Eldest daughter had some homework this weekend to research the story of Abraham.
Which begs the question - why ?
For the moral lessons we can learn ?
My Old Testament knowledge isn't great but I do remember that God tested Abraham by asking him if he would sacrifice his own son' he passed because apparently he was willing to do so. Neither God nor Abraham come out very well from that one. The only moral lessons to be learnt are if you are some sort of child-killing pyschopath, and even then the defence "the voices told me to do it" will not keep you out of the loony bin.
Because it's part of our cultural heritage ?
Well ok maybe. I suppose these days it can't do any harm to learn that Christianity, Islam and Judaism all share a common starting point. But using the same argument we shown also learn about the Greek, Roman, Celtic. Saxon and Norse gods as well. After all our calendar and language has much more to do with these than any Judao-Christian tradition.
Because the bible is great literature ?
Have any of the people who argue this even read the King James Edition with the endless lists of 'begetting and smiting". Also the characterisation is lousy and the plot preposterous.
No - the reason schools insist on teaching bible studies is because we can't let go of the idea that we are a 'Christian ' country or that morality can't be taught without reference to religion.
Wrong on both counts - I am afraid.
Which begs the question - why ?
For the moral lessons we can learn ?
My Old Testament knowledge isn't great but I do remember that God tested Abraham by asking him if he would sacrifice his own son' he passed because apparently he was willing to do so. Neither God nor Abraham come out very well from that one. The only moral lessons to be learnt are if you are some sort of child-killing pyschopath, and even then the defence "the voices told me to do it" will not keep you out of the loony bin.
Because it's part of our cultural heritage ?
Well ok maybe. I suppose these days it can't do any harm to learn that Christianity, Islam and Judaism all share a common starting point. But using the same argument we shown also learn about the Greek, Roman, Celtic. Saxon and Norse gods as well. After all our calendar and language has much more to do with these than any Judao-Christian tradition.
Because the bible is great literature ?
Have any of the people who argue this even read the King James Edition with the endless lists of 'begetting and smiting". Also the characterisation is lousy and the plot preposterous.
No - the reason schools insist on teaching bible studies is because we can't let go of the idea that we are a 'Christian ' country or that morality can't be taught without reference to religion.
Wrong on both counts - I am afraid.
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