A Moms for Liberty Oklahoma press release July 17 announced the organization’s reasons in supporting use of Bibles in education:

On June 27th, Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters issued a memo requiring schools to incorporate the Bible in Oklahoma classroom curricula as a historical document. Since the announcement, opponents have expressed their dismay, claiming the new rule blends church and state and that the Bible has no place in Oklahoma public schools.

From the Mayflower Compact to the Declaration of Independence to letters written by America’s founding fathers, the Bible is inextricably woven throughout the fabric of the United States. The Bible was also used as a textbook in early American schools in the 17th and 18th centuries and as recently as the 20th century, it was a source commonly used in public school classrooms. To deny its role in America’s founding is to deny students from fully understanding American history. Furthermore, the fact that God or the divine is mentioned at least once in each of the 50 individual state constitutions cannot be overlooked.

Oklahoma’s social studies standards require students as early as second grade to explain the importance of the basic principles that provide the foundation of the American system of government. How can students fully understand these principles without fully comprehending the biblical principles upon which the American system of government was founded?

Likewise, Oklahoma’s social studies standards have been in place since 2019 following a state law that took effect in 2010 incorporating the history, spread, and impact of the world’s major religions such as Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, and Sikhism. Religion is not a concept new to the state’s public school system, nor will other world religions be excluded simply because the Bible is incorporated into multiple subjects as a historical document.

“Teaching Christian principles could offer a potential solution to the decades-long downward spiral that Oklahoma public schools have experienced since Christianity has been treated as a four-letter word by Oklahoma unions and school administrators. Those who oppose Mr. Walters also go against the wishes of the many Oklahoma voters who support this rule and understand the Bible would be used as a supplemental resource,” said Suzanne Jobe, Chair of the Oklahoma County Chapter of Moms for Liberty.