Why The Bible Should be Taught in Schools From an Early Age – Even for Non Christians

With times constantly changing our values and what we want for our children are constantly changing too. And many of the old fashioned values and concepts that we once held as very important are now being forgotten or abandoned. This is apparent when you look at the curriculum of many schools which is hugely different from the curriculum that we likely grew up with.

One subject that has suffered recently is RE and while it still exists as a subject it is much less of a focus than it used to be in many schools and there is certainly less focus on the bible. This is a shame however as actually there are plenty of good reasons why children should read the bible at school and there are countless arguments for this being a part of the curriculum. Here we will look at what some of those are and why encouraging children to read the bible is a good idea, even if they aren’t Christian children.

It Helps Them to Read

The bible is undoubtedly a challenging read and it’s a fair bit more challenging than reading Spot the Dog or Mog the Cat. By giving children a book to read that is outside of their comfort zone you have one of the very most effective ways to get them to improve their vocabulary and comprehension and it will prepare them for other more difficult texts later in their education such as Shakespeare.

It Teaches History

Whether you choose to believe Genesis or not is up to you, but there are countless lessons from history in the bible either way and this is a great way for children to learn about the Egyptians, the Romans and various other cultures through time.

It’s Stimulating

Again whether a child chooses to believe the bible or not, it is a book that challenges their beliefs and gets them thinking about some of the bigger questions. For instance if they don’t believe God made the universe then what do they think? This is a great way to encourage spiritual growth from a child which isn’t considered highly enough on most school agendas.

It’s Cultural

Reading the bible is something that everyone should do at some point just so that they can understand when other people talk about it and so that they can get a more rounded view of the world. The bible is a classic book and the best seller of all time, so it’s important that your children know a little about it and can talk about it if ever it comes up. At the same time it also teaches children about the Christian culture and traditions, and whether or not they take these cultures on themselves, it is regardless something that’s going to help them better understand many people they’ll meet and many of the traditions that even atheists stick to.

It Teaches Ethics

Again you don’t have to believe the bible literally in order to learn many of the great lessons in the book, and the countless fables here can really have a lasting impression on a young children’s developing sense of morality and this is of course a highly worthwhile endeavor.

About The Author
Jen is a veteran priest and works with Bible School Curriculum to provide knowledge to people on importance and needs of bible to the world.