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Oklahoma s Court Bans Bibles From Public Schools

by Stefan Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

OKLAHOMA CITY, USA (Worthy News) – The top court of the U.S. state of Oklahoma has blocked school officials from purchasing Bibles and Scripture-based instructional materials for public school classrooms.

Oklahoma’s top education official, Ryan Walters, said the “Bible is indispensable in understanding the development of Western civilization and American exceptionalism, history, and all similar subjects.”

He added, “The ongoing attempts to remove it from our classrooms are an attack on the foundation of our country.”

However, the Oklahoma Supreme Court, in a ruling seen by Worthy News on Tuesday, barred Walters and the Oklahoma State Department of Education from spending millions in taxpayer dollars on “religious texts and on curriculum.”

It made clear that they had first to await the outcome of a related lawsuit against the state.

Attorneys for over 30 parents, teachers, and faith leaders suing the state in the Rev. Lori Walke v. Ryan Walters case called the justices’ order “a victory” for religious freedom in Oklahoma.

‘ABUSING POWER’

“Walters has been abusing his power, and the court checked those abuses today,” said lawyers from several groups involved in the case. “Our diverse coalition of families and clergy remains united against Walters’ extremism and in favor of a core First Amendment principle: the separation of church and state.”

The lawsuit sought to end the mandate for Bible purchases, which several school districts have ignored.

Despite the suit, Walters has continued to send out “requests for proposals” to find sellers.

Before the high court’s order, Walters partnered with musician Lee Greenwood to donate “God Bless the USA” branded Bibles to the state. The Bibles are named after Greenwood’s famous song of the same name. President Donald J. Trump has endorsed the Bibles.

Walters wants the $59.99 leather-bound “God Bless the USA” Bibles in classrooms throughout the state.

Earlier, a legislative panel rejected his $3 million request to fund the effort.

BIBLE MANDATE

Walter’s efforts angers Colleen McCarty, the executive director of the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, one of the legal nonprofits representing the parents and faith leaders.

She claimed that “the Bible mandate” violates both the Oklahoma Constitution and the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which separates church and state. She argued that mandating any “religious text” is a slippery slope.

“If you start putting Bibles in schools, then the state’s going to have to start spending money on the Koran, it’s going to have to start spending money on the Torah, it’s going to have to start spending money on the book of Satan,” she said.

The Satanic Temple already warned they plan to utilize laws around “religious study” for their purposes.

Supporters of Walter’s thinking argue that the Bible is an integral part of the U.S., and future presidents often refer to Scriptures during their inaugurations.