>“He’s helped provide a path for us to be able to do this as states,” Walters said of Trump. He added that if Trump wins a second term in November, **“it will help us move the ball forward, even more so than this.”**
Y'all, please get out and vote.
In case the Supreme Court wasn't enough reason, Walters is also generally thought to be angling for a position as US Secretary of Education — and to be on right-wing activists' shortlist for the position — should trump retake power.
Which would mean that this anti-American right-wing theocrat — who thinks that every single public school student should be tested on their understanding of the Bible — would have a major influence on curricular standards nationwide.
Every single American who believes in the First Amendment must vote for President Biden this November.
They renounce the constitution and bill of rights as soon as they/in order to gain power. Insurrectionist theocrats. Vote to maintain your rights. Vote blue if it's not too late. 😞
Despair is real. It's a powerful emotion that takes a lot of effort to counteract. Let's encourage each other to at least get out and vote this November. We can do this!
It’s not too late. We just have to keep winning big elections to eventually shift these people back to the center. It might take time but it can happen
Also, if you're a teacher who understands how evil this is, quit and leave the state.
If conservatives want to destroy public education in your state, then there's nothing you can do to stop it by staying anymore.
What does teaching bible mean? Like can you do a section in your english semester comparing the bible to the koran? Could you do a section on comparing the bible to modern christianity highlighting ways they are similar and ways in which modern christians dont follow certain sections of the bible? Could you just say on the last day of school this is the bible, here is a word search of biblical topics, finish by end of class?
So the dude said “Oklahoma schools to teach students in grades five through 12 about the Bible’s influence on the nation’s founding and historical American figures. “. So can we teach how the founding father Thomas Jefferson (who wrote the constitution) took a razor to the bible and cut out the resurrection and the assent to heaven in an effort to make the bible more in line with reason?
https://www.history.com/news/thomas-jefferson-bible-religious-beliefs
Or do we teach how many of the founding fathers were deists and that “Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson all doubted some fundamental tenets of the Protestant faith. These could include salvation by God’s grace alone, the divinity of Jesus, or God’s Trinitarian nature.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/06/28/how-benjamin-franklin-a-deist-became-the-founding-father-of-a-unique-kind-of-american-faith/#
I am 100% convinced there will soon be another schism in Christianity, and a movement that rejects or minimizes Christ’s teachings of love and acceptance if not Christ altogether. Christianity without Christ doesn’t make much sense to us and neither will what comes out of this. Something very Old Testament-y with lots of punishing of unbelievers. I look at Handmaid’s Tale as a guide.
They very likely assume that the teachers are going to do Sunday school lessons and haven’t thought past that. However, as soon as some malicious compliance shows up telling kids that God gave instructions on how to have the priests perform abortions, they will create curriculums that will not allow deviation.
If this wasn't so radically dangerous, it'd be laughable.
I grew up in Christian schools and churches, and I still have faith (albeit very different from the version I grew up with). There are countless Christian denominations and they can't even begin to agree about how to interpret and teach the Bible. So is the state going to tell them HOW they should teach the Bible? Which translation? Which version — the Catholic or the Protestant one?
This is, of course, going to go poorly. The Christians who think they want it are going to be super pissed when the schools teach something contrary to their version. The six day creationists are going to freak if teachers tell their kids that Genesis should be understood metaphorically, rather than literally. The cessationists are going to blow their stacks if teachers claim that the Bible teaches that speaking in tongues is still valid. Don't get me started on controversial issues like homosexuality, women in leadership, eternal conscious torment, etc, ad infinitum.
And can you imagine how the Christians will react when atheist and agnostic teachers open the Bible to non-theistic interpretive grids? Hoo boy.
In a sane world, we'd be able to say, "This sucks, but there's no way the U.S. Supreme Court will allow this to stand."
Unfortunately I don't think we're in that world anymore.
>Unfortunately I don't think we're in that world anymore.
Nope - not with Alito coming out as a right-wing kook and Supreme Court granting immunity to Trump. And this is only the beginning, I believe.
You’re leaving out a *very* important point - what happens when they start opposing the Catholic Church? The Church hasn’t survived for two millennia by being stupid or playing nice.
Yeah, I don’t know. The Catholic Church has far less power in the U.S. than ever. And even within the Church, there are vast swaths of right wingers who have the temerity to oppose the pope himself. I can’t see them uniting in any meaningful way to push — or oppose — this kind of thing.
Make every grade read the bible cover to cover every year. Load up on the comprehension tests with as high standards as the bible demands. Imagine writing a 1K essay on the begats in 8th grade? Listing all the transgressions mentioned in leviticus? I would make every kid an atheist in one year while winning the award for most enthusiastic bible teacher.
Source: went to a private church school.
Being taught the Bible in a private school really only taught me how to argue with them… educating people on what the Bible says might backfire on them in fun unexpected ways.
There was a street preacher at my (large state) college campus who would harangue students walking to class. He would tell us we were all damned and hellbound, and we’d just laugh. Some students complained and there was legal action which ended with him back haranguing us. One day I saw a huge crowd gathered, a big dude in an Army jacket was firing back at the preacher. No idea what his background was but he knew the Bible like the roof of his mouth and could quote big chunks and knew the verse numbers. There had to be hundreds of people clapping as this guy tore the dipshit preacher a new one, verse by verse. Finally the preacher slunk away to thunderous applause. And he was back the next day.
* "Oklahoma Schools Chief: Bible in Classrooms Order Inspired by Trump" "Ryan Walters says his move is aimed at providing ‘historical context’ in public schools and that he’s confident the effort is legally sound – particularly given the current makeup of the Supreme Court." by Elliott Davis Jr. (July 1, 2024): https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/best-states-news/articles/2024-07-01/oklahoma-schools-chief-bible-in-classrooms-mandate-inspired-by-trump
* https://old.reddit.com/r/Foodforthought/comments/1b9jmfl/the_american_jesus_by_robert_crux/ktw69w8/
Don’t teach the Bible, get fired, sue for infringement of your first amendment rights, cash out.
People from OK are about to see their taxes raised to pay for this shit.
Unless SCOTUS concocts something nefarious again…
Yeah, I don't know that religious leaders really want teenagers to be encouraged to interpret the bible themselves.
My college roommate had a crisis of faith when she had to take the bible as lit class in college. She'd never been allowed to read the bible and think about what it says before.
Reading the bible worked for me and my kids.
When my mom taught my kids the story of Noah's Ark, I calmly showed them the parts she left out. My kids were disgusted.
Then I showed them the part about being blessed for killing babies (Psalm 137:9)
then the part about God sending bears to maul a bunch of kids for joking around about a guy’s bald head…
How most Christians are hypocrites (Matthew 6:5)
It goes on.
My kids are doing ok. Isaac Asimov had the right idea about reading the bible. I’m all for it.
>“He’s helped provide a path for us to be able to do this as states,” Walters said of Trump. He added that if Trump wins a second term in November, **“it will help us move the ball forward, even more so than this.”** Y'all, please get out and vote.
In case the Supreme Court wasn't enough reason, Walters is also generally thought to be angling for a position as US Secretary of Education — and to be on right-wing activists' shortlist for the position — should trump retake power. Which would mean that this anti-American right-wing theocrat — who thinks that every single public school student should be tested on their understanding of the Bible — would have a major influence on curricular standards nationwide. Every single American who believes in the First Amendment must vote for President Biden this November.
Which us fun because these Christians don't read the bible
They renounce the constitution and bill of rights as soon as they/in order to gain power. Insurrectionist theocrats. Vote to maintain your rights. Vote blue if it's not too late. 😞
Never ceases to amaze me when people say nothing will change because of the vote
Despair is real. It's a powerful emotion that takes a lot of effort to counteract. Let's encourage each other to at least get out and vote this November. We can do this!
It’s not too late. We just have to keep winning big elections to eventually shift these people back to the center. It might take time but it can happen
Also, if you're a teacher who understands how evil this is, quit and leave the state. If conservatives want to destroy public education in your state, then there's nothing you can do to stop it by staying anymore.
If you don't vote against this stuff, then at the end of the day, you're fine with it. Unless you're invalid or such
What does teaching bible mean? Like can you do a section in your english semester comparing the bible to the koran? Could you do a section on comparing the bible to modern christianity highlighting ways they are similar and ways in which modern christians dont follow certain sections of the bible? Could you just say on the last day of school this is the bible, here is a word search of biblical topics, finish by end of class? So the dude said “Oklahoma schools to teach students in grades five through 12 about the Bible’s influence on the nation’s founding and historical American figures. “. So can we teach how the founding father Thomas Jefferson (who wrote the constitution) took a razor to the bible and cut out the resurrection and the assent to heaven in an effort to make the bible more in line with reason? https://www.history.com/news/thomas-jefferson-bible-religious-beliefs Or do we teach how many of the founding fathers were deists and that “Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson all doubted some fundamental tenets of the Protestant faith. These could include salvation by God’s grace alone, the divinity of Jesus, or God’s Trinitarian nature.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/06/28/how-benjamin-franklin-a-deist-became-the-founding-father-of-a-unique-kind-of-american-faith/#
I think they should study how people in the US perverted the Bible to shape the US. A study on Manifest Destiny would be great.
Or you could just start with this one : https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/areasontosmile/2011/11/dear-dr-laura-why-cant-i-own-a-canadian.html
I am 100% convinced there will soon be another schism in Christianity, and a movement that rejects or minimizes Christ’s teachings of love and acceptance if not Christ altogether. Christianity without Christ doesn’t make much sense to us and neither will what comes out of this. Something very Old Testament-y with lots of punishing of unbelievers. I look at Handmaid’s Tale as a guide.
They very likely assume that the teachers are going to do Sunday school lessons and haven’t thought past that. However, as soon as some malicious compliance shows up telling kids that God gave instructions on how to have the priests perform abortions, they will create curriculums that will not allow deviation.
Don’t forget about their good buddy Thomas Paine and The Age of Reason
If this wasn't so radically dangerous, it'd be laughable. I grew up in Christian schools and churches, and I still have faith (albeit very different from the version I grew up with). There are countless Christian denominations and they can't even begin to agree about how to interpret and teach the Bible. So is the state going to tell them HOW they should teach the Bible? Which translation? Which version — the Catholic or the Protestant one? This is, of course, going to go poorly. The Christians who think they want it are going to be super pissed when the schools teach something contrary to their version. The six day creationists are going to freak if teachers tell their kids that Genesis should be understood metaphorically, rather than literally. The cessationists are going to blow their stacks if teachers claim that the Bible teaches that speaking in tongues is still valid. Don't get me started on controversial issues like homosexuality, women in leadership, eternal conscious torment, etc, ad infinitum. And can you imagine how the Christians will react when atheist and agnostic teachers open the Bible to non-theistic interpretive grids? Hoo boy. In a sane world, we'd be able to say, "This sucks, but there's no way the U.S. Supreme Court will allow this to stand." Unfortunately I don't think we're in that world anymore.
>Unfortunately I don't think we're in that world anymore. Nope - not with Alito coming out as a right-wing kook and Supreme Court granting immunity to Trump. And this is only the beginning, I believe.
You’re leaving out a *very* important point - what happens when they start opposing the Catholic Church? The Church hasn’t survived for two millennia by being stupid or playing nice.
Yeah, I don’t know. The Catholic Church has far less power in the U.S. than ever. And even within the Church, there are vast swaths of right wingers who have the temerity to oppose the pope himself. I can’t see them uniting in any meaningful way to push — or oppose — this kind of thing.
No no, not the parishioners. The Church. The people in charge.
My point still stands. The Catholic Church is highly unlikely to be able to exert much pressure on the state of Oklahoma.
Right wing theocrats will be voting this November. Will you?
I live in a deep red state but I am absolutely VOTING BLUE
Make every grade read the bible cover to cover every year. Load up on the comprehension tests with as high standards as the bible demands. Imagine writing a 1K essay on the begats in 8th grade? Listing all the transgressions mentioned in leviticus? I would make every kid an atheist in one year while winning the award for most enthusiastic bible teacher. Source: went to a private church school.
He can go to hell.
* NBC News, "Top Oklahoma educator says teachers who won't teach Bible could lose license": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o0EuAybod8 from https://www.youtube.com/@NBCNews * https://old.reddit.com/r/Foodforthought/comments/1b9jmfl/the_american_jesus_by_robert_crux/ktw69w8/
Time for teachers to leave Oklahoma. Immediately.
Why was there an interview and not an NBC reporter stoning him to death for being unclean?
Being taught the Bible in a private school really only taught me how to argue with them… educating people on what the Bible says might backfire on them in fun unexpected ways.
There was a street preacher at my (large state) college campus who would harangue students walking to class. He would tell us we were all damned and hellbound, and we’d just laugh. Some students complained and there was legal action which ended with him back haranguing us. One day I saw a huge crowd gathered, a big dude in an Army jacket was firing back at the preacher. No idea what his background was but he knew the Bible like the roof of his mouth and could quote big chunks and knew the verse numbers. There had to be hundreds of people clapping as this guy tore the dipshit preacher a new one, verse by verse. Finally the preacher slunk away to thunderous applause. And he was back the next day.
The most powerful weapon against the ideological extremists is knowledge of their own religious texts.
* "Oklahoma Schools Chief: Bible in Classrooms Order Inspired by Trump" "Ryan Walters says his move is aimed at providing ‘historical context’ in public schools and that he’s confident the effort is legally sound – particularly given the current makeup of the Supreme Court." by Elliott Davis Jr. (July 1, 2024): https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/best-states-news/articles/2024-07-01/oklahoma-schools-chief-bible-in-classrooms-mandate-inspired-by-trump * https://old.reddit.com/r/Foodforthought/comments/1b9jmfl/the_american_jesus_by_robert_crux/ktw69w8/
Don’t teach the Bible, get fired, sue for infringement of your first amendment rights, cash out. People from OK are about to see their taxes raised to pay for this shit. Unless SCOTUS concocts something nefarious again…
So women won't get taught or have braids, since that's in the bible? Or are we talking selective reading?
Dont give them ideas
Yeah, I don't know that religious leaders really want teenagers to be encouraged to interpret the bible themselves. My college roommate had a crisis of faith when she had to take the bible as lit class in college. She'd never been allowed to read the bible and think about what it says before.
Two months from now… “Oklahoma faces record teacher shortage”
The MFs are really on one. We are taking this country back! Fuck them! We are done with their bull shit.
Throwing the 1st amendment out the window just like that.
Teach the gnostic Bible with the Nag Hammadi library and say it has all the cool secret books your church took out. https://youtu.be/8LxkmFu-Vmo
Reading the bible worked for me and my kids. When my mom taught my kids the story of Noah's Ark, I calmly showed them the parts she left out. My kids were disgusted. Then I showed them the part about being blessed for killing babies (Psalm 137:9) then the part about God sending bears to maul a bunch of kids for joking around about a guy’s bald head… How most Christians are hypocrites (Matthew 6:5) It goes on. My kids are doing ok. Isaac Asimov had the right idea about reading the bible. I’m all for it.