Thousands Sign Christian Petition Against Teaching Bible in Public Schools

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Newsweek

Published Sep 28, 2024 at 1:37 PM EDT | Updated Sep 28, 2024 at 2:24 PM EDT


A Christian petition against teaching Biblical lessons in Texas public schools has garnered thousands of signatures in the past two weeks. Faithful America, an organization of Christians supporting social justice causes while opposing "Christian nationalism," posted a petition on September 13 opposing a proposal from the Texas Education Agency for elementary school teachers to include the Bible in their state reading and language arts lessons. The new curriculum, which the Texas Board of Education will either approve or reject in November, would give school districts the option to use the Bible-infused materials for up to $60 per student in additional funding.

This proposal is part of a larger effort by Texas officials, and other conversations across the country, to push Christianity into the public sector like when the Oklahoma Department of Education earlier this year directed state educators to integrate the Bible into lessons concerning its impact on U.S. history and the founding fathers, as well as its impact on Western culture today, such as human rights or the law.

Faithful America's petition, which has just over 15,000 signatures so far in its goal of 20,000 signatures, condemns the proposal and poses the argument for separation of church and state. "Our nation was founded on the principle of the separation of church and state—a phrase that comes from Thomas Jefferson's own explanation of the First Amendment—and it has defined our country ever since. Forcing our faith on others is theocracy, and such coercion is not what Christ-like love looks like," the petition reads.

The petition demands that the Texas Board of Education "respect the religious freedom of all Texas students and stop considering a Bible-based curriculum for the classroom." Newsweek reached out to Faithful America and the Texas Board of Education via email for comment late Saturday morning.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/christian-petition-against-texas-teaching-bible-public-schools-1960742

[Hekate]

1. Good for them

[Sucha NastyWoman]

2. Well, I can't join them

.But maybe I could start a group called Friends of Faithful America.

[twodogsbarking]

3. You can teach human decency without, well, God.

Make it real.

[iluvtennis]

4. Bible study was an after school class (1 hour a week) when I was in elementary school. Our parents

had to sign a permission slip for us to attend. Now that that look back on it, I think my working class parents sent us to get an extra hour of free daycare.

My overall point is that it wasn't forced. It was a choice that was offered after normal school hours. We had the freedom to choose, not like what these fascists want to do now and force it on children.

[AllaN01Bear]

6. as my late mom once said , how many times do we have to tell them NO.

[Beartracks]

10. Every time there's an election.

[70sEraVet]

7. And my guess is, even though it was on school property,

the bible study class wasn't tax-payer funded. This proposal IS funded by taxpayer money.
My personal opinion is that there's nothing wrong with religion, as long as it stays in its own lane. But most religions seem to demand the whole highway.

[AllaN01Bear]

5. ding. ding .ding. ding.

[redstatebluegirl]

8. Here in Oklahoma they are planning to spend

3 million dollars to put Bibles in every classroom in the state.

[zorbasd]

9. What?! The grift continues!

So they can't find some private entity to donate bibles? Follow the money!

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

12. I'd guess they'd have...

...Have drump's name on it. Coincidence that it would be $60 per student?

Taxpayer funded grift?

[KatyaR]

15. That's on top of the 3 million that's already in the projected budget.

An additional $3 million for a total of $6 million. And the Bibles he wants sound suspiciously like T***p Bibles.

He also wants half a million to "train voluntary staff to carry firearms" and $1 million to "recruit law enforcement and military veterans to become teachers."

[orleans]

11. i'm glad this group is fighting back.

i'd have gone crazy if my kid's school had said they were going to be doing anything in her classroom with a bible!

on edit: will trump be signing all of them?

[LiberalLovinLug]

13. This isn't about religious freedom or religion at all to MAGAts

Its about another avenue to control a population. Easier to control one religion only. Doesn't really matter which one. Just pick one and suck their god's balls.

[Old Crank]

14. It is beginning to look like

Some Christians are getting tired of having their faith dragged through the mud by political 'believers ' and other talibanic types.

Hope it shows up in the ballot box.

[usaf-vet]

16. The groups that want bible teaching in the schools are the same people that bitch about indoctrination in public...

.... schools.

They are precisely the same ones that want their form of indoctrination taught in OUR PUBLIC schools where all religions are welcome.

Christian classes should be for Sunday schools.

[GarColga]

17. What does Christianity even mean?

It is just an umbrella term for a multitude of different Jesus-based religions. They don't all interpret the scriptures the same way, and some don't agree on the basics like baptism and salvation. So of course some Christians don't want the "wrong" kind of Christians teaching their children the Bible.

[azureblue]

18. I like to remind some of those zealots

of what Jesus said in Matthew 25: 31 - 46. And demand they teach that, first. Demand they teach the Beatitudes, too.

Most of these nuts are Baptists, and Baptists think Catholics are not Christians, so nothing sets them off, when they demand school prayer, to demand a Catholic prayer, like Memore, The Angelus, Anima Christi. They go ballistic..

[maxsolomon]

19. Teaching the Bible with objectivity would lead to increased skepticism among children

So, I can see why Christians might be against it.