The most current example of this is the clash between Islam and the West. It is deeply rooted in questions of faith and reason. To exclude teaching about the history of the great religions of the world is to deny people an understanding of current events. From a Western perspective it is impossible to understand the history of the western civilization apart from the role of Judeo-Christian tradition and the Bible. Works like Rodney Stark’s The Victory of Reason give us a whole new understanding of our cultural roots.

The word culture, after all, means an expression of cult -- cult, in its traditional sense being a fundamental belief system of a people. Well-educated students have to understand this and, particularly in our school system, need to understand the role of the Bible both in history and as great literature. The Supreme Court has already ruled that it may be taught as such, provided, of course, that it is not used to proselytize.

It is the role of the Church to teach the meaning and power of the Bible, as it is the role of other religious entities to teach their religious perspectives. But it is the role of educators to teach history, literature, and the great ideas that have moved people through the centuries.