Although many people would say studying the Bible in school will violate seperation  of church and state, I believe the course will benefit students when taught as a history or literature course.

School board member Jim Bradford is proposing a Bible course to be added to the cirriculum in Springdale Public Schools. People might not like this because they think the Bible is only a religious book, but it’s not.

I think the school board should pass the course because in history and literature the Bible is referred to a lot. Making this an optional class gives students who want to take the class a chance to take it, and those who are offended by the class don’t have to take it.

People may worry that this class will be religious and peoples religious beliefs will be forced on others, but this class will strictly be a history or literature class. It would not be a religious class in any aspect.

If students are allowed to have clubs that are about Christianity, why aren’t they allowed to have electives that teach the history of the Bible? Arkansas law allows schools to offer Bible courses as long as the curriculum is academic not religious.

Districts in Little Rock and Gravette offer the course, so why aren’t we? The course would be strictly academic and completely optional. Students discuss the Bible among themselves, so why not give them a new way to look at it and other academic things they do.

Offering a Bible course in Springdale Public Schools is a good idea, and I don’t really see a downside to having it.