One of the things Idaho Republicans ran on this past November was making sure that the good book made its way back into the classrooms of Idaho. You may wonder what the problem is. I mean, you can use the Bible in religion classes, ethics, western literature, archeology, and maybe even, in some ways, in history classes—though with a heavy historiography component attached. Well, that’s just not enough Bible. It doesn’t scratch the surface of the learning that can be done with passages like:
She lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.
—Ezekiel 23:20
This has resulted in the Idaho Senate Bill No. 1232 by the education committee:
33-1604. USE OF THE BIBLE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The Bible is expressly permitted to be used in Idaho public schools for reference purposes to further the study of literature, comparative religion, English and foreign languages, United States and world history, comparative government, law, philosophy, ethics, astronomy, biology, geology, world geography, archaeology, music, sociology, and other topics of study where an understanding of the Bible may be useful or relevant. No student will be required to use any religious texts for reference purposes if the student or parents of the student object.
Maybe for biology class they can learn something from this less often quoted verse:
When a woman has a discharge, if her discharge in her body is blood, she shall continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. Everything also on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean, and everything on which she sits shall be unclean.
—Leviticus 15: 19-20
State Senator Sheryl Nuxoll is a big proponent of the bill, saying it’s needed to give teachers courage to be able to use the Bible as a teaching tool—if they want.
“A lot of teachers are scared to use the Bible,” Nuxoll said.
When state Senator Janie Ward-Engelking objected to the bill saying that spelling out the use of the Bible opens up all kinds of cans of worms for other religious texts needing to be spelled out, state Sen. Nuxoll had this to say:
“That, I guess, could be a possibility,” Nuxoll said. However, she drew a distinction between the Bible and other religious texts, saying the Bible is “embedded” in American culture.
Holy crap—there’s stuff in this book for botany!
Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
—Matthew 21:18-22
There’s an appropriate Bible quote here somewhere if I can find it. Ahh, here it is:
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
—John 8:32
Let’s file this under “ethics.”