Oklahoma's school board orders public schools to show the Bible – citing controversial views on religious freedom

In the times since Oklahoma Secretary of State Ryan Walters took office ordered school districts to show the Biblehe was defend his mandate.

For example, he claimed in an interview on NewsNation that the Bible “has been banned from classrooms, and we say, listen, we are proud to be the first state to bring it back.”

In fact, federal law has never prevented public schools from using the Bible as an appropriate tool in secular instruction. Rather, what the present Supreme Court precedent prohibits is using the Bible as part of non secular instruction in public schools.

Walters' mandate – sent to districts on June 27, 2024 – appears to blur that line between secular and spiritual instruction. It also contributes to a bigger trend by which state officials seek to blur the lines between religion and state.

Another distinguished example is the latest law in Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom. This law has already triggered a lawsuit by civil rights groups.

As someone who studies religious freedom lawI view these government initiatives as part of a bigger effort to extend the presence of Christianity in the general public sphere and challenge constitutional protections for religious freedom.

Secular vs. religious use

The most vital Supreme Court case coping with Bible reading in public schools is Abbington v. Schemppwhich was decided in 1963.

The issue was a Pennsylvania state law from 1913 that required that “at the opening of every public school, at least ten verses from the Holy Bible must be read without comment every school day.” The law allowed children to be excused from class on the request of their parents.

The Schempp family, whose children attended public schools in Pennsylvania, sued on the grounds that the law violated the primary amendment to the US Constitution.

In an 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court agreed that the law against the Establishment Clause of the First Amendmentwhich prohibits the federal government from enacting laws “regarding the state religion.”

Originally, the Establishment Clause only applied to the federal government. This modified after the ratification of the the 14th Amendment of 1868The Supreme Court has interpreted the 14th Amendment to mean that State governmentsincluding public schoolsto comply with a lot of the provisions of the Bill of Rights.

In the Pennsylvania case, the Supreme Court made it clear that public school instruction involving the Bible or religion will be constitutional “when presented objectively as part of a secular educational program.” Religious texts may, for instance, be utilized in the classroom as a part of a comparative religion lesson or within the study of literature.

Crucially, nevertheless, the court found that Pennsylvania's law violated the Establishment Clause since it had a spiritual, not a secular, purpose. Daily Bible reading constituted “a religious ceremony” that was “intended by the State,” whether or not children were exempt from it.

Christian Nationalism

The messages on the brand new mandate blur the excellence between secular and spiritual Bible teaching.

For example, in Walters' memo Teaching schools to show Biblehe explains: “The Bible is one of the most historically significant books and, along with the Ten Commandments, a cornerstone of Western civilization. It is used as an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like, as well as for its significant influence on the founders of our nation and the fundamental principles of our Constitution.”

As well an announcement Referring to the mandate, he claimed that the Bible was “a necessary historical document to teach our children the history of this country, to give them a comprehensive understanding of Western civilization, and to give them an understanding of the fundamentals of our legal system.”

These statements underscore the challenge of distinguishing between secular and spiritual uses of the Bible in education. Reading religious texts can provide useful context for some history lessons—for instance, in explaining the beliefs of some colonists. Yet arguments that the Bible is central to understanding U.S. history and law are also a pillar of Christian Nationalismthat’s, the assumption that Christianity must have a privileged place in politics, law and society within the United States because “America is a Christian nation.”

Many scientists reject this controversial view of historyand argued, for instance, that misrepresents the religious and political opinions of the founders.

But this belief has gained importance inside the political right within the USA. As the Yale sociologist Philip Gorski has noticedChristian nationalism “no longer operates beneath the surface or in the background. It is now at the center of power.”

Accordingly a Pew survey from 2022More than 4 in ten Americans imagine that “the United States should be a Christian nation,” although they disagree about what which means.

Americans united for the separation of church and state describes Walters' mandate as “textbook Christian nationalism” and has declared that it’s “ready to intervene” to attempt to block it.

Part of a trend

Walters' mandate is consistent with a broader movement opposing restrictions on religion in public schools, a movement that has made significant progress on the Supreme Court in recent times.

For example, in 2022, the court ruled that under certain circumstances public funds may very well be used to pay tuition at private religious schools in Maine and that a public highschool football coach had the correct to the correct to wish along with his players on the 50-yard line after the games.

Another challenge arose in Oklahoma in 2023 when the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved a charter for a Catholic institution. This move, which was supported by Walters And Governor Kevin Stittwould have founded the country's first religious charter school. The Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected this plan on June 25, 2024and declared it unconstitutional.

Two days later, Walters sent his memo about Bible classes. Oklahoma Law already allows Use of the Bible to show religion, history and other subjects in public schools. Walters' mandate, nevertheless, goes much further. It requires statewide Bible instruction moderately than simply allowing it. “Every teacher, every classroom within the state can have a Bible”, he announced.

Given current precedents, the mandate appears unconstitutional. For that to vary, Walters' mandate, or one much like it, could have to find yourself within the U.S. Supreme Court.