When the school board in Odessa, the West Texas oil town, voted unanimously in April to add an elective Bible study course to the 2006 high school curriculum, some parents dropped to their knees in prayerful thanks that God would be returned to the classroom, while others assailed it as an effort to instill religious training in the public schools.

Yuck.

Can't teach religion as part of public school? Fine, recast it as history. Can't teach Creationism in science? Toss it over to the social studies department. The really sad thing is that if they actually taught it as history, it would be worthwhile.

I had a history class where for part of it we did look at the bible, and used what was in there as compared to the archeological record, and other time relavant sources. That was actually interesting. We also read Gilgamesh in the same class. That I'd call appropriate. I'm sure you could build an entire course around the concept.

From the account here, they've built an indoctriation class and are hiding it as history. It has no more business in a school than the less than pseudo-science of creationism, and I'd like the people responsible for it flogged in the public square for doing something that deliberately contributes to the ignorance and stupidity of the next generation.

Bible Course Becomes a Test for Public Schools in Texas