What Would an Evangelical Christian Country Be Like

hanimmal

Well-Known Member
https://apnews.com/article/bible-mandate-oklahoma-schools-bixby-superintendent-19e235a16d9aefd350df9106a5d759b3
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BIXBY, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma’s Bixby school district has lots to show off for a fast-growing Tulsa suburb: a state-of-the-art new high school set to open by 2025, a new ninth grade gymnasium and plans for a $12 million upgrade to a football complex that already rivals that of many small colleges.

But, what the district does not have as students returned this week is a Bible in every classroom — despite a statewide mandate from Oklahoma’s education chief to incorporate Bible lessons and promises of repercussions for those that don’t comply. Other large school districts have also publicly indicated they aren’t making changes either.

The resistance follows a summer order that propelled Oklahoma to the center of a growing push by conservatives to give religion a bigger role in public schools across the U.S. Still, the fight may be far from over while other states, including neighboring Texas, are seeing Republicans advance similar efforts to incorporate the Bible into classrooms.

“If there is no curricular standard that ties with that particular classroom, what would be the purpose of a Bible if not for pure indoctrination?” said Bixby Superintendent Rob Miller, a former Marine Corps artilleryman whose office walls are adorned with medals from some of the 18 marathons he’s run and a sign that reads: “Positive Vibes Only.”

Miller said it’s not uncommon to see students carrying a Bible or praying during a moment of silence at the start of each school day. Two copies of the Bible are available for checkout in the high school library’s reference section, along with a book titled “The History of the Bible” that includes maps and other historical details about the holy lands featured in scripture.

But he said a Bible simply doesn’t make sense for a seventh grade math classroom or a high school chemistry class.

“As a Christian myself, I am a little offended by diminishing the word of God to a mere classroom prop,” he said.

It is unclear how many, if any, Oklahoma school districts are resuming schools this month with a Bible in every classroom. A spokesperson for the state education department, Dan Isett, said the mandate is not optional and that the superintendent has “a wide range of tools to deal with rogue districts” that do not comply.

Under the mandate, Oklahoma schools must incorporate the Bible into lesson plans for all public school students in grades five through 12 in Oklahoma.

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School districts also have been offered guidance from law firms that represent them and the state’s largest teachers union, the Oklahoma Education Association, that the superintendent doesn’t have the unilateral authority to issue such a requirement and that the edict is unenforceable.

The decision by many Oklahoma school districts to disregard state Superintendent Ryan Walters’ directive didn’t sit well with the first-term Republican, who chastised those districts at the start of a recent board meeting.

“These are the districts that want pornography in front of kids under the name of inclusivity, but don’t want the historical context of the Bible,” Walters said, referring to a failed effort by his education department to force a local district to remove the books “The Kite Runner” and “The Glass Castle” from library shelves because of sexual content.

“It’s outrageous. We will not allow it. Just because they don’t like it, just because they’re offended by it, just because they don’t want to do it doesn’t mean that they won’t do it. They will be held accountable.”

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The directive from Walters is the latest salvo in an effort by conservative-led states to target public schools: Louisiana has required them to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms, while others are under pressure to teach the Bible and ban books and lessons about race, sexual orientation and gender identity. Earlier this summer the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked an attempt by the state to have the first publicly funded religious charter school in the country.

Walters, himself a former public school teacher who was elected to his post in 2022, ran on a platform of fighting “woke ideology,” banning books from school libraries and getting rid of “radical leftists” who he claims are indoctrinating children in classrooms.

Among his Republican colleagues in the Legislature, patience with Walters appears to be wearing thin. State Rep. Mark McBride, a Republican from Moore who chairs the subcommittee that funds public schools, earlier this month sought an investigation into Walters over what McBride says are failures by the department to comply with legislative directives on funding and provide requested documents on expenditures. More than two dozen GOP House members signed on to McBride’s request, prompting Speaker of the House Charles McCall to request an independent investigation of the education department.

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For his part, Walters dismissed the inquiry as a “political attack” from House leaders and hinted toward the 2026 governor’s election, where both McCall and Walters have been mentioned as possible candidates for the seat being vacated by term-limited Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt.

Grant Sullivan, who owns Scott’s Hamburgers in downtown Bixby and delivers a sermon every Sunday at a small church in the nearby town of Morris, said he questions whether the Bible mandate is a good idea.

