Teaching the Bible in Georgia’s Public Schools – New York Times By BRENDA GOODMAN

Georgia is about to become the first state to approve the use of the Bible as a textbook in public schools.

On Monday, the State Senate passed a bill providing money to high schools that offer elective classes in the Bible, and setting specific guidelines for those classes. The bill was approved by Georgia’s House of Representatives last week.

Gov. Sonny Perdue is expected to sign the law.

The bill creates two courses, the History and Literature of the Old Testament Era and the History and Literature of the New Testament Era, that can be offered as electives. It gives the state’s Department of Education a year to approve the curriculum, but it requires that the Bible itself, not a textbook, be the core material used. Supplementary materials can also be used.

Other state school systems offer classes in the Bible, but Georgia’s law would be the first to require that the Bible be the core text. Legislators in Alabama and Missouri are considering similar measures. …

The closest thing to a Bible-as-literature class Georgia schools now offer is an elective in comparative religion, and Education Department officials said it is not in great demand. Only 800 students out of 400,000 in state high schools signed up for the class last year, they said. …

The Christian Coalition of Georgia has strongly supported the legislation. The group’s chairwoman, Sadie Fields, said the courses were “another way to help students think critically.” [mjh: LOL. ‘Bible literalism’ encourages critical thinking? When there is only one truth and no others, “critical thinking” means learning how to reject all other views.]

State Senator Williams disputed predictions of the classes’ popularity among Georgia students.

“Where it’s been taught, it’s my understanding it’s a very popular course,” he said. “It’s a very interesting book, by the way.”

Georgia School Superintendent Kathy Cox visits Walker schools Eric Beavers

State School Superintendent Kathy Cox said Wednesday she’s solidly behind a measure that would allow the Bible to be used as a textbook in Georgia’s public schools.

“I think this is much ado about nothing,” Cox said about controversy over the issue, as she toured three Walker County schools. “I was a world history teacher for 15 years, and in world history you teach Greek mythology, you teach Buddhism, you teach Judaism, you teach Confucius — you teach all the world’s religion as part of world history, including Christianity.”