Bible to return to classrooms across Oklahoma, thanks to MAGA-friendly state superintendent
Many classrooms across Oklahoma will soon be furnished with a Bible, thanks to the work of state Superintendent Ryan Walters.
In a video posted to X on Thursday, Walters announced that more than 500 Bibles had been purchased to be placed in Advanced Placement government classrooms across his state.
“The Bible is back in Oklahomas [sic] classrooms,” read the message attending the video. “We are getting our kids back on track.”
Walters also hopes to expand the program and eventually place a Bible in every classroom. “We will not stop until we’ve brought the Bible back to every classroom in the state,” he averred.
Ever since Walters mentioned this summer the idea of incorporating the Bible back into the classroom, liberals have been howling and stomping their feet, insisting that doing so would violate the so-called “separation of church and state” in America.
Though opponents have denounced putting Bibles in schools as some kind of civil rights violation, the state of Oklahoma is overwhelmingly Christian.
“The separation of church and state guarantees that families and students – not politicians – get to decide if, when and how to engage with religion,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United.
“As a Christian, I’m appalled by the use of the Bible — a sacred text — for Superintendent Walters’ political grandstanding,” railed Rev. Mitch Randall, a Baptist pastor in Oklahoma.
“This Bible mandate is a blatant power grab that violates state law and tramples the separation of church and state,” added Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.
Last month, dozens of Oklahomans — backed by leftist groups like the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation — even filed a lawsuit against Walters for allegedly using “tax dollars for religious instruction” that “would violate the important constitutional principle of church–state separation.”
Not only is that phrase found nowhere in any of the country’s founding documents, but Walters noted in his announcement Thursday that the Bible has had critical influence on American history and that keeping it out of classrooms on account of its religious content would deprive students of a well-rounded education.
To demonstrate the Bible’s place among other key documents, Walters’ office promised to provide a Bible as well as a copy of “the Pledge of Allegiance, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution for every classroom in Oklahoma” as part of an ongoing effort to give students a complete understanding of their nation’s history, KOCO reported.
Thus far, the 500 Bibles have cost the state about $25,000, according to Walters’ spokesperson, Dan Isett. In all, Walters is willing to spend as much as $6 million to make sure that each classroom is outfitted with its own Bible, the Oklahoman reported.
Though opponents have denounced putting Bibles in schools as some kind of civil rights violation, the state of Oklahoma is overwhelmingly Christian. According to the Pew Research Center, fully 79% of residents living there identify as Christian.
The Oklahoman noted that Walters’ call for Bibles in classrooms has been “legally-challenged” and repeatedly emphasized Walters’ support for President-elect Donald Trump. Such support, however, is in keeping with the state he serves since every Oklahoma county voted for Trump in 2024.
Walters’ name has been mentioned as a possible education secretary in Trump’s second term.
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