Should The Bible Be Taught in Public Schools?

Likely to stir up controversy that some say could be contrived to boost ratings for the History Channel’s miniseries, "The Bible,”  Mark Burnett and his wife Roma Downey recently suggested it would be a good idea to incorporate teaching of the Bible in public schools.

Burnett is the successful producer of the "Survivor" series, and Downey is probably most well-known for her role in “Touched By an Angel.” Both Christians, their latest project is the 10-part miniseries on the History Channel “The Bible.” It reportedly premiered to what Inside TV deemed “divine” ratings on Sunday, March 3, reportedly seen by 13.1 million viewers and scoring a 3.3 rating among adults ages 18 to 49.

Burnett and Downey made the suggestion that it would be good to incorporate such teachings in public schools in an op-ed Feb. 28 in the Wall Street Journal. This was just prior to the launch of the series, which is likely why skeptics saw it more as a publicity stunt. However, The Huffington Post reports that in the op-ed, the couple did acknowledge it was likely to be met with resistance amid likely cries of "separation of church and state." The Huffington Post did point out, though, that Burnett and Downey suggested it be taught "objectively" as part of a "secular" curriculum and not in any persuasive way. The reason the couple gave for the suggestion that it be incorporated into the curriculum is because it "is the most influential book of all time."

What do you think?