On 10/8/09 8:24 AM, Tim wrote:
Well maybe not. But seeing the creation, religion,evolution thread is
getting so long, I thought I'd ask a hypothetical question. Well maybe
it's not as hypothetical , but here goes.

If an English lit teacher was passing out assignments assignments for
students to give a book report. Various books are chosen, some long ,
some short.

OK, the list has several *options* None are specifically required.
Here's a sample list:

"To Kill a Mockingbird"
"All Quiet one the Western Front"
"Gulliver's Travels"
"Moby Dick"
"The book of Matthew"
"Oliver Twist"
"The Trial"

etc, etc.

Notice included is the Gospel account of Matthew. Would this be
considered as promoting religion?

AND! Even if it was required reading. could it be used for literary
purposes only?


Just curious.


A. By itself, yes, it would be promoting religion. But...as you well
know, there are novels that include biblical passages in their texts.
Why, some of them are on your "sample list"! What a surprise. :)
Moby-Dick, my favorite novel, is nothing if not a religious allegory.


B. The King James bible is a wonderful example of beautiful writing in
the English language, and it certainly could be used as an example of
literature and studied for its literary prowess. That, of course, would
include the gospel of Matthew, which, in addition to its literary
merits, is also a sales letter of the first magnitude. It is perfectly
appropriate for *college* students to study the bible as a literary
work. I did, in getting my masters. It is not appropriate for study in
any manner in public K-12 schools.

C. You obviously are aware of the "connections" between Oliver Twist and
the Church of England. :)

Very clever...







--
Birther-Deather-Tenther-Teabagger:
Idiots All