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“Congress granted the approval to print “a neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools.” Congress’ endorsement stamped on the first page: “Whereupon, Resolved, That the United States in Congress assembled...recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States...”.

Okay, American Civil Liberties Union, People for the (anything but) American Way, and People United for Separation of Church and State --- don’t get yourselves in an uproar! It’s history. The above event happened twice --- 1777 and 1782 when Congress ordered 20,000 Bibles each time for the benefit of citizens and childrens’ education.

Then there was no question about the Bible as education. The hearts and minds of the majority of citizens were Christian and the United States didn’t have to discuss, debate, or deny that this nation was Christian, founded on Christian principles and the absolute moral standards in God’s Word. It was so obvious, no one talked about it. The last 80 years, the ACLU and others have taken America’s Christian foundation to court --- and Won! through the idiocy of socialist-minded, self-serving Supreme Court judges.

Today’s public schools, connected as they are to the purse strings of the secular federal government, have pushed God and His Word out of the schools thereby limiting childrens’ education. Children lack background reference to many phrases common in language such as “walk on water,” “pearls before swine,” “30 pieces of silver,” “the Golden Rule,” and “the last shall be first.” How would a child or an adult know where these phrases originated or what they mean unless they have read the Bible?

Despite the attempt to twist the First Amendment to suit small-minded and self-serving interest groups, the people are responding through adopting Bible curriculum as an elective in high schools. One such group is the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (NCBCPS). Their course called “The Bible as History and Literature” is taught in 1,100 high schools in 346 school districts in 37 states, from Alaska and California to New Jersey and Florida. The Bible is the textbook. The ACLU does not endorse this curriculum but has not sued to date.

Another organization, the Bible Literacy Project (BLP), has developed a textbook, “The Bible and Its Influence” --- which the ACLU has said "not much about." The First Amendment Center is heavily involved in this project. Why?

According to critics such as Dr. D. L.Cuddy, “The Bible and Its Influence” contains “factual error, for example, a contradiction of what Jesus actually said about parables. (p.215 in textbook) Plus, it asks students to question traditional Biblical teaching.” Also it states that the Book of Job “provides no clear cut moral or answer to Job’s situation. (pg.161)” Most scholars and informed laymen would agree. The BLP textbook, rather than leading children to moral conclusions, leads them to the same modern situational ethics. No moral absolutes. Not likely that the ACLU will dislike it!

Alabama and Georgia state legislators have developed bills guaranteeing the right of high schools to teach the Bible, though it is already taught in many of their school districts. Wilmington, NC, has attracted the ACLU’s attention even though Bible courses have been taught for years --- no complaints.

The Odessa, Texas, school board has been in the news as they attempt to select Bible Class curriculum for their high schools. Some of them favor the BLP textbook over the NCBCPS’s proven record with “The Bible in History and Literature.” Could it be fear of the ACLU who routinely sends intimidating letters to school boards?

A few years back, the Southern Baptist Convention called their members to pull their children from the secular public school system, but later nullified that agenda item. Courageous, but it placed undue burden on many families financially and otherwise.

Meanwhile the home schooling movement is still growing. As of 2003, an estimated 1.1 million children were homeschooled by parents. One reason is clear: God was eliminated from the public schools and parents, teachers and schools were no longer on the same page.

Imagine the Congress authorizing the printing of the Bible for public schools today. The enraged outcry from special interests, minority groups, and other secular, atheist factions would further extinguish the voices that speak to us through the Bible.

Where is the peoples’ outrage? Why are we so silent and ineffective against this enemy of our nation’s Christian foundation? We need to ask ourselves --- what do we really want for our children?

The unconstitutional Supremes and Congress won’t do it for us.