MURRIETA - After nearly a year of researching and debating the merits of a course that focuses on the Bible, Murrieta school district trustees are poised to vote the matter later this month.

At its office, the Murrieta Valley Unified School District is displaying for public review the version of the Bible to be used for the proposed Bible in Literature course, and the textbook for another proposed course, World Religions, meant to offer students balance and choice.

In January, Trustees Kris Thomasian, Margi Wray and Robin Crist had said they preferred a world religions course, while Trustees Ken Dickson and Paul Diffley had said they wanted a course that articulated how the Bible has influenced western civilization, the arts and heralded literary works.

The compromise informally reached that day by board members was to offer both. It came after dozens of hours of studying the issue by district administrators and high school teachers, who shared their thoughts on the issue during several board workshops over the last year.

"The board and staff have spent a great deal of time investigating the possibilities for this concept," Thomasian, the board's president, said Wednesday. "I am very glad they have done such a thorough job and brought us a great plan."

Parents and community members may make comments or suggestions based on the materials on display before trustees vote on the courses at their April 26 board meeting, district officials said.

The Bible in Literature course is proposed as a one-year high school English class.

The syllabus states that the course would focus on authors' uses of biblical stories as a source for "the artistic expression of the complexities of human thought and experience," as well as delve into the effect bible stories have had on culturally and historically important literature.

The main textbook for the class would be the Bible, and in particular, the authorized King James version with Apocrypha.

Additional supplemental reading materials suggested include works from authors such as Plato, William Shakespeare, Emily Bronte, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Johann Goethe, Alfred Tennyson, Emily Dickenson, T.S. Eliot, Toni Morrison, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf.

The World Religions course is proposed as a semester-long high school elective.

The syllabus states that the course would focus on the major religions across the globe.

"Students will deal with basic questions: What does humankind believe and what does it worship? In what ways? With what understandings of the ethical life? And with what influence on contemporary times and cultures?" the syllabus states. "Rites and rituals, histories and events, orthodox and modern movements will all be examined while looking at each of the sacred texts and the religion's respective scholars."

The proposed textbooks for the course include "Scriptures of the World's Religions" and "Experiencing the World's Religions," both published by McGraw-Hill.

Jeanne Nelson, the district's library coordinator, said teachers from each high school spent a great deal of time researching and developing the syllabuses, including conferring with colleagues.

"I am very impressed with that they came up with," she said.

The Murrieta discussion comes as a national debate on teaching the Bible is heating up. The April 2 cover story of Time magazine blared: "Why We Should Teach The Bible In Public School."

Despite the increasing number of course offerings focusing on the Bible in public schools, it's still rare, with some statistics showing about 8 percent of the nation's schools are offering coverage or study of the Bible or some aspect of the Bible, according to recent news reports.

In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court banned ceremonial Bible readings in public schools, but allowed "objective" study of the text in a manner divorced from belief.

"The Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities," the court said.

- Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.

BOOKS ON DISPLAY

The Murrieta Valley Unified School District has textbooks on display for proposed new courses for the coming school year, including the Bible in Literature and World Religions courses.

When: 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. through April 25 (except for weekends and April 6)

Where: district office, 41870 McAlby Court

Call: (951) 696-1600, Ext. 1027