“Have we thought this through?” asked Sullivan, who has a master’s degree in theology from Oklahoma Christian University and two children in Bixby schools. “What if you happen to have an atheistic teacher? Are they going to teach it in a way that may be more problematic than helpful?

“It just feels like that’s for the home and the church is how I feel about that.”

Murphy is the statehouse reporter for The Associated Press in Oklahoma City. He has covered Oklahoma news and politics since 1996.
 

Roy O'Bannon

Well-Known Member
Well, there are some fairly good life lessons in the bible.
It's a bit like reading Greek classics, you have to get past the story and think about the takeaway of the one story as a whole. In the bibles case, I think of each book as it's own story.
Star wars is another epic tale with good take away. The good and evil, plot twist of life, friends betrayal, you kissed your sister:), one of your best allies is a big hairy ape that doesn't talk, you have to work to overcome the temptation of power for it's own sake and use the force for good... You know that sort of thing.
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Stick to Star Wars. Kissing your sister is pretty tame compared to the incest and sexual content found in the bible.

If these book-burning zealot evangelists accessed the bible on content alone the resulting bonfire would melt the last of the glaciers in a week. :)

Plenty of other good sources to learn about how to live a good life without having to choose between eternal bliss or the fiery pits of hell.

:peace:
 

twistedgardener43

Well-Known Member
Stick to Star Wars. Kissing your sister is pretty tame compared to the incest and sexual content found in the bible.

If these book-burning zealot evangelists accessed the bible on content alone the resulting bonfire would melt the last of the glaciers in a week. :)

Plenty of other good sources to learn about how to live a good life without having to choose between eternal bliss or the fiery pits of hell.

:peace:
Just a question, wouldn't incest be in evolution too? I mean it's not like a whole bunch of people evolved at once right? Especially if there is no "intelligent design" imo it seems incest would last longer in evolution since there is no moral framework til the evolved brain became intelligent enough to understand morals or the science dangers of it.
 

hanimmal

Well-Known Member
Just a question, wouldn't incest be in evolution too? I mean it's not like a whole bunch of people evolved at once right? Especially if there is no "intelligent design" imo it seems incest would last longer in evolution since there is no moral framework til the evolved brain became intelligent enough to understand morals or the science dangers of it.
Based on all the kids who get pregnant because a family member raped them incest is still part of evolution in the human species today. And if the Republicans get their way it will continue to be here in the states unfortunately.
 

sunni

Administrator
Staff member
School admins do stupid ass shit,

we are dealing with similar right now,
Blue state, very blue , 3rd grade so kiddo is 8

they took away recess, i shit you not, to get around the law they call it "structured play" its another gym session, no more free play
across the entire state they have reduced time to eat at lunch for all class levels, kiddo gets 15 mins to scarf down food, not enough time if you have littles you know this.

school admins are out there running amok imho
 

Side ways Onion

Active Member
It must be said I am not an American but I have a thought and an observation, on some of the topics discussed here. What Would an Evangelical Christian Country Be Like?

It would be like........5 US Supreme Court judges getting to decide what millions of women should do with their bodies during their pregnancy. My solution would be to hold a national referendum where only woman vote for or against. We all know which way that vote would go.

It would be like....... Christian Fanatics having the authority to force their religion and their interpretation of the Bible and the importance of personal conversion shoved down your throat daily.

If you look closely at the demographics between wealthy and poor areas in the new world, you will see that the majority of Christian Churches are in the poorer areas, are poorer people drawn more to faith than the wealthy (definitely), I wonder why?

Ps, I was born and grew up in a time past.......... when a politician lied and the lie was exposed, his political career was done.LOL
 
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Samwiseman420

Well-Known Member
Let's do the "Game of Thrones" theory here. Like with the Lannisters. A brother and sister love affair. A couple who actually loved each other, in theory. Someone explain to me why this is considered bad. Who came up with it and why is it enforced. Science? Religion? I'm not google savvy.

It seems to me it's just another case of government, religion, neighbors etc....peering into our bedrooms. What if there were no rules? Would all the bedrooms across the world be filled with sex crazed siblings? IMO, yes. Look at Pornub. Everyone doing their siblings. Right online for goodness sakes!! Where has common decency gone?!?! :blsmoke:

Edