chongjasmine

Survery

Hi, my name is Jasmine, and I am a student from National University of Singapore. I am currently doing a project about studying the bible as a part of an �A� level literature in Singapore and I will appreciate all your honest feedbacks. Do you think it is okay for the MOE in Singapore to include the bible as part of what the literature student have to study in A level?

The purpose of including the bible for the literature syllabus is as follow:
1) The bible has many poems that are good for study, on a literature basis.
2) Many literature texts in the current �A� level syllabus borrows many ideas, metaphors and imageries from the bible.
3) Bible will expose the people to much of the thinking of the Western world, today.
4) Bible offers many themes relating to human�s relationship with one another that are useful for all the people to look into.
5) Still working on it.


Take note: When I mean the bible is to be studied as a literature text book, I mean this: You look at the bible from a purely literature point of view, treating it like any other literature book with no regard to the religious side of it. You study the bible just like you will, Shakespeare etc.


Qn1) Do you think this it is a good idea to study the bible as part of the �A� level literature?

Ans: Yes/ No (Please select one.)

Qn2) Why? Please give a few reasons (3 to 4 reasons) for your previous answer:

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

Qn3)Do you have any other comment to make?
(Like offering an alternative to studying the bible as a literature, etc)











I will like to know the following information with regard to you.

Your gender:
Your age:
Your race:
Your occupation:

Have you ever study literature before?

Ans: Yes/No (Please select one.)

What are the texts you study during literature? (If you do not remember, just leave blank.)






What are the criteria to choose a book to be studied for literature?








Your religious view:

Are you a Christian/ Non- Christian? (Select one, please.)

If you are a Christian,

1) Are you a Catholic or a Christian? (Select one)


2) What is your denomination? (Leave blank if unsure)



3) How will you describe your walk with God?
A)Strong
B)Above Average
C) Average
D)Weak
E)Struggling to maintain the faith

4) What is your view towards the bible as a book?









If you are not a Christian,
1) What is your religion?



2) Are you a very strong believer of your religion?
A) Yes, very strong.
B) Yes, quite strong. (Above average)
C) No, I am just an average believer.
D) I am a weak believer.
E) I am struggling to even continue to believe in my religion.


3) What is your view towards the bible as a book?







Thank you for your time. How do you find this survey? (Select one.)

A) It should offer more options for me to choose.
B) It is fine.
C) It is too long.
D) It demands too much from the surveyor.
E) It is quite well thought out.
F) Your comment (If any):












~THE END~


If possible, please e-mail your reply to [email protected].

Sarpedon

By "A" literature, do you mean that it would be included among the best books the world has to offer? (where I come from, an "A" is the best grade you can get) If so, I would say no. Please clarify what kind of class this is, and I will answer your questionnaire. Thank you.

B34RZ0R

Ok I'll do my best to answer your questions - I have modified some of the answers as when you get to your section on religion - there is the assumption that all believe in 'something', or it feels that way to me. I too am curious to what is meant by the "A" statement but I will just look at this subject without that consideration.

Qn1) Do you think this it is a good idea to study the bible as part of the �A� level literature?

Ans: No

Qn2) Why? Please give a few reasons (3 to 4 reasons) for your previous answer:

1) "Bible offers many themes relating to human�s relationship with one another that are useful for all the people to look into."

Useful to look into if the study is to curb the ridiculous actions of the characters in the bible and the supposed 'word of god'. The bible is filled with homophobic messages, bigotry, false statements and even goes so far as to recomend killing as a solution to problems (among many many other horrid things).

2) "Bible will expose the people to much of the thinking of the Western world, today"

While this may be partially true it is not a universal and I would not want anyone to go about thinking that all 'western' people believe in the bible.

3) Literature is such a broad term for defining a syllabus - if you were to say this was a course in religious texts I would say of course it should be included - as long as Buddhism - Judaism - Hinduism - Muslim - Islam and anything else out there was. That said you could not 'study' the entire religious texts of the world with scrutiny unless the course was a full 'year' long - or longer. (IMO)


Qn3)Do you have any other comment to make?
(Like offering an alternative to studying the bible as a literature, etc)

I would hope that the people this course is taught to are of an age to make some decisions on their own and not be 'swayed' by the focus on one book, that is really where my problem is with this issue, if just the Bible is represented how is that a syllabus and not just another bible study class?


I will like to know the following information with regard to you.

Your gender: Male
Your age: 28
Your race: Hmm white boy (mostly Irish heritage)
Your occupation: Technical Support Engineer

Have you ever study literature before?

Ans: Yes/No (not in a formal way)

What are the texts you study during literature? (If you do not remember, just leave blank.)

I have read most of the bible - many different Buddhist texts and some different information on world religions.

What are the criteria to choose a book to be studied for literature?

This is pretty subjective. I think any book that has been written can be studied as literature, of course there are different books that are of higher and lower standards and many people may disagree with what would be considered 'worth' studying.

If we look at the dictionary meaning of the word literature:
1.) The body of written works of a language, period, or culture.
2.) Imaginative or creative writing, especially of recognized artistic value: �Literature must be an analysis of experience and a synthesis of the findings into a unity� (Rebecca West).
3.) The art or occupation of a literary writer.
4.) The body of written work produced by scholars or researchers in a given field: medical literature.
5.) Printed material: collected all the available literature on the subject.
6.) Music. All the compositions of a certain kind or for a specific instrument or ensemble: the symphonic literature.

#6 is not really applicable here (IMO) other than that, all books fall under the defanition(s) of Literature.



Your religious view:

Are you a Christian/ Non- Christian? (Select one, please.)
Non- Christian (Atheist)

If you are a Christian,

1) Are you a Catholic or a Christian? (Select one)

Not Applicable (N/A)

2) What is your denomination? (Leave blank if unsure)

N/A

3) How will you describe your walk with God?

N/A

4) What is your view towards the bible as a book?

I think it is horrible, it has lead to years and years of people hating eachother becuase of thier differing life choices - even different denominations/sects argue about the context of passages and the 'true' meaning behind the bible.

I personally think the world would be a better place if no religion had ever 'existed' or been dreamt up.


If you are not a Christian,
1) What is your religion?

None - I am by definition an Atheist

2) Are you a very strong believer of your religion?

N/A

3) What is your view towards the bible as a book?
(this is the same question as #4 above)


Thank you for your time. How do you find this survey? (Select one.)
A) It should offer more options for me to choose.

F) Your comment (If any): I would be interested to know more about the class and why they are considering the bible an not other religious works for this study (or are they?)

Other than that I thought this was fine. I like being asked questions ... sometimes


~THE END~

chongjasmine

Hi! Thanks for your interests.
By "A" level literature,
I mean it is the kind of books that will be tested at the final year examination for literature for college students of Singapore.
It is something like America's final year college examination for Literature.

Jasmine

chongjasmine

When studying the bible as a literature as proposed in my survey,
it is really looking into its form, narrative techniques, that means, looking at the book from a purely literary perspective.

This is part of my literature project, in which I was taught a bit about canon vs non canon texts.

Few background on Singapore
-- We are a small country with mostly Taoist/Buddhist, a few Christians and a few Muslims.
--I am a first year university student in Singapore.

Thank you for your time.

In "A" level, we usually do texts like those from William Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy etc. But we also do texts from William Blake, The Bronte sisters, and some unknown, not so popular Asian writers text like Joy Luck club. But basically, the reason I propose such a project to include the bible to be tested along with texts like those mentioned is because in Singapore,
being an Asian country,
sometimes, when we look at the poems of for instance, Blake that has many metaphors taken from the bible, it can be hard for us to understand what he means.
Furthermore, many of the Western texts have been more or less influenced by the bible, and understanding it will help in the study of literature.

Most Singaporeans never go to church, and their knowledge of who Jesus is, is very vague. Singaporeans will know about Confusian teachings, but they will know little about the bible. They will also often have little ideas about the lamb/shepherd mentality commonly portrayed in many Literature texts.

The reason I post my survey here is because I like a well-rounded view on my topics. I also posted this survey on Christian sites, writers' board, and a few other places. Noticing you are atheists, I will like to collect your view on the whole survey as well. In the end, I will still have to write a project on including the bible as part of a literature syllabus, and your counter-arguments, or pro arguments towards my topic will be of great help to me.

Thank you.

Dean Anderson

Qn1) Do you think this it is a good idea to study the bible as part of the �A� level literature?

No

Qn2) Why? Please give a few reasons (3 to 4 reasons) for your previous answer:

1) The bible is not a single source, it is an amalgam of many sources written in different languages at different periods in history. As such, it is too diverse to have a 'style' that can be studied.

2) The bible has been translated many times. Studying the bible in English as part of an 'English Literature' course would be like studying a Japanese translation of Shakespeare as part of a 'Japanese Literature' course.

3) The bible is not even suitable to study as an example of how foreign texts are translated into English, since most of the translation attempts are heavily biased towards making the text fit the existing theology of the translator rather than providing an accurate translation.

Qn3)Do you have any other comment to make?

I am assuming here that you are studying 'English Literature'.

I will like to know the following information with regard to you.

Your gender: Male
Your age: 34
Your race: Human - I am British if that is what you mean
Your occupation: Software Development Manager

Have you ever study literature before?

Yes

What are the texts you study during literature?

Macbeth
Hamlet
Lord Of The Flies
1984
The Time Machine (a great example of 19th century fiction)
Animal Farm
Beowulf

(Somehow I managed to avoid having to study Chaucer - and for that I am eternally grateful)


What are the criteria to choose a book to be studied for literature?

It should be a good example of its type of writing. It should preferably also be something that has had an impact on the culture of its audience.

Are you a Christian/ Non- Christian? (Select one, please.)

Non-Christian

1) What is your religion?

I don't have one.

2) Are you a very strong believer of your religion?

Not applicable

3) What is your view towards the bible as a book?

It is a collection of myths. It is fascinating from a 'history of religious thought' sense, but should not be taken seriously by anyone.

Thank you for your time. How do you find this survey?

The survey was fine - although I am a little confused as to why you would ask if someone was a Christian or a Catholic, since Catholicism is the most popular brand of Christianity.

chongjasmine

In Singapore,
Christians and catholics are considered different in their beliefs.
Thank you for your time, anyway. I edit my survey question and update it!

Jasmine

chongjasmine

Survery

Introduction

Hi, my name is Jasmine, and I am a student from the National University of Singapore. I am currently doing a project about studying the KJV version of the bible as a part of an �A� level literature in Singapore and I will appreciate all your honest feedbacks. Do you think it is okay for the MOE in Singapore to include the bible as part of what the literature student have to study in their �A� level Literature examination?

The purpose of including the bible for the literature syllabus is as follow:
1) The bible has many poems that are good for study, on a literature basis.
2) Many literature texts in the current �A� level syllabus borrows many ideas, metaphors and imageries from the bible.
3) Bible will expose the people to much of the thinking of the Western world, today.
4) Bible offers many themes relating to human�s relationship with one another that are useful for all the people to look into.
5) Still working on it.

Instruction


Take note: When I mean the bible is to be studied as a literature text book, I mean this: You look at the bible from a purely literature point of view, treating it like any other literature book with no regard to the religious side of it. You study the bible just like you will, Shakespeare and all your other literature books, etc.

How do you answer my questions? I am very free to you answers, and your creative expression of your answer.

You can highlight your answer in blue. Underline it. Or just put �My answer.....� to indicate your answer. Or just any other method you like. Thank you.

For those, who need additional information before they will do the surveys, I include them as an attachment included in this e-mail. This is for people living outside Singapore or any people who have no idea what I am looking for in my survey. By the way, I also include a sample answer for my survey for those who do not know how to go about answering my survey. It is also in the attachment along with this e-mail. The rest of you can just answer the survey without any need to read the �extra� information at the end.

Qn1) Do you think this it is a good idea to study the bible as part of the �A� level literature?

Ans: Yes/ No / Both �Yes� and �No� at the same time (Please choose one.)

Qn2) Why? Please give a few reasons (3 to 4 reasons) for your previous answer:

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

Qn3) Do you have any other comment to make?
(Like offering an alternative to studying the bible as a literature, etc)



I will like to know the following background information with regard to you.

A) Your gender:
B) Your age:
C) Your race:
D) Your occupation:
(If you are a student, can you tell me where you are from, too? Refer to question E and F. For the rest, you can go on to question G.)
E) For student only,
you are from University/Poly/ITE/Secondary/Primary/ others? (Choose one)


F) For student only,
what subjects are you taking now? Go on to question G.




G) Have you ever study literature before?

Ans: Yes/No (Please choose one.)



H) What are the texts you study during literature? (If you do not remember, just leave blank.)







I) what do you think should be the criteria for the MOE to choose what book to study for literature?








J) Are you a Christian/ Non-Christian? (Choose one, please.)




Christian, please move on to answer all the questions under K. Non Christian, please answer all the questions under L.


K) If you are a Christian,

1) Are you a Catholic or a Christian? (Choose one.)



2) What is your denomination? (Leave blank, if unsure.)


3) How strong is your faith in your God? (Choose one)
A) Very Strong
B) Quite Strong
C) Above Average
D) Average
E) Weak
F) None of the above: (Please indicate why if you choose F in this survey.)

Reason for choosing F:



4) What is your view of the bible as a book? (Give your own opinion, please. Your identity will not be revealed to anyone, not even your pastor. So just say what you want.)




(Examples for those to lazy to think: It is a Holy Book/ It is written by God/ It is the secret to eternal life/ It is a religious book/ It is a book of past saints/ It is a history book/ It is a book that has many literature qualities in it like poems/ It is just a book of myths, and some incredible stories etc)

Proceed to question M.







L) If you are not a Christian,

1. What are you? (Eg: Muslim/Taoist/freethinkers etc)




2. How strong is your faith in your religion?
A) Very Strong
B) Quite Strong
C) Above Average
D) Average
E) Weak
F) None of the above: (Please indicate why if you choose F in this survey.)




3) What is your view of the bible as a book? (Give your own opinion, please. Your identity will not be revealed to anyone, not even your Christian friends. So just say what you want.)





(Examples for those to lazy to think: It is a Holy Book/It is a religious book/ It is a book for the Christians/It is propaganda/It is just one of the many ways God speak to men/It is a history book/ It is a book that has many literature qualities in it like poems/ It is just a book of myths, and some incredible stories etc)


Proceed to question M.



M) How do you find this survey? (Choose more than one if you want to.)

A) It should offer more options for me to choose.
B) It is quite well thought out.
C) It is quite racial/gender/religious neutral for a survey that is conducted regarding a sensitive book like the bible.
D) The questions are easy to understand.
E) It demands too much time from those doing the surveys.
F) The questions are not easily understood.
G) It is too concise and brief.

O) Any other comments? (Feel free to just say out openly any displeasure/anger/inconvenience/praise you have towards me.)



(Some suggestions:
1) I will like to propose a few ways you can improve on your survey techniques.
2) I will like to tell you how you can make it more religion-sensitive.
3) Hey, I take part in your survey because I understand just how hard it is to get people to do a survey. You must thank me!
4) Just to let you know I might be saving out your survey for my own use.
5) I also got a survey I want you to do for me.)


Hahaha! It is really over! Thank you so much for responding. You are my hero/heroine for the day. (Just today only, lah.) In reward for your effort, I will freely answer any survey you have in the future for your project as well. Once again, thank you for your time. Also, if you think of anyone in your contact list who LOVE doing survey, please do me a favor and forward this to him or her. I hope to reach the whole Singaporean nation so that I can have a diverse, multi-racial, fairly thought out response to my survey questions. Not to mention having to answer dozens of surveys in return and having a flooding of my e-mail and spending so much time reading all your responses until I have no time to work on my project. Ah, that is life. Life in Singapore, anyway. Oh, I appreciate all feedbacks given by all of you. I will definitely appreciate anybody who has a secret recipe to force people into doing your surveys�eg making it so colourful and attractive that people have FUN doing it.


~THE END~
Thank you for your time.

For those who receive this survey because your friend decides in his or her heart that you will enjoy doing survey. You can e-mail the completed survey to me at [email protected].

Celsus

Hello Jasmine, and welcome to the forum.

I think your survey is a little naive and not likely to get very far if you're serious. I do take the study of the Bible seriously, and I do not think that teaching it at A levels is a good idea. Incidentally, I'm a moderator at the Biblical Criticism and History forum above, and I'd welcome you to have a perusal there to see exactly what I mean by the issues being far too complicated for anything other than a superficial and silly reading of the Bible. More below:
And these poems are all originally written either in Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic. Not a good start when students haven't a clue about the original language or context in which the poetry is written in. One cannot get any proper practical criticism out of studying a text without consideration for the original language and culture it was written in.

For example, to appreciate the overarching theme of the toledot structure (stories of genealogy) in the Pentateuch one would need to know:

1) Hebrew
2) Hebrew literary forms, especially their evolution between the Exile and the Second Temple period.
3) Sumerian and Babylonian mythic parallels
4) A familiarity with the debates that rage over the composition of the Pentateuch

It's far too much to ask of a poor sap sitting for his A levels with 1000 pages of Bible to read. Anything less would be to read the Bible superficially and naively.
A very weak point. One cannot study enough about the Bible within the 2-year A level framework to get a good grasp of this. Further, much of the imagery and metaphor is in fact drawn from medieval interpretation of the Bible and traditional accretion of myth rather than the Bible itself. Milton's Paradise Lost owes more to Pseudepigraphia than the Bible. Dante's Inferno has precious little Biblical basis other than the existence of hell. Reading the Bible will not help you understand Blake. Reading medieval Christian beliefs and myths would.
No it won't.
So does the Quran, and does an equally bad job.
Unfortunately that is unworkable in practice. Singaporean students and teachers (of which an astonishing number of teachers in Singapore turn out to be Christian) would not be able to read it without either taking offense or grabbing the opportunity to preach. I've taught here, and I'm not impressed with either students or teachers.
No
Aside from the reasons given above, it is absolutely impossible to get a good grasp of the Bible given the theological implications of such a study that is bound to have Christians and non-Christians taking offense. Can a Christian not build ideological walls when told that the Pentateuch is post-Exilic historical revisionism? Can a Muslim not take offense at being made to study the Bible that says Jesus was not just a prophet but the Son of God? These issues cannot be divorced from the study at A levels, but absolutely must if you want to leave the ideological fences behind.
I would suggest postmodern fiction, but then Singaporean teachers would be unqualified to teach that as well. There are vast swathes of literary writing to be drawn upon. The Bible is far too difficult and far too likely to cause offense as a taught piece.
Your gender: Male
Your age: 24
Your race: Chinese
Your occupation: None
Yes
I can't remember all of the texts, but offhand: Hamlet, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, A Streetcar Named Desire, Women in Love, Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease, Scars Upon My Heart (anthology of WWI women's poetry), and probably a few others.
Ask the MOE. I don't know.
Non- Christian?
None.
not applicable
It's a great ancient work, but not to be taken seriously as a moral guide any longer. I particularly like Job and the Apocryphal books of Bel and the Dragon and Jesus Sirach. It's full of nice myths.

• F) Your comment (If any):
  
  Your Christian bias and naivete is showing.

If you'd like to know more, again I urge you to check out the Biblical Criticism & History forum where you're likely to find what contemporary debates are like, and how far removed they are from the naive Evangelical/fundamentalist understanding.

Joel

Celsus

Incidentally, A levels is not a final year college exam, but a final year high school exam (the last two years are called Junior College, hence Jasmine's confusion). MOE stands for the Ministry of Education which sets the school syllabus in elementary and high schools but not college.

Joel