Teach, Don't Preach, the Bible - New York Times

Teach, Don't Preach, the Bible - New York Times:

Exposure to the Bible, the whole Bible...Old and New Testaments...in a religious or secular context is valuable. God's word is a powerful teacher.

"The Fourth National Survey of Religion and Politics, completed in 2004 by the University of Akron, shows that only 12.6 percent of Americans consider themselves 'traditionalist evangelical Protestants,' which the survey equates with the term 'religious right.' A mere 10.7 percent of Americans define themselves as 'secular' or 'atheist, agnostic.' The vast majority of Americans are what survey-takers term centrist or modernist in their religious views.
These mainstream believers represent to their religiously liberal and conservative neighbors what independents do to Republicans and Democrats in the political arena. They are the under-discussed 'swing voters' in the values debate who, the survey shows, are slightly pro-choice, believe in the death penalty, support stem-cell research and favor gay rights but oppose gay marriage.
Above all, they welcome religion in public life but are turned off by efforts to claim exclusive access to God.
At a time when religion dominates the headlines - from Iraq to terrorism to stem cells - finding a way to educate young people about faith should become a national imperative. Achieving this goal in a legal, nonsectarian manner requires Americans to get over the kitchen-table bromide, 'Don't talk about politics and religion in public.' "