Time's Bad Religion

Published on April 9, 2007

Sharlet: I disagree with blogger Bruce Wilson‘s assesment of David Van Biema‘s Time cover story on teaching Bible-as-literature in public schools, but Wilson is on to something when he puts Time‘s April 2 American edition next to its international editition. The latter features a bearded, menacing-looking man next to an old Timespeak-style headline “Talibanistan”; the […]

Sharlet: I disagree with blogger Bruce Wilson‘s assesment of David Van Biema‘s Time cover story on teaching Bible-as-literature in public schools, but Wilson is on to something when he puts Time‘s April 2 American edition next to its international editition. The latter features a bearded, menacing-looking man next to an old Timespeak-style headline “Talibanistan”; the former features a Cliffs Notes Bible next to an even blunter headline: “Why We Should Teach the Bible in Public Schools.” I don’t read this as a sign of creeping Christian nationalism, as does Wilson — I liked Van Biema’s Bible story because of its forthrightness — but rather as a perfect illustration of Time‘s understanding of Bad Religion — male, bearded, foreign — and Good Religion — genderless, educational, all-American.

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