Teachers, Parents, And Christians Are Reacting To Oklahoma Requiring Public Schools To Teach From The Bible, And Some Of These Opinions Shocked Me

Recently, Oklahoma's superintendent required that the Bible be incorporated into lessons in public schools — seemingly  contradicting the separation between church and state.

@RyanWaltersSupt

Superintendent Ryan Walters claimed that Donald Trump and his Supreme Court appointees inspired the new rule, and said there would be "repercussions" for teachers who did not adhere to it.

As you can expect, the new requirement is garnering a lot of attention from both sides. So, I asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to share their thoughts on Oklahoma's new rule. Whether you agree or not, here's what they said:

1."As a teacher, I find this horrific. I am Christian, but I know I am not qualified to teach about the Bible or the Ten Commandments. What about teachers who are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or atheist (and so on)? Isn't this against their religious freedoms and rights?"

2."I went to school to study the Bible for 16 years. I have a degree in theology. Besides the fact that we should not be forcing one particular religion on people, the Bible is an extremely complex book. It's not like this will be as simple as reading out of a Greek mythology book from Barnes & Noble."

"These teachers don't have a master's of divinity. They are ill-equipped to handle any questions children may have. And besides all that, whatever happened to the Bible literally saying, 'I do not permit a woman to preach?' Is the implication that we will no longer have any female teachers? There are so many ways this was not thought out that I HAVE to assume the man who made this law has spent hardly any time in the scriptures whatsoever."

—Anonymous

3."I'm an Oklahoman parent with a child in this mess. Superintendent Walters has been an utter disgrace to our state since the moment he was elected (thanks, straight-party voting!). This is just one of his offenses that will lend itself to countless legal suits. He's an embarrassment with zero thought for anyone but himself. This action is in total opposition to what Jesus taught. You know, because forcing religion on people has always gone well."

—Anonymous

4."It's about time that the schools had a basis for the education that they produced. Bless this superintendent; he's got more courage than anybody I know; keep up the good work."

5."This requirement is outrageous. I'm a Christian who holds the Bible in high esteem as both a historical document and a religious text. However, by no means does this mean it has any place in a public school classroom. If we are to use it in our classrooms, it should be taught as a historical document alongside other religious texts representative of Islamic, Jewish, and other traditions."

"First and foremost, a separation of church and state must be maintained. But even as a Christian, I have a concern the Bible would be misrepresented by misguided and unqualified teachers who do not know how to thoughtfully incorporate it into their curriculum."

—Anonymous

6."I'm so stunned that, given the educational struggles already going on in that state, they choose to focus on THIS."

—Anonymous

7."I'm not American, but this is terrifying to watch from across the pond for a few reasons. First, it's blatantly unconstitutional, which makes you wonder what else they could get away with. Second, while I agree that religion absolutely should be taught in schools, it should NOT be taught as fact. It should be taught as a belief because that's what it is."

"It is really not too difficult to teach children about religion while explaining that some people believe x, and others believe y, and we can disagree, etc. Part of that teaching should be about how to disagree respectfully. So I think the worst bit is how it says 'teach from the Bible,' not 'teach about the Bible.'"

—Anonymous

8."What better foundation than the holy word for kids to build on? I agree with the superintendent in making this decision."

—Anonymous

9."I'm a conservative Catholic, and I do not agree with Oklahoma's decision. Trying to force our religion down the throats of others is precisely why we get such a bad rep all the time. Why not focus on improving the core subjects instead? It seems like that is what your school system really needs. Back to the Bible issue, I believe the separation of church and state is best."

—Anonymous

10."I have been a public school teacher for eight years. My classroom is full of highly diverse students with different backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs. It would be incredibly inappropriate for me to force any religious text on my students. Separation of church and state. This means the Ten Commandments and the Bible DO NOT belong in the public school classroom. Full stop."

11."This type of sanctimonious BS almost seems designed to distract conservative parents from the truth that their children are attending school in the second-worst state to get an education. I feel sorry for the teachers and children who have to deal with this political play."

—Anonymous

12."Wow, what great news. No better book on Earth to read and live by."

—Anonymous

13."Oklahoma's decision to require public school teachers to teach the Bible in the classroom is a massive overreach of their rights and responsibilities to the children of their state. My father, and many others in my family, served in the military for the rights of this country's people. Those rights are outlined in our constitution, and it quite clearly states that there is a separation of church and state! The state of Oklahoma is spitting in the face of all service members for implementing this mandate."

—Anonymous

14."The problem with this is that this country was built on the principle that religion CANNOT be forced onto others. Requiring teachers (who are not qualified to teach about it and may not have read even a small part of it before) goes against all of that. Plainly put, this is ridiculous and doesn't improve children's reading or mathematic ability."

—Anonymous

And finally...

15."If they're teaching religion in a public school that is funded by tax dollars, then their tax-exempt status needs to be revoked. RELIGION HAS NO PLACE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS."

—catnelsonl

Now, I want to know what you think. In the comments below, share your thoughts on Oklahoma's new Bible requirement in public schools. Or, if you'd like to remain anonymous, use this Google form. Your response may be featured in an upcoming post.

Responses have been edited for length/clarity.