Founding Fathers Quote Friday (Bible as Textbook)

In a vivid illustration once again sparked by the founder of Founding Father’s Quote Friday, Mr. Hercules Mulligan, and having advanced degrees in history and education we will put forth our case again as to why American classrooms need the guidance that only the Bible can supply as once again a textbook available to students.

Make no mistake about it folks; the United States of America was founded as a Judeo-Christian nation. Any person who has stumbled onto the early quotes from letters; papers, official documents, as well as the personal papers of this nation’s founding fathers would come to that conclusion. Furthermore, arguing against this fact will only lead to unpleasant bickering.

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (John Adams, Address to the Military, October 11, 1798)

Every licensed and certified teacher in this country knows that America’s first textbook was the Bible; yes, years before McGuffey’s Reader was even a thought, children in this country learned to read and write using the Bible.

Yet there is far more to this story than the founders declaring America as a Christian nation or even the Bible being the first textbook for students. We suggest what is between the covers is so valuable to our youth particularly those who are in elementary school.

First and foremost the Bible needs to be viewed as the interdisciplinary book that it is. Successful teaching takes the entire student-as a whole-into the equation and understands that all human beings have various strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, the great teachers are those who are able to combine several disciplines into lessons that are fun, interesting, and meaningful.

Using the Bible as a textbook is even larger than that; when this book is looked at as a source of several epochs in history, physical and cultural forms of geography, geology, astronomy, archeology, cataclysmic events, and multiculturalism are just starting points for a lot of what has been lost in the American public school system.

Furthermore and perhaps more important is the sole idea of virtues. In modern day politics it is alleged that this is mixing the dreaded ‘church and state’ argument; however, nothing could be farther than the truth. Today’s teachers are only allowed to use common sense when it comes to morality, integrity, values, and other means of civil living while at school.

Most people are probably asking “Why?” (Or at least should be!) The answer is simple: the government, unions, and local school boards do not feel it is appropriate for an adult to teach what we refer to as ‘manners’ in the classroom. The same holds true with discipline. (Our secret is…we still do anyway.)

We have written about education more than any other topic on this blog. Why? There once was a time in America’s history when children were taught ethics, values, and right from wrong in the home.

“The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families…. How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers?”  (John Adams, Diary, June 2, 1778)

However, through special interest groups, money, and government interventions such as political correctness, multiculturalism, celebrating diversity, and putting limitations on just about everything we do in this country has stifled and negatively affected education.

We are sensitive to the “we don’t want it cramed down our throats” argument just as we are to the “why do I need to take algebra” argument; therefore, we suggest that in order to save America–as the nation we knew it to be–requires history courses, social and cultural geography courses, and every other science mentioned above be given as elective coursework. Moreover, we attend to the notion that every child in this country should be at bare minimum be exposed to the Ten Commandments.  Please follow this link to be fascinated by the legal matters.