Bible-infused school curiculum sets dangerous precedent

Dec 05, 2024

Jordan Reid Author; Founding Editor, Ramshackle Glam

By Straight Arrow News

Several states in recent years have introduced legislation requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, representing one of the latest pushes by conservatives to incorporate religion into public education. In Louisiana, a law passed in June 2024 mandated that the Ten Commandments be displayed on a poster or framed document. A federal judge recently blocked that law, deeming it “unconstitutional.” Meanwhile, an Oklahoma school superintendent announced, also in June, that all its schools must incorporate the Bible and Ten Commandements into its curriculums.

Watch the video above as Straight Arrow News contributor Jordan Reid explores some of the proposed bills and argues that the religious right is attempting to instill Christian values into America’s children.

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The following is an excerpt from the above video:

Just a couple of days ago, Oklahoma launched the “Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism” by releasing a promotional video featuring school Superintendent Ryan Walters praying for President Trump. Walters also authorized the purchase of hundreds of Bibles for use in classrooms, apparently the first step towards the intended goal of providing Bibles for every student in the state. Just any Bibles, you ask? Oh no, no, of course not, not when there’s an opportunity to cash in. No, the Bibles that are being purchased for the children must be a very specific type of Bible — the King James version — that also includes the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

In no uncertain terms, these legislative efforts — which are being challenged in the courts, sure — present not just religion, but Christianity specifically, as a cornerstone of American society, equally important to the documents crafted by our Founding Fathers. It is an effort, in other words, to quote MSNBC’s Ali Velshi: “Part of a well-funded effort to fuse Christian nationalism into the fabric of American society.”

To be clear, it’s not that I oppose religion. I don’t oppose the teaching of religion, or the study [of] religious texts. I studied the Bible when I was in school, but I studied it as a piece of literature. I also studied other religions, by the way. But as much as the MAGA/Project 2025 people want to try to make this about religious freedom… it’s about the imposition not just of religion, but of one very specific religion, into our children’s classrooms. To say this sets a dangerous precedent would be an understatement.

The separation of church and state isn’t something I’ve especially concerned myself with over the years; I think I just assumed…they were separate? Because that’s sort of why America came to…exist?

Well, that part of the American experiment appears to be approaching its expiration date. At least six states have introduced legislation requiring the Ten Commandments to be prominently displayed in classrooms. Texas and South Carolina have introduced a “Bible-infused” curriculums scheduled to go into effect next year,

Just a couple of days ago, Oklahoma launched the “Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism” by releasing a promotional video featuring school superintendent Ryan Walters praying for President Trump.

Walters also authorized the purchase of hundreds of Bibles for use in classrooms – apparently the first step towards the intended goal of providing Bibles for every student in the state. Just any bibles, you ask? Oh no, no, of course not, not when there’s an opportunity to cash in.

No, the bibles that are being purchased for the children must be a very specific type of Bible – the King James Version – that also includes the Declaration of Independence and the Constution.

In no uncertain terms, these legislative efforts – which are being challenged in the courts, sure – presents not just religion, but Christianity, specifically as a cornerstone of American society, equally important to the documents crafted by our founding fathers.

It is an effort, in other words, to, quote MSNBC’s Ali Velshi, “part of a well-funded effort to fuse Christian nationalism into the fabric of American society.”

To be clear, it’s not that I oppose religion. I don’t oppose the teaching of religion, or the study religious texts. I studied the Bible when I was in school, but I studied it as a piece of literature. I also studied other religions, by the way. But as much as the MAGA/Project 2025 people want to try to make this about religious freedom…it’s about the imposition not just of religion, but of one very specific religion, into our children’s classrooms. To say this sets a dangerous precedent would be an understatement.