A Texas Debate
This latest debate came during a public hearing with the House Public Education Committee. Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath had a testimony that saw many lawmakers question him.
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Lawmakers mainly discussed adding religion in public schools, as well as education savings accounts and voucher programs.
Teaching From the Bible in Texas
During this debate, Morath was questioned about the TEA proposal that would encourage public schools to adopt the curriculum it created — a curriculum that included various lessons straight from the Christian Bible.
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If schools agreed to adopt this curriculum, they would receive an incentive of about $60 per student. The State Board of Education votes on whether they will approve this proposal in November 2024.
A Bias Toward Christian Lessons
Many critics have come out to blast this curriculum proposal, as they feel there is a clear bias toward encouraging Christian lessons from the Bible in public school classrooms.
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Many parents don’t want the government or a school to teach their children lessons from the Bible. These detractors feel that this violates their constitutional rights to freedom of religion.
Teaching vs Preaching
Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Austin, asked Morath about this proposal, as he believes it is encouraging preaching from the bible.
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“I can tell you, there is a difference between teaching and preaching,” Talarico said. “And in my opinion, these passages, which appear at length throughout the curriculum … they are preaching under federal law.”
Issues With Religious Proposal
Talarico also pointed out many issues with this proposal, most notably that it could both alienate many Texas children not of the Christian faith, but also that it could violate the country’s separation of church and state.
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Furthermore, he questioned whether public school teachers are truly equipped to handle complex religious lessons when teaching.
Using Christian Lessons Only
Though this proposal reportedly includes lessons from other religions, Talarico stated that it puts emphasis on the Christian religion.
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He specifically pointed out the lesson plan that teaches kindergarteners the Golden Rule via the Bible. According to Talarico, various other religions have their own versions of the Golden Rule — but this is not taught at all. Only the Christian Bible’s version is.
Republicans Support This Proposal
While Talarico questioned Morath about this religious lesson plan, many other Republican lawmakers in Texas took the time to support it.
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These Republicans backed the material, as they stated that their constituents have long asked Texas public schools “to teach the belief systems that form the founding principles of our country.”
Religions Are Not Equal?
Representative Matt Schaefer, a Republican from Tyler, even stated that religions are not equal when it comes to the United States.
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“The simple truth is that all world religions did not have an equal impact on why we’re here today,” Schaefer stated.
Christianity in American History
According to Republican lawmakers like Schaefer, Christianity needs to be taught, as it is in America’s history.
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He explained, “I don’t think we should ever be ashamed of mentioning the name of Jesus in our curriculum or shying away from the role of Christianity in developing this country, developing Western civilization and developing the very American and legal system that brings us here … today as lawmakers.”
Texas Democrats and Republicans Spar Over Bible Lessons
This debate further led to sparring between Texas lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
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After receiving Republican criticism for his questioning, Talarico said, “I want us to meet the needs of our constituents, meet the needs of our students. All I’m asking … is that we respect and obey the United States Constitution while we’re doing it.”
Seeing More Religion in Public School Classrooms
This latest religious debate in Texas isn’t new. Many other Republican-led states have pushed for more religion in public schools.
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Most notably, Louisiana’s state government successfully passed a law that requires every single public school classroom in the state to have a poster of the Ten Commandments.