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Dave Weigel
@daveweigel.bsky.social
National politics reporter at semafor.com. Alum: WashPost, Bloomberg, Slate, Reason. Author of ā€œThe Show That Never Ends.ā€
48.7k followers681 following4k posts
DWdaveweigel.bsky.social

Unpopular-on-BlueSky take... I have no problem with the Bible, as a cornerstone of western civ, being taught in public schools. You need some guardrails but I don't hate the idea. But requiring schools to buy a leather bible bundled with US history documents that only Trump sells? FOH.

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Ccaitesq.bsky.social

I read parts of the Bible at least three times in my very secular private school: excerpts of the KJV in English, excerpts of a different translation in ancient history (alongside the Epic of Gilgamesh etc.), and the Song of Solomon alongside Toni Morrison's eponymous novel.

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ADprostoserdov.bsky.social

My public middle school had a science teacher who was a creationist. She would find ways to undermind what she was teaching. It was insidious. I'd rather have religion class taught by a priest in a cassock or a lady holding a buncha snakes.

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BLalwayserked.bsky.social

Well, there's teaching the Bible, and there's teaching ABOUT the Bible. I'm fine with the ABOUT if it's a course that includes multiple historically significant holy books.

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TLtlawson.bsky.social

In the abstract, yes - students studying the Bible & its influence on history/society (as well as other key texts from other religions & parts of the world) could be good. But I donā€™t trust a single school district in SC to teach the Bible in any way that would be pedagogically ethical/appropriate.In the abstract, yes - students studying the Bible & its influence on history/society (as well as other key texts from other religions & parts of the world) could be good. But I donā€™t trust a single school district in SC to teach the Bible in any way that would be pedagogically ethical/appropriate.

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Mmrquindazzi.bsky.social

I teach Western Civ. The Bible itself is of very limited utility when teaching Western Civ, or the history of European Christianity. We aren't reading bible versus to decide if Luther or the Catholic church was right about salvation. We do, of course, use small excerpts like the 10 commandments

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Ppeoriabummer.bsky.social

Teach it as literature? Fine. Teach it as truth? Absolutely not.

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The only way I would be even slightly okay with teaching the Bible is in a comparative religion class. The idea of using the Bible as a textbook makes me physically ill.

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Yeah I think you should teach the bible but if you're going to do so as a historical document, the glosses and commentary seem all the more important!

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blees.bsky.social

Canā€™t they just steal them from 55,000 hotel rooms?

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Msaoirsemaeve.bsky.social

Dave, are you aware that you are insecure about being left of center, and that you often go out of your way to apologize for being so? Itā€™s embarrassing.

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DW
Dave Weigel
@daveweigel.bsky.social
National politics reporter at semafor.com. Alum: WashPost, Bloomberg, Slate, Reason. Author of ā€œThe Show That Never Ends.ā€
48.7k followers681 following4k posts