(Continued from page 19)

• "We've got kids who can quote Sponge Bob, but not this book that shaped civilization as we know it and the leaders of our nation's history," Hickey said.
• Hickey said he knows people question his motives because he's a pastor, but he said he doesn't want public school courses to promote Christianity: "There's a non-devotional way to teach it. There really is."
• Rep. Marc Feinstein, D-Sioux Falls, voted against the resolution, saying academic instruction could easily turn into a promotion of religious beliefs. Many Christians probably don't realize South Dakota includes people of other faiths who would be bothered by classroom discussion of the Bible, said Feinstein, who is Jewish.

• "Talk about it in church. That's a great place for talking about academic study of the Bible," Feinstein said.
• The South Dakota resolution refers to a 1999 document titled "The Bible and Public Schools: A First Amendment Guide," in which 19 groups ranging from the National School Boards Association to Christian evangelical organizations endorsed the idea of teaching

(Continued on page 21)