David Gelernter

His surname means "learned," and is very apt, as he demonstrates in the latest Weekly Standard, making a compelling argument that in our zeal to keep religion out of schools we have made it impossible for young people to understand where we came from and appreciate a host of literary, rhetorical and artistic allusions and metaphors, not to mention denying them an introduction to "the noblest monument of English prose." Each person who reads the Bible must decide for him/herself whether to believe it or not, but the trepidation with which it is treated in our schools today sends student a message that it is something to be avoided. Whether you and your family are or aren't religious, America was founded as a society deeped informed by the Bible, and Americans need to know that and the myriad ways it has affected us and the world. That is not to say that only the Bible must be taught, but since it has been as large a part of Western civilization (though rapidly declining) as the Quran is in the Muslim world, how can we say our students are educated when they know next to nothing about it?