EPTBible Required Curriculum - Page 4
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CalvinStorm
Canada78 Posts
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Etherone
United States1898 Posts
On August 17 2009 18:02 CalvinStorm wrote: Think that's bad? My city has a mandatory course teaching about gay people. what exactly do they teach? edit: just so i won't be completely off topic, i believe that the original idea put forth is an excellent one, and that it would benefit an ignorant country like the US ( no offense but ignorance is abundant when it comes to religion, in any country but the US takes the cake from my experience ) But this will be poorly executed by bias teachers, principal, parents, and everyone in between, becuase let's face it, that's America. It's disappointing but their educational system is too corrupt. | ||
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Licmyobelisk
Philippines3682 Posts
Fencing and hair-makeup  | ||
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benjammin
United States2728 Posts
On August 17 2009 18:04 Etherone wrote: what exactly do they teach? edit: just so i won't be completely off topic, i believe that the original idea put forth is an excellent one, and that it would benefit an ignorant country like the US ( no offense but ignorance is abundant when it comes to religion, in any country but the US takes the cake from my experience ) But this will be poorly executed by bias teachers, principal, parents, and everyone in between, becuase let's face it, that's America. It's disappointing but their educational system is too corrupt. whoa, whoa, whoa, don't paint all of the US with the texas brush | ||
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Etherone
United States1898 Posts
On August 17 2009 18:09 benjammin wrote: whoa, whoa, whoa, don't paint all of the US with the texas brush fair enough, by the US i meant anything west of virginia east of nevada and north of florida. | ||
motbob
United States12546 Posts
On August 17 2009 18:14 Etherone wrote: fair enough, by the US i meant anything west of virginia east of nevada and north of florida. -_- | ||
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Mah Buckit!
Finland474 Posts
Their end up either very depressed or retarded. | ||
alffla
Hong Kong20321 Posts
On August 17 2009 18:21 Mah Buckit! wrote: haha, good luck to your children ^^ Their end up either very depressed or retarded. i thought Finnish people were very depressed  | ||
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Aegraen
United States1225 Posts
Will all you christian bashers, bash religion in general, or are you just discriminatory against Christianity? Will you say the same things to a Muslim on the internet? Will you also then say the same things to a Muslim in their face? Are you going to bash Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. also? I bet the answer to that is no. What the fuck do all of you have against christianity? I personally do not believe in christianity; I'm agnostic, but I certainly don't hold christianity against those who believe in it like it seems the majority here do. Religion doesn't make people dumb; dumb people are dumb. In fact, some of the smartest people ever to live were christians. sheesh. http://www.startribune.com/16404541.html Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy (TIZA) -- named for the Muslim general who conquered medieval Spain -- is a K-8 charter school in Inver Grove Heights. Its approximately 300 students are mostly the children of low-income Muslim immigrant families, many of them Somalis. The school is in huge demand, with a waiting list of 1,500. Last fall, it opened a second campus in Blaine. TIZA uses the language of culture rather than religion to describe its program in public documents. According to its mission statement, the school "recognizes and appreciates the traditions, histories, civilizations and accomplishments of the eastern world (Africa, Asia and Middle East)." But the line between religion and culture is often blurry. There are strong indications that religion plays a central role at TIZA, which is a public school financed by Minnesota taxpayers. Under the U.S. and state constitutions, a public school can accommodate students' religious beliefs but cannot encourage or endorse religion. TIZA raises troubling issues about taxpayer funding of schools that cross that line. Asad Zaman, TIZA's principal, declined to allow me to visit the school or grant me an interview. He did not respond to e-mails seeking written replies. TIZA's strong religious connections date from its founding in 2003. Its co-founders, Zaman and Hesham Hussein, were both imams, or Muslim religious leaders, as well as leaders of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota (MAS-MN). Since then, they have played dual roles: Zaman as TIZA's principal and the current vice-president of MAS-MN, and Hussein as TIZA's school board chair and president of MAS-MN until his death in a car accident in Saudi Arabia in January. TIZA shares MAS-MN's headquarters building, along with a mosque. MAS-MN came to Minnesotans' attention in 2006, when it issued a "fatwa," warning Muslim taxi drivers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport that transporting passengers with alcohol in their baggage is a violation of Islamic law. Journalists whom Zaman has permitted to visit TIZA have described the school's Islamic atmosphere and practices. "A visitor might well mistake Tarek ibn Ziyad for an Islamic school," reported Minnesota Monthly in 2007. "Head scarves are voluntary, but virtually all the girls wear them." The school has a central carpeted prayer space, and "vaguely religious-sounding language" is used. According to the Pioneer Press, TIZA's student body prays daily and the school's cafeteria serves halal food (permissible under Islamic law). During Ramadan, all students fast from dawn to dusk, according to a parent quoted in the article. In fact, TIZA was originally envisioned as a private Islamic school. In 2001, MAS-MN negotiated to buy the current TIZA/MAS-MN building for Al-Amal School, a private religious institution in Fridley, according to Bruce Rimstad of the Inver Grove Heights School District. But many immigrant families can't afford Al-Amal. In 2002, Islamic Relief -- headquartered in California -- agreed to sponsor a publicly funded charter school, TIZA, at the same location. TIZA claims to be non-sectarian, as Minnesota law requires charters to be. But "after-school Islamic learning" takes place on weekdays in the same building under MAS-MN's auspices, according to the program for MAS-MN's 2007 convention. At that convention, a TIZA representative at the school's booth told me that students go directly to "Islamic studies" classes at 3:30, when TIZA's day ends. There, they learn "Qur'anic recitation, the Sunnah of the Prophet" and other religious subjects, he said. TIZA's 2006 Contract Performance Review Report states that students engage in unspecified "electives" after school or do homework. Publicly, TIZA emphasizes that it uses standard curricular materials like those found in other public schools. But when addressing Muslim audiences, school officials make the link to Islam clear. At MAS-MN's 2007 convention, for example, the program featured an advertisement for the "Muslim American Society of Minnesota," superimposed on a picture of a mosque. Under the motto "Establishing Islam in Minnesota," it asked: "Did you know that MAS-MN ... houses a full-time elementary school"? On the adjacent page was an application for TIZA. In addition to the issues raised by TIZA's religious elements, there are reasons to be concerned about the organizations with which it is connected. Group linked to Hamas Islamic Relief-USA, the school's sponsor, is compared to the Red Cross in several TIZA documents. In 2006, however, the Israeli government announced that Islamic Relief Worldwide, the organization's parent group, "provides support and assistance" to Hamas, designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist group. Meanwhile, MAS-MN offers on its web site "beneficial and enlightening information" about Islam, which includes statements like "Regularly make the intention to go on jihad with the ambition to die as a martyr." At its 2007 convention, MAS-MN featured the notorious Shayk Khalid Yasin, who is well-known in Britain and Australia for teaching that husbands can beat disobedient wives, that gays should be executed and that the United States spreads the AIDS virus in Africa through vaccines for tropical diseases. Yasin's topic? "Building a Successful Muslim Community in Minnesota." TIZA has improved the reading and math performance of its mostly low-income students. That's commendable, but should Minnesota taxpayers be funding an Islamic public school? Katherine Kersten • kkersten@startribune.com Join the conversation at my blog, Think Again, which can be found at www.startribune.com/thinkagain. | ||
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KwarK
United States44240 Posts
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Aegraen
United States1225 Posts
On August 17 2009 18:35 Kwark wrote: I'll far more happily bash Islam than Christianity because stupid fundies make up a greater proportion of Islam than they do Christianity. As long as you are consistant I have no problem. We'll see how my little + Show Spoiler + experiment | ||
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blue_arrow
1971 Posts
"The purpose of a course like this isn't even really to get kids to believe it per say. It is just to appreciate the profound impact that it has had on our history and on our government." There's a major difference between religion and an analysis of said religion. For example, something like analyzing the impacts of the Bible/Christianty in racial tensions during the 1960's civil rights movement, is completely different from developing a relationship of love and trust with Jesus Christ, the individual who loved you so much that he willingly died for your sins. However, because this article doesn't describe in any serious detail what is being taught and how it's being taught, I can't really draw any solid conclusions. Personally, the biggest problem that comes to my mind from reading this article, is the question of why parents aren't finding out more about this new curriculum before passing their judgements. When people hear the words "we're going to teach the Bible", images of brainwashing, propaganda and indoctrination immediately come to mind. Feelings of uneasiness ensue. All of this is understandable and to be expected. This applies to the related issue of creationism vs. evolution as well; believers of creationism develop the exact same feelings when confronted with the issue of evolution beinging taught at their childrens' schools. All of this stems from the fears of the unknown, the misinformed and/or the malinformed. These people must first try to recognize their own emotions and biases, and then proceed to find out more about what is being taught and how it's being taught before taking a solid stance. | ||
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Savio
United States1850 Posts
Some questions I want you to please answer for us: 1. Who wrote the Bible? 2. How did it come to be in its current form? 3. What year (or years) was it compiled? 4. Why are there different versions? 5. What are some of the controversies of translation? Do you realize that practically NO Americans that answer these questions. Considering that it is probably the #1 most influential book in Western Society (even for countries that are now predominantly atheist), its amazing that people know so little about it. It used to be the ONLY book that many people had in their homes and they taught their kids to read by it and yet we don't know who the authors were, who decided what should be included in it. I think a scholarly approach to the history of the Bible could be appropriate. That being said, I certainly don't think you needed a state law requiring it and I bet in many schools it won't be as scholarly as I would like it to be. But I do bemoan the absolute ignorance about the origins of the most influential book in the history of Western Society (perhaps the world). For anyone who responds to this, please first attempt to answer the first questions posed, then respond to the whole post. It will be illuminating I think to realize that even educated people can't tell you how the Bible came to be. | ||
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Savio
United States1850 Posts
My school made us watch a movie with gay people having explicit sex so we would be "sensitive". Now, it was medical school and not high school, so I guess its better.....maybe? | ||
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Foucault
Sweden2826 Posts
""The purpose of a course like this isn't even really to get kids to believe it per say. It is just to appreciate the profound impact that it has had on our history and on our government," said Keeling." How is this different from religious studies really? Sure, if it was some hardline, christian group that advocated having bibles in schools, but it seems like that's not the case. But yeah, the whole thing is a bit iffy of course. | ||
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ulszz
Jamaica1787 Posts
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Foucault
Sweden2826 Posts
On August 17 2009 18:35 Kwark wrote: I'll far more happily bash Islam than Christianity because stupid fundies make up a greater proportion of Islam than they do Christianity. My thoughts exactly. Let's face it, muslims are a bit more hardcore than your average christian regarding alot of issues. | ||
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motbob
United States12546 Posts
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Etherone
United States1898 Posts
that last post was in jest, surely you agree that when it comes to religion Americans tend to be a bit over bearing and ignorant. I know i lived in the states most of my life. Aegraen I am not bashing Christianity, I am simply stating that the US is a biased country when it comes to religion, and to answer your question, i will bash any religious fanatic regardless of the book they carry. On August 17 2009 18:40 Savio wrote: My school made us watch a movie with gay people having explicit sex so we would be "sensitive". Now, it was medical school and not high school, so I guess its better.....maybe? you're kidding... please tell me I am missing the sarcasm | ||
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Foucault
Sweden2826 Posts
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