The Lexington Herald-Leader reports on yesterday's Senate Education Committee vote, approving an elective course on the Bible to be taught in Kentucky public schools. Legislation calls on the Education Department to develop guidelines and a curriculum. As often comes up here with this topic, the legality of these courses will depend on how they are put into action in the classroom. Hopefully all necessary safeguards will be enforced to help these courses be academic and not religious in nature, teaching *about* religion and not in any sense preaching it.
Committee members in the debate serve as good examples of just how difficult that might be. Despite the bill's emphasis on religion's role in history and the arts, some of them surely sounded like their vote had a religious purpose.
[State Senator Julian] Carroll said the bill is not creating "a faith-based course," but he contended that public schools have experienced problems such as shootings since the Bible was taken out of the classroom
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Carroll said the Bible can teach "life skills and values."
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In voting for the bill, Sen. Vernie McGaha, R-Russell Springs, told Carroll that "preaching" might help public schools.Sen. Walter Blevins, D-Morehead, responded with an "amen" during roll call but quickly added, "Yea."
