Kentucky lawmakers introduce bill to bring 'Bible literacy' course to public schools

Two Kentucky lawmakers have introduced a bill that would encourage the academic study of the Bible in public schools.

The bill, authored by Republican Reps. DJ Johnson of Owensboro and Wesley Morgan of Richmond, aims to "familiarize students with biblical characters and narratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporary society and culture," Courier-journal reported.

The legislation calls on school districts to maintain "religious neutrality" and accommodate "diverse religious views." However, it does not have a requirement to study other religious texts, such as the Quran or Buddhist writings.

"Whether you believe that it's the word of God or you think it's complete fiction, you can't deny the impact it's had on our culture," Johnson said of the Bible.

According to the Kentucky Department of Education, public schools are already allowed to study the Bible and other religious texts as long as the instruction is strictly academic and is not a "ruse to promote religious beliefs."

Department spokeswoman Nancy Rodriguez stated that some schools have already offered courses on Bible literacy in the past as part of an English elective.

Jim Potash, president of the Kentucky Secular Society, a group supporting the separation of church and state, has expressed his concern about how the legislation would be implemented.

"I don't think it really would be just teaching about religion. I think I'd have to worry about them actually preaching religion," said Potash.

He stated that he would prefer to see schools teach the Bible as part of a comparative course, in which students are also taught about other religious texts, such as the Quran.

Mark Chancey, a professor at Southern Methodist University who has studied the issues raised by Bible courses in public schools, said the courses can be valuable for students, but it could also pose problems for educators. He noted that it is easy even for experienced and well-meaning educators to "misstep" if proper training and curriculum are not available.

"We want to take (the texts) seriously as sources from that time period without treating them uncritically as straightforward history," said Chancey.

"That's a delicate dance because the minute teachers begin treating the Bible as straightforward, completely unproblematic history, they've slipped into making theological claims," he added.

Kentucky lawmakers have pushed for a similar measure in the past, including this year, when the bill was passed by the Republican-controlled Senate but died in the Democratic-controlled House.