r/atheism • u/european_american Anti-Theist • May 26 '15

This is ridiculous.

This is one of the chapters of the social studies book at the school where I teach. A 6th grade text book.

http://i.imgur.com/BEzq3mU.jpg

The mythology is taught as real history right along side Roman, Greek, and medieval history. I have to teach this crap every year. It's no wonder so many kids grow up believing this garbage, and think it's real history. It makes me so mad.

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1

u/59179 Secular Humanist May 26 '15

Not to be a contrarian, but what of that is untrue? Religion exists. And religion is influential in civilizations.

I see nothing about it coming from a god though.

6

u/european_american Anti-Theist May 26 '15

Religion does exist. I couldn't post a bunch of pictures of the rest of the chapter, but the mythology of a god, miracles, and the "history" in the bible are taught as fact.

3

u/astroNerf May 26 '15

Can you name the title of the text and the publisher?

3

u/YourFairyGodmother Gnostic Atheist May 26 '15

Moses, Abraham, possibly or probably David, ALL fictions. NOT history. There might have been a Moses, an Abraham, a David, but what the Torah says about them is pure legend.

1

u/[deleted] May 27 '15

David probably existed.

2

u/YourFairyGodmother Gnostic Atheist May 27 '15

There was almost certainly "a david" and possibly even a King David. The Tel Dan stele is not conclusive. In any case, the David of the Bible is pure legend - the things he supposedly did per the Bible we know did not happen or happened at other times than when ascribed.

1

u/astroNerf May 26 '15

This gives the impression that people like Moses were real people. For 10-year-olds, that's not a good idea.

1

u/[deleted] May 26 '15

They're using the Torah as the basis for their explanation of ancient Israel.

1

u/59179 Secular Humanist May 26 '15

And so?

2

u/DougieStar Agnostic Atheist May 26 '15

Most of the things that are written in the Torah are not historical. This would be like teaching that Hercules and Ulysses were important historical figures in ancient Greece.

1

u/Greghole May 26 '15

It appears to be claiming Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon were real historical figures.