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2024-06-28 Olde Tyme Religion

Oklahoma superintendent orders all schools must teach the Bible and have a copy in every classroom

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The boss of Oklahoma public schools has ordered teachers to incorporate the Bible into lessons and keep a copy of the holy book in every classroom.

Republican State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters made the decree on Thursday.

'Effective immediately, all Oklahoma schools are required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum across specified grade levels, e.g. grades 5 through 12,' Walters said.

Adherence to the mandate is compulsory and 'immediate and strict compliance is expected.'

'The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone,' Walters said. 'Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation which is why Oklahoma educational standards provide for its instruction.'

Oklahoma law already explicitly allows Bibles in the classroom and lets teachers use them in instruction, said Phil Bacharach, a spokesman for state Attorney General Gentner Drummond.

It's not clear if Walters has the authority to mandate that schools teach it and critics have spoken out against the order.

The head of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations slammed the directive as a clear violation of the Constitution's Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from 'establishing' a religion.

'We adamantly oppose any requirements that religion be forcefully taught or required as a part of lesson plans in public schools, in Oklahoma, or anywhere else in the country,' Adam Soltani said.

Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State: 'Public schools are not Sunday schools.

'This is textbook Christian Nationalism: Walters is abusing the power of his public office to impose his religious beliefs on everyone else´s children. Not on our watch.'

Posted by Skidmark 2024-06-28 00:27|| || Front Page|| [11140 views ] Top

#1 It is a historical document of Western Civilization whether you like it or not. Now which version did the Superintendent mean. O.o

Posted by Procopius2k 2024-06-28 07:56|| 2024-06-28 07:56|| Front Page Top

#2 I would propose the freely available Gideon Bible.

Posted by Skidmark 2024-06-28 08:47|| 2024-06-28 08:47|| Front Page Top

#3 Expecting a district judge somewhere in the USA to overturn this any moment now ...

Posted by Gromble+Dribble4342 2024-06-28 10:15|| 2024-06-28 10:15|| Front Page Top

#4 The Bible is a historical document? You mean a serpent really did convince Eve to eat fruit from the forbidden tree?

Posted by jpal 2024-06-28 11:13|| 2024-06-28 11:13|| Front Page Top

#5 ...it is historical in its impact upon Western Civ. As much as one may despise the Roman Church, it was the one thing holding together what was the West in the post Roman era till around the Treaty of Westphalia. Even Luther started the translation process into local languages.

Posted by Procopius2k 2024-06-28 11:31|| 2024-06-28 11:31|| Front Page Top

#6 So it's historical because believers fought wars over it and the different interpretations of it.

Posted by jpal 2024-06-28 11:59|| 2024-06-28 11:59|| Front Page Top

So it's historical because believers fought wars over it and the different interpretations of it.

History is just the result of all the wars fought to date and survivor's/victor's notions about each other. Doesn't matter if they were "believers" or otherwise, just that they were left standing after the most recent war ended. "They killed God at Magdeburg" - line from the movie "The Last Valley"

Posted by Gromble+Dribble4342 2024-06-28 12:11|| 2024-06-28 12:11|| Front Page Top

#8 Abu's tribe had abandoned its bible
But neighbors soon held a revival
On top of the tell
Where his god used to dwell,
For their force was of course more reliable. ;-)

Posted by Pancho Poodle8452 2024-06-28 13:20|| 2024-06-28 13:20|| Front Page Top

#9 Oops. ~~Abu's~~ jpal's

Posted by Pancho Poodle8452 2024-06-28 13:22|| 2024-06-28 13:22|| Front Page Top

#10 You mean a serpent really did convince Eve to eat fruit from the forbidden tree?

Crazy isn't it? Getting her to choose a place to eat.

-hides under the desk-

Posted by swksvolFF 2024-06-28 15:37|| 2024-06-28 15:37|| Front Page Top

#11 So it's historical because believers fought wars over it and the different interpretations of it.

You mean like the 20th Century godless Marxists? One hundred million and they're still racking up the count. Given they still imbue or teach that dogma in our universities, its fitting to put something counter to it.

Posted by Procopius2k 2024-06-28 15:54|| 2024-06-28 15:54|| Front Page Top

#12 You mean a serpent really did convince Eve to eat fruit from the forbidden tree?

Consider the Bible as a major work of Western Civilization’s great literature, jpal, like Shakespeare and Aesop’s Fables and the Robin Hood tales, that give us common images and phrases. Whether or not one believes the stories themselves — and nobody will argue that Romeo and Juliet or The Mouse and the Lion are historically true — they provide a useful common shorthand and illuminate a common understanding of how people work.

Posted by trailing wife 2024-06-28 16:09|| 2024-06-28 16:09|| Front Page Top

#13 #6 It is historical if analysed in combination with other sources.

Posted by Grom the Reflective 2024-06-28 16:30|| 2024-06-28 16:30|| Front Page Top

13:41 NoMoreBS
13:39 Abu Uluque
13:36 mossomo
13:36 swksvolFF
13:32 mossomo
13:26 Frank G
13:12 Regular joe
13:12 mossomo
13:11 swksvolFF
13:08 Abu Uluque
13:00 swksvolFF
12:59 Regular joe
12:55 Skidmark
12:53 Skidmark
12:52 Abu Uluque
12:50 Abu Uluque
12:49 Skidmark
12:48 NN2N1
12:46 Skidmark
12:44 Bobby
12:43 Abu Uluque
12:41 Bobby
12:38 Skidmark
12:31 swksvolFF