One Victory and One Ongoing Battle

My ACLU newsletter arrived today and in addition to its usual shrill language related to the Bush administration’s trampling of the law contained two little stories in the struggle to maintain the separation of Church and State.

One was about a victory and the other was about an ongoing battle.

The Victory was in Texas where the Ector County School Board agreed to stop the teaching of a bible curriculum from the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (NCBCPS) in the town of Odessa Texas. I did a piece on the NCBCPS last year and their so-called non-sectarian curriculum is about as non-sectarian as last Sunday’s sermon. It’s so blatant that it even offends other Christians.

When its curriculum is criticized the NCBCPS flip-flops between vigorous denials and raucous indignation. According to the NCBCPS there’s a godless Liberal conspiracy against teaching the bible in general and their curriculum in particular.

In reality, according to a review by a professor of religious studies at Southern Methodist University, the curriculum declares faith tenets of Christianity factual history, champions a specific brand of conservative Christian dogma and contains errors of fact and interpretation.

In other words it’s more religious propaganda than a valid educational tool. Yet, the folks over at NCBCPS continue to deny that they’re pushing any particular religious agenda.

Yes, it’s just another day and another example of Christian dishonesty. I keep asking this question over and over again but I never get an answer. If what you have is “the truth,” then why do you need to use lies to advance its acceptance?

The ongoing battle is in Maryland where a bill containing a thinly disguised attempt at allowing state funded religious school vouchers is being contested. But again, the attempt is disguised under a bill inappropriately called “Building Opportunities for All Students and Teachers in Maryland Tax Credit” or BOAST.

I read the bill; it’s an attempt to legalize private school vouchers and religious schools would be the primary beneficiary. Look, you’re entitled to send your kids to a private religious school as long as (1) they get a reasonably adequate education there and (2) you don’t ask the rest of us to help foot the bill.

Yes, it’s yet another day and yet another example of Christian dishonesty.