Oklahoma Education Head Requires All Schools to Incorporate the Bible into Their Curriculum

First off, the NYT Editorial Board determined multiple op-eds were not enough. It personally has to respond to a bad debate performance with a determination that President Biden should resign from the race. 

I wrote a letter about how absurd this very risky move would be for such shallow reasons. Not only absurd, it promotes the interests of Trump. Not that they will admit to their enabling. 

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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.

I caught this curious additional the state educational policy at Religion Clause Blog. A Warren Court ruling against state-mandated Bible reading and leading students in the Lord's Prayer granted:

In addition, it might well be said that one's education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization. It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities. Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment.

The mandate here was put into a wider context:

The Bible is one of the most historically significant books and a cornerstone of Western civilization, along with the Ten Commandments. they will be referenced as an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like, as well as for their substantial influence on our nation's founders and the foundational principles of our Constitution. This is not merely an educational directive but a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.

Is there some surprise that the Ten Commandments particularly are found in the Bible? We seem to be focused on one specific aspect of a long, complex book with a range of materials. Multiple states have given special favor to the Ten Commandments, Louisiana recently requiring it to be posed in classrooms. We are getting much closer to illicit sectarianism.

If Oklahoma is seriously concerned about "comparative religion" and so on, good for them. When I was in a Catholic high school, we had a class on Islam. The teacher (seems iffy) even had us recite the statement of faith. Might not want to do that in public schools. I don't remember anything else from the class. But, it was appropriate to expand our knowledge.

Teaching religious texts is a sensitive subject. What exactly more has to be taught about the Bible to discuss how it is such "a cornerstone of Western civilization" (a dubious statement)? The basic themes of the Bible (more likely the New Testament) will help teach certain historical events.  

I would have to see how they teach about the "core values" of our country. The Bible alone will not be necessary there. I would be more supportive if they made a general statement about religious texts. Will the works of the Church of Latter-Day Saints be covered? How about Eastern religions when examining Asian history and Asian Americans? The Qu'ran?  

And, is there some special need to start doing this in 2024? Do children in Oklahoma have a limited knowledge of the Bible in particular?  

I suppose the devil, as they say, is in the details.