Oklahoma’s state superintendent on Thursday directed all public schools to teach the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, in the latest conservative push testing the boundaries between religious instruction and public education.

The superintendent, Ryan Walters, who is a Republican, described the Bible as an “indispensable historical and cultural touchstone” and said it must be taught in certain grade levels.

The move comes a week after Louisiana became the first state to mandate that public schools display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, which was quickly challenged in court. The Oklahoma directive could also be challenged and is likely to provoke the latest tangle over the role of religion in public schools, an issue that has increasingly taken on national prominence.

    • AdamEatsAss@lemmy.world
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      3 hours ago

      Yes and no. In world history you typically learn about the rise of different religions and their affect on the world. Knowing the 10 commandments could help teach this for its historical significance. At the same time teaching children the 10 commandments to indoctrinate them to a certain religion is definitely illegal. It’s a hard thing to prove/disprove. A good teacher would teach the 10 commandments and similar beliefs in other major religions. Teachers are wildly underpaid and under supported in the the USA so “good teachers” are sometimes difficult to find.

  • TK420@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    This will fall on deaf ears, but Oklahoma (and the rest of the south) needs to start voting these clowns out of office and onto the street.

    • yggstyle@lemmy.world
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      The majority of the southern states identity (not that part) has long since been reduced to a caricature of itself.

      All being a southerner requires now is access to your divine guide: whatever the most recent pop country album is. It’s just advertisement set to country tunes.

      If anything I’d say the least free group in America is your typical ‘country boy.’

      • Optional@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        I know a shit ton of people in southern states and not a got dang one of them likes country. Or Western!

        (now there is some overlap in the rockabilly and singer-songwriter types, and Nashville is where a ton of musician hotshots live, but straight top 40 radio Barf Grits country - nah.)

        • yggstyle@lemmy.world
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          Yeah, it’s more a commentary on the whole current ‘country’ lifestyle. Texan? Buy all the things with a single star on it or you aren’t Texas enough. Southern? Get that truck. Gotta lift it. Biggest tires you can find. It’s all just the most degenerate capitalism with a dixie wrapper on it.

    • Jaderick@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      At what point is that just acceptance of their shitty policies? Is that too passive of a stance?

  • chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world
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    I just don’t see how this is so blatantly done. It should be a slam dunk in court. Churches don’t pay taxes. Public schools are funded with taxes. Churches don’t get to make the rules for public schools.

    Let’s flip it on it’s head. I don’t tithe to churches, but now all churches must serve pepperoni Eucharist and orange soda at service. Done. That’s the rule, now, since it seems like anyone can just say some shit and it has to happen. Don’t push me, or I’ll make you fill the baptismal with lime jell-o.

    • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
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      3 days ago

      its becasue they can enact these polices very fast, but the wheels of the law are as fast as glaciers.

      its also why grifters like the orange turd delay everything, making it even worse… to their advantage

    • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      They’re banking on, and rightfully so, all of these shitty conservative judges that McConnell put in place to rule in their favor.

      • pivot_root@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Next month:

        This court finds that, without any question of interpretation, church and state, including publicly-funded education institutions, must be separated. We also find that, with the evidence considered, the teaching of the Bible does not violate the separation of church and state. Teaching of religious texts may, for educational purposes, be added to school curriculum when said curriculum does not mandate teachings containing subjects contrary to the interests of national security and economic prosperity.

        • skulblaka@sh.itjust.works
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          Cue 382 additional lawsuits regarding every other religion that has ever existed getting their own representation. I’m going to need a full semester class on Zoroastrianism.

          • pivot_root@lemmy.world
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            Ah, but you see, that’s where the national security and economic prosperity conditions come in. Can’t be having alternative teachings encouraging terrorism and communism, you know?

    • Fire Witch@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      I just don’t see how this is so blatantly done. It should be a slam dunk in court.

      The fact that they’re doing this openly should be a warning sign of where this country is currently, and is heading. They’re doing this because they know the SC is compromised in their favor. All they have to do to get away with it is promise 5-6 judges a small gratuity.

      • NABDad@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        I’m not Catholic, but can’t you just make regular jello, and then have the priest bless it?

        • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.org
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          Honestly no idea. My only knowledge of Catholicism comes from Dogma. But George Carlin did bless his golf clubs, so if that holds true for jello, then yeah. Lol

    • Optional@lemmy.world
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      So wait, he said to the mob “i’m gonna send out our daughters and maybe you’ll rape them and leave us alone?” And he was God’s point man there?

      Bro. That’s fucked up, yo.

    • littlewonder@lemmy.world
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      My thoughts as well. They should require a religions of the world class. That’ll really get the atheist agenda cookin’.

  • MehBlah@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    We need to get rid of these trash humans. Put them doing something they are qualified to do. Like scooping poop in a park or something.

      • MehBlah@lemmy.world
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        Sure, I would so would most people. I do however know that most of these trash humans have undiagnosed, serious mental disorders. They know it to. That is why these types are against any type of therapy that isn’t religious. Their religion only though.

          • MehBlah@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            I consider npd and/or bpd to be a mental health disorder. These types are more often than not are squarely in that area on mental health. You have to have certain mindset to think you can speak for everyone else on a subject. The bigotry is just a comorbidly.

  • Rapidcreek@lemmy.world
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    Odd, how Christian nationalists are more eager to put Christ into your children’s schools than into their own Christianity.

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    WTAF is there to actually “teach” out of “the” bible, anyway?

    Are they going to get around to the really X-rated bits? Because that’s some serious groomer stuff.

  • Ultraviolet@lemmy.world
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    Looks like that suit is made of two different fabrics. Time to stone him, wouldn’t want to be a hypocrite.

  • ALQ@lemmy.world
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    I remember reading excerpts of the bible in one of my high school English classes a couple decades ago. It was basically part of a unit on fictional storytelling via religion. I’d be okay with that being the requirement.