National Bible Week

Floor Speech

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Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Congressman Lamborn, for organizing this Special Order, recognizing the 77th annual National Bible Week in America. As we know and has been said today, this is a declaration that was first made by President Franklin D. Roosevelt just weeks before the start of World War II.

As we do on this occasion every year, my colleagues and I extol the virtues of the Holy Bible. It is the most widely published, widely read, most influential book in all of human history.

Of course, to us, as Christians, we know that it is more than just a ``good book.'' We order our lives upon this book. Indeed, as Hebrews 4:12 proclaims: ``The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.''

What I want to address in my brief remarks today is one of the common misconceptions that exist about the use of the Bible in our public school classrooms. This is a very practical issue that many of us have to address back home.

Earlier this year, Mr. Speaker, I joined with my good friend, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, who is a former distinguished Member of this body, to create this free joint publication that we entitled, ``The Louisiana Student Rights Review: Answers to Common Questions about Religious Freedom in Schools.'' Because there are so many questions, we wanted to make a user-friendly guide for parents, teachers, coaches, school administrators, and school systems around our State to answer those frequently asked questions.

One of the big questions we answered for all those stakeholders, interest groups, and students was this one, and it comes right out of page 4 of our publication. It says: ``Can the Bible and other religious texts be used appropriately in a public school classroom?''

This is the simple answer that we gave. We said: ``Yes.''

More than half a century ago, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified that ``the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities,'' and that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, is perfectly lawful when relevant and appropriate to the subject matter of the class.

We cited in here the Supreme Court cases that make that very clear. There really isn't any legal ambiguity about this at all.

Unfortunately, there are a number of interest groups on the other side of this issue that engage in a campaign of fear, misinformation, and intimidation. They try to convince Americans and public school children all across the country that religion is somehow a bad thing, is off limits, and that you can't have your Bible on school campus, but it is just simply not true.

Mr. Speaker, this is so important for everybody to understand.

Contrary to widespread belief, the Bible never has been banned from public schools, and it is, indeed, an appropriate course of study, especially to promote academic excellence and cultural literacy.

Here is the important point. The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy observes this: ``No one in the English-speaking world can be considered literate without a basic knowledge of the Bible. . . . The Bible is essential for understanding many of the moral and spiritual values of our culture, whatever our religious beliefs.''

That is precisely correct.

We should ask ourselves: How can students possibly be considered well educated if they have no basic understanding of the Bible's profound influence upon the development of our country, law, politics, culture, literature, music, art, history, and virtually every aspect of Western civilization?

When the Bible is removed from classrooms, it has the effect of denying students a complete understanding of history. For this reason, as a service to the next generation of Americans, every Member of this body should strongly encourage the study of the Bible as an appropriate part of the program of education in our public and private schools all over this country. I certainly believe in that idea, and I know that all my colleagues here today would agree wholeheartedly.

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for arranging this Special Order.

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