Once upon a time, people like Thomas Jefferson would take scissors to their bibles to produce a customized versions that better represented their beliefs. It is now the 21st century; all you need is an internet connection and a little comfort with the Unix command line to tweak the bible into any state you want, and who wouldn't want the HPL edition of the Unholy Bible. Abdul Alhazred would have loved this.
More like this
I'm one of those folks who thinks that courses in comparative religion, or about the bible as literature, can be a valuable thing. Unfortunately, they just don't work in the real world. There's really only two ways to teach such a course.
There are now two competing curricula available for teaching about the bible in a public school elective course, the NCBCPS curriculum and the Bible Literacy Project.
Have a look at at this interesting article, from The New Yorker, about the boom in Bible publishing:
University to Ban Bibles, the headline screams. Brave New Schools, says the tag above the headline. The first sentence reiterates the message: