|
|
January 30, 2012 · By Newswire · 0 Comments
ACTION: Contact your Senator and ask him/her to support HCR 1004. (This is not a bill but a resolution.) “A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, Supporting and encouraging the academic study of the Bible in South Dakota public schools.” This is NOT a “Church and State” issue. This is legal and necessary as referenced in the resolution. Put political correctness and tolerance aside this time and let your Christian voice be heard! I have copied the body of the bill – highlights mine. It is easy to read and very enlightening. Please take the time to read how important this is and pass it along to your family and friends. This passed 55 to 13 in the House of Representatives but it will not pass the Senate if we do not make our voices heard. Contact information is below.
WHEREAS, for nearly two thousand years, the Bible has been a cornerstone of Western civilization, its content permeating nearly all aspects of culture, manifesting itself most notably in literature, music, art, drama, public discourse, and philosophy; and
WHEREAS, biblical references abound in the works of literature, including those of William Shakespeare and John Milton, and allusions to biblical themes and characters have been used effectively by writers as diverse as Dante Alighieri and William Faulkner; and
WHEREAS, the Bible has been a source for public discourse and policy both past and present; and great leaders, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr., inspired entire generations by including in their speeches biblical references and language; and
WHEREAS, the English language itself is so filled with biblical vocabulary, themes, terms and allusions, that it cannot be fully understood and appreciated by individuals unfamiliar with the Bible, depriving them of much of the richness of the language; and
WHEREAS, a report on Bible literacy, which included findings from a Gallup Poll survey on American teenagers’ knowledge of the Bible, found that American high school students are deficient in their academic knowledge of the Bible and that this deficiency is a limiting factor in their ability to study literature and to understand art, music, history, and culture; and
WHEREAS, religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization [and] … that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities. Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment United States Supreme Court Justice Tom Clark, in the 1963 case Abington v. Schempp, wrote, … it might well be said that one’s education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization [and] … that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities. Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment;
WHEREAS, in a document titled The Bible & Public Schools, a First Amendment Guide, twenty diverse groups including the National School Boards Association agreed that the Bible can and should be taught in public schools as long as such teaching is academic and not devotional in nature, demonstrates an awareness of the religious nature of the Bible but does not press students to accept religion, does not engage in the practice of religion, neither encourages or discourages differing religious views, and does not ask students to conform to any religious belief; and
WHEREAS, George Gallup polling and other research over the years has shown that more than two-thirds of the American public believe the Bible should be taught in public schools as part of the literature or social studies curriculum; and
WHEREAS, this legislative body acknowledges the academic advantage to students of a basic familiarity with the Bible:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Eighty-seventh Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that the Legislature of the State of South Dakota hereby declares its support and encouragement for all school districts in the state to implement a course of study or to include in the literature or social studies curriculum courses or lessons that help students become familiar with the content, characters, and narratives of the Bible and to include in such courses an awareness of the role the Bible has played in the development of literature, art, music, culture, and public discourse; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the State Board of Education be asked to incorporate such support into its curriculum planning and that the board make all educational bodies in the state aware of textbooks and other curriculum materials that have been prepared to teach about the Bible within the guidelines and context of the First Amendment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that no state, district, or local educational body should prevent the teaching of courses or classes on the Bible so long as those courses meet the guidelines of the First Amendment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this legislative body also supports and encourages any effort to make teacher training available to those teachers who wish to pursue both providing elective courses or integrating the Bible into existing literature or social studies courses so that they be made aware of the issues involved in teaching the Bible in a public school setting; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that there be clear and consistent communication of the importance of basic literacy of the Bible and its impact as well as communication of this resolution to all school districts within this state.
Legislative Contact Information: (Please keep these numbers on speed dial.)E-MAIL anytime at Email Your Legislator. (Very simple. Write the email information once then use the drop down menu only to change address to next Legislator.)
PHONE them at (605) 773-3851 for House Representatives and (605) 773-3821 for Senators at the Capitol and leave a message with a page. You may leave messages for 2 people at a time. Leave a message as to the bill, the vote you want, your name and County.
FAX them on your computer at Fax Zero. You are allowed two free faxes per day per e-mail address.
To find out which district you are in and who your Legislators are, see below:
South Dakota Map of Legislative Districts
Legislator Listing By District – Click on the name for contact information.
Note: Reader comments are reviewed before publishing, and only salient comments that add to the topic will be published. Profanity is absolutely not allowed and will be summarily deleted. Spam, copied statements and other material not comprised of the reader’s own opinion will also be deleted.
Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) and Representative Kevin Brady (R-Texas) today re-introduced legislation to permanently repeal the federal estate tax, better known as the death tax, to finally put an end to this punitive tax on family farms, ranches, and businesses upon the death of an owner.
There are at least 10 good reasons why common sense people who are interested in fairness and the rule of law should oppose the immigration 'reform' bill now being considered in the United States Congress. How many of your guesses are on this list?
As the Obama Administration is being uncovered for scandal after scandal, his plans are beginning to backfire. For example, the ever-increasing scandals at the Internal Revenue Service are now jeopardizing critical funding for the agency as it attempts to play a major role in the implementation of Obamacare. Obama was planning a major budget increase for the IRS, but now the feat is proving difficult as Congress sees that the IRS has proven to be untrustworthy. This proves the famous, unchangeable law of sowing and reaping.
There is a general consensus that there is a dumbing down of America underway. There is a growing recognition that our move away from the classical understanding of what constitutes a proper education – and the ends of that education – is largely responsible for the problems we're seeing in the classroom, the workforce, and the culture at large.
A woman who described herself as a teacher of the U.S. Constitution has gone ballistic over Bradlee Dean’s ministry effort at a gasoline station in Florida to drum up support for its campaign to teach the ethics, morality and responsibility of the Bible in public schools. The woman verbally and physically attacked two ministry workers Elizabeth Ilse and Chase Schomberg.
|
"We don't intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the party over to the so-called moderates wouldn't make any sense at all." - Ronald Reagan, Nov. 10, 1964 |
Sorry, comments are closed on this post.