The Texas State Education Department has approved a curriculum that includes biblical texts in the reading and writing lessons of elementary school students. Schools can choose whether to follow this proposal from the predominantly Republican-led education department. If they do, they will receive financial grants of up to $60 per student per school year, as reported by the Austrian newspaper Die Presse.
Supporters of the measure emphasize the importance of Christianity for American society and culture. Opponents criticize that the curriculum unfairly favors Christianity over other faiths. They argue that this would violate the US Constitution.
Another point of criticism from opponents is that the content is not age-appropriate. They also argue that the content is so dominant that students have insufficient time for developing reading fluency and other important skills.
In the state of Louisiana, the Ten Commandments are set to be displayed in classrooms and lecture halls of public schools and universities. Civil rights groups also believe that this goes against the constitutional principle of the state’s religious neutrality and plan to legally challenge the measure.
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kath.net also refers to Pope Benedict’s letter on the 45th World Day of Social Communications and invites commentators to orient themselves towards it: “To communicate the Gospel through new media means not only to put explicitly religious content on the platforms of various media, but also to consistently bear witness in one’s own digital profile and communication style regarding decisions, preferences, and judgments that deeply align with the Gospel, even if not explicitly mentioned.” (www.kath.net)
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