79R16453 JLZ-D

By:  Eiland                                                     H.C.R. No. 186



CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, For nearly 2,000 years, the Bible has been a 
cornerstone in the development of Western civilization, permeating 
nearly all aspects of our culture, manifesting itself most notably 
in our literature, music, art, drama, and philosophy; and
	WHEREAS, Biblical references abound in the works of Western 
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, Because the Bible was, for a long time, part of a 
common heritage shared by our forebears, great leaders of the past, 
including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther 
King, Jr., could inspire entire generations by sprinkling their 
speeches liberally with biblical references; and
	WHEREAS, Indeed, the English language itself is so filled 
with biblical vocabulary, themes, and terms 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 recent 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 limiting their ability to study literature and to 
understand art, music, history, and culture; and
	WHEREAS, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Tom Clark, in the 1963 
case Abington v. Shempp, 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"; and
	WHEREAS, In 1999, in a document entitled The Bible & Public 
Schools: a First Amendment Guide, 20 widely diverse groups, 
including the American Federation of Teachers, the National 
Education Association, the National Association of School Boards, 
as well as major Christian, Jewish, and Muslim organizations, 
agreed that the Bible can and should be taught in public schools; 
and
	WHEREAS, Furthermore, Gallup Polls over the years have 
consistently shown that more than two-thirds of the American public 
believe the Bible should be taught in public schools as part of the 
literature and social studies curricula; and
	WHEREAS, Section 28.002(f), Education Code, allows a school 
district to offer courses for local credit in addition to those in 
the required curriculum, and, according to the National Council on 
Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, 49 school districts already 
offer elective Bible classes in their curricula; Section 28.002(f) 
also requires the State Board of Education to be flexible in 
approving a course for credit toward the state's high school 
graduation requirements; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas 
hereby direct the Texas Education Agency and the State Board of 
Education to facilitate individual school districts' offerings of 
elective courses on academic studies of the Bible in their high 
school curriculum; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward official copies 
of this resolution to the commissioner of education and to the chair 
of the State Board of Education.