Ten Commandments in Every Classroom

[Parasaurolophus]

So... The text of the bill actually lists the 10 commandments.

It lists 11 of them.

[dismalist]

Only 11? 'Twould be better to have more Bible rather than less Bible:

Bible emergency Numbers

[Langue_doc]

Silly me, I thought that the First Amendment prohibited Congress from deciding on a specific religion for the country. Well, states apparently are excluded from such prohibitions.

In other Louisiana news, Louisiana becomes first state to allow surgical castration as punishment https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-castration-sex-crimes-dc6763a2b6a144cf05d92174df032a63

[dismalist]

Silly me, I thought that the First Amendment prohibited Congress from deciding on a specific religion for the country. Well, states apparently are excluded from such prohibitions.

---

No, the Establishment Clause of the First is binding on the States since the Fourteenth. At issue is how to interpret it! It had been interpreted according to Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971), unanimously decided, the so-called Lemon test. Over time many justices, not just of a single party, criticized the Lemon test. Then came Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022), decided 6-3, the Supreme Court said that the Lemon test had been abandoned and, instead, shifted to a new jurisprudence of interpreting the establishment clause "by 'reference to historical practices and understandings.' That means, IIUC, reverting to pre-Lemon.

We had Bible readings at auditorium meetings in the Public Schools I attended in New York City in the 1950's and '60's! An English class in Junior High School contained some Bible readings.

[Ruralguy]

The text is there for Christians and Jews, but the significance is very different. The part where God declares he's the one and only is taken very literally by Jews, and would exclude the concept of a trinity (for the vast majority of even mildly observant Jews anyway). Also, the part about the Sabbath and keeping it holy means something different to Jews and Christians.

Anyway, all of this just points to this idea of there being a universal religious law that applies to all with the same meaning is bonkers. If upper crust white dudes from over 200 years ago realized this when setting up the country, why can't we?

[Wahoo Redux]

all of this just points to this idea of there being a universal religious law that applies to all with the same meaning is bonkers. If upper crust white dudes from over 200 years ago realized this when setting up the country, why can't we?

Most of us do.

[Langue_doc]

Oklahoma's State Superintendent Requires Public Schools to Teach the Bible
The state superintendent, Ryan Walters, said the Bible was a "necessary historical document." The mandate comes as part of a conservative movement to infuse Christian values in public schools.

The first few paragraphs from the article:

Oklahoma's state superintendent on Thursday directed all public schools to teach the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, in an extraordinary move that blurs the lines between religious instruction and public education.

The superintendent, Ryan Walters, who is a Republican, described the Bible as an "indispensable historical and cultural touchstone" and said it must be taught in certain, unspecified grade levels.

The move comes a week after Louisiana became the first state to mandate that public schools display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, which was quickly challenged in court.

The Oklahoma directive could also be challenged and is likely to provoke another fight over the role of religion in public schools.

The efforts to bring religious texts into the classroom reflect a growing national movement among conservatives — particularly Catholics and evangelicals who oppose abortion, transgender rights and what they view as liberal school curriculums — to openly embrace the idea that America's democracy needs to be grounded in their Christian values.

In his announcement on Thursday, Mr. Walters called the Bible "a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of Western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of our legal system."

"Every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom, and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom," he said.

In some states, the Bible has been taught as part of specific classes, and is generally seen to be allowed as a historical text, or alongside other religious texts or literature. But few other states, if any, have issued such a broad requirement.

In a memo to school district leaders, Mr. Walters did not make immediately clear what the biblical instruction would entail.

He suggested the Bible and the Ten Commandments could be referred to "as an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion or the like." And he said they could be studied "for their substantial influence on our nation's founders and the foundational principles of our Constitution." That appears to nod to a core tenet of conservative Christian political ideology that the nation was founded specifically to be a Christian nation — an idea that many mainstream historians dispute.

Stacey Woolley, the president of the school board for Tulsa Public Schools, which Mr. Walters has threatened to take over, said she had not received specific instructions on the curriculum but believed it would be "inappropriate" to teach students of various faiths and backgrounds excerpts from the Bible alone, without also including other religious texts.

[nebo113]

The Song of Solomon would certainly engage middle school students......

[Puget]

The Song of Solomon would certainly engage middle school students......

The opportunities for malicious compliance with mandated bible studies are numerous!

[Antiphon1]

Esther, Bathsheba, and Jeptha's daughter could inspire an interesting unit. I can see this mandate going completely sideways.  Good times!

[Langue_doc]

How are the schools going to enforce the no-fornication rules?

[Sun_Worshiper]

Oklahoma's State Superintendent Requires Public Schools to Teach the Bible
The state superintendent, Ryan Walters, said the Bible was a "necessary historical document." The mandate comes as part of a conservative movement to infuse Christian values in public schools.

The first few paragraphs from the article:

Oklahoma's state superintendent on Thursday directed all public schools to teach the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, in an extraordinary move that blurs the lines between religious instruction and public education.

The superintendent, Ryan Walters, who is a Republican, described the Bible as an "indispensable historical and cultural touchstone" and said it must be taught in certain, unspecified grade levels.

The move comes a week after Louisiana became the first state to mandate that public schools display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, which was quickly challenged in court.

The Oklahoma directive could also be challenged and is likely to provoke another fight over the role of religion in public schools.

The efforts to bring religious texts into the classroom reflect a growing national movement among conservatives — particularly Catholics and evangelicals who oppose abortion, transgender rights and what they view as liberal school curriculums — to openly embrace the idea that America's democracy needs to be grounded in their Christian values.

In his announcement on Thursday, Mr. Walters called the Bible "a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of Western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of our legal system."

"Every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom, and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom," he said.

In some states, the Bible has been taught as part of specific classes, and is generally seen to be allowed as a historical text, or alongside other religious texts or literature. But few other states, if any, have issued such a broad requirement.

In a memo to school district leaders, Mr. Walters did not make immediately clear what the biblical instruction would entail.

He suggested the Bible and the Ten Commandments could be referred to "as an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion or the like." And he said they could be studied "for their substantial influence on our nation's founders and the foundational principles of our Constitution." That appears to nod to a core tenet of conservative Christian political ideology that the nation was founded specifically to be a Christian nation — an idea that many mainstream historians dispute.

Stacey Woolley, the president of the school board for Tulsa Public Schools, which Mr. Walters has threatened to take over, said she had not received specific instructions on the curriculum but believed it would be "inappropriate" to teach students of various faiths and backgrounds excerpts from the Bible alone, without also including other religious texts.

This guy is a nut, but based on their charter school decision a week or so ago it seems like the state SC will prevent this from going forward. At least that is my sense - maybe others know more about the nuance of the state constitution.