Oklahoma Schools Required To Teach Bible

(Scypre.com) – In a controversial move that has ignited widespread debate across the United States, Oklahoma’s State Superintendent Ryan Walters has mandated the incorporation of the Bible into public school curricula, citing its significance as a historical and cultural cornerstone. This directive, which affects students between the ages of 11 and 18, has stirred both support and condemnation from various quarters.

The directive, described by Walters as compulsory with “immediate and strict compliance,” underscores his belief in the Bible’s critical role in understanding the foundations of American society. “Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation,” Walters asserted in a statement last Thursday.

Ryan Walters, who assumed office in 2022 after campaigning against what he termed “woke ideology” in education, has positioned this move as a necessary correction to what he perceives as a trend towards secularism eroding traditional values. His efforts echo broader cultural and political movements seen in states like Louisiana, where a recent law mandated the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools.

Criticism of the Oklahoma directive has been swift and vocal. Civil rights organizations and advocates for the separation of church and state argue that such measures blur constitutional boundaries and impose religious beliefs in public educational settings. Rachel Laser, head of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, denounced the directive, stating, “Public schools are not Sunday schools… Walters is abusing the power of his public office to impose his religious beliefs on everyone else’s children.”

The controversy mirrors similar legal battles over the display of religious texts in public institutions, such as the Ten Commandments. In Louisiana, the recent law mandating their display prompted a lawsuit citing violations of the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom. This legal battle, supported by civil rights groups, challenges the imposition of religious views in public education.

Historically, such conflicts have reached the highest levels of the judiciary. The Supreme Court’s landmark 1980 decision in Stone v. Graham struck down a Kentucky law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools, ruling it lacked a secular purpose and was inherently religious in nature.

In response to the Oklahoma directive, the Interfaith Alliance, a group advocating for religious freedoms, condemned what it termed “blatant religious coercion,” emphasizing the importance of protecting diverse religious viewpoints in the public sphere. “True religious freedom means ensuring that no one religious group is allowed to impose their viewpoint on all Americans,” the Alliance stated.