Cuckoo in Carolina

New York Times ^ | August 28, 2002 | Thomas Friedman

[glory]

Don't worry, it has been my pleasure to recently find out that God has not been banished out of all the schools. I don't want to ruin it for us here by naming where I am specifically, but our friend is a coach who says prayers before games with his students all the time and as you walk out of thier locker room, dh told me they have a sign that reads with God all things are possible. There has not been a complaint *yet*.

[Windom Earle]

UNC is simply not responsive to what the majority of North Carolinian's think on this issue.

It should be, because this is a taxpayer funded public university. I, for one, am sick and tired of my tax money being used to fund and further some leftist agenda.

[Sally II]

To understand Islamic terror, you study the hate-filled texts that are published daily throughout the Arab world; you assign the hate-filled sermons that are preached every week in the Muslim mosques in the Middle East and Iran.

Thanks for posting that Dennis Prager quote. Excellent points!

[aculeus]

You're welcome!

And bump!

[marron]

I discovered the other day that my 17-year-old daughter, who is a 12th grader at a Washington-area public high school, was reading Genesis, Luke, Psalms and Job as part of a summer assignment for her A.P. English class. I'm glad. I wish she had also been assigned the Koran.

This seems rather unlikely.

Nevertheless, this is the point. There is no way to understand Western Civilization, or Western history, or even Western literature without a reasonably extensive study of Biblical scripture.

This is true whether one is Christian, Jewish, or a non-believer. This is entirely apart from any study one might do as part of one's religious devotions. Anyone, Christian, Jew, atheist, or otherwise, must have an understanding of both New and Old Testament scripture or you do not understand Western Culture.

A study of the Koran is likewise legitimate and important. The objection is that the UNC is demanding a sympathetic study of the Koran while either rejecting any study of the Bible, or banishing its study to some "religious studies" Siberia.

There would be nothing wrong with likewise requiring some study of Bhuddist and Hindu texts. But not in an explicitly anti-Christian or anti-Jewish context, as is the norm in current US academia.

[Sally II]

I agree with you. I don't have a problem at all with studying the beliefs and writings of various religions. But despite the fact that Christianity is an integral part of the history of Western Culture, I don't recall being assigned any Christian reading until I had an early American Lit class in college. When I was in high school, I remember the big taboo subjects were creationism, Christianity, and abortion. Because for some reason any discussion of Christian beliefs or values are too easily construed as preaching. College was someting different: at both junior colleges and universities there is a tacit understanding that the exploration of pretty much any pagan religion is encouraged over Christianity. And unfortunately, judging by how the number of young people I heard state that the Christian right is no better than the Taliban, there is a greater need for American kids to understand Christianity than to understand Islam.