Speak Out

Under the 30 years of the Ronald Reagan revolution, we have had a destruction of unions, a dwindling middle class and an accumulation of $9 trillion of national debt. We have had foreigners buying up our domestic factories due to the imbalance of trade. During all this destruction of our domestic economy, we had 1 percent of our population change from being millionaires to becoming billionaires.

Under the 40 years of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal era, we had strong unions and a thriving middle class. We were the largest exporter of finished goods, and we were the largest creditor nation. Due to the anti-monopoly laws in the New Deal era, there were more opportunities to become a millionaire.

Ironically, both presidents gave their base what it wanted.

Elwyn Hudson Jr.
Gardendale

Bible as literature?

I want to thank the Alabama State Board of Education for approving The Bible and Its Influence for use in the “Bible as Literature” elective for high school students.

It is about time a government body recognized that the Bible is just literature: an anthology of fictional stories. The stories have certainly influenced culture and society, and not always in a positive way (gay bashing, abortion clinic bombings, etc.).

Recognizing that the Bible is literature means it is no more important than Moby Dick, Tom Sawyer, or To Kill a Mockingbird. How refreshing to know that the Alabama State Board of Education realizes this.

I am perplexed that Alabama Christians allowed this. Why do Christians want to secularize God’s Word? It seems rather odd that degrading the Bible to nothing more than a literature book on par with Anne of Green Gables would be allowed by Bible-loving and God-fearing Christians.

I encourage non-Christian high school students to take the course for two reasons: (1) To make sure the classes are taught objectively without proselytizing (please report violations); and (2) to ensure a proper dialogue is given to all of its influence — good and bad.

I became an atheist by reading and studying the Bible. Perhaps with the passing of this elective and book, Alabama schools will create a lot more atheists.

R. Blair Scott
Alabama State Director
American Atheists
Huntsville