution cannot explain the mysteries of the universe. This is a religious concept, pure and simple, and has no place in public schools.

To the extent science cannot answer all questions, it is subject to further research in the laboratories and challenges in the marketplace. But simply because science cannot satisfy us on all aspects of life is not a license to turn to faith to fill the gaps.