Oklahoma’s top education official issued a shocking order to teach the Bible in public schools on Thursday, stirring up tensions and escalating the nation’s cultural conflicts.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters declared during a news conference that “every teacher, every classroom in the state, will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible.” He added that a memo explaining the new policy would be sent to all school districts.
“The Bible is a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of Western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of our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,” said the Republican candidate for president.
The revelation was made a week after Louisiana’s Republican governor approved a bill mandating that the Ten Commandments be shown in every public school classroom in the state’s southern region.
The US Constitution’s First Amendment prohibits the creation of a national religion and the favouring of one religion over another. One of the tenets of US founding is the separation of church and state.
The Oklahoma guidelines are destined for the courts as well as the Louisiana law, which is now being challenged in court.
Last week, Walters expressed his desire that his state may adopt a similar legislation to the one in Louisiana.
“We’ve got to bring God back in school and not allow the radical left to turn our schools into atheist centres that only speak about our country without any kind of influence by their faith,” he stated to Fox News.
Former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump praised his remarks. Trump is depending on Christian evangelicals’ backing to unseat Joe Biden in November.
“Ryan Walters, the superintendent of Oklahoma state, did a fantastic job last night on Fox News. resolute, strong, and knowledgeable about his’stuff.’ I adore Oklahoma.” Trump posted a message on his Truth Social page.
A private religious charter school in Oklahoma, which is a component of the United States’ “Bible Belt,” attempted to receive public support lately. This would have been the first of its kind in the entire country.
The project was put on hold this week by the state supreme court, but it might ultimately end up before the US Supreme Court in Washington.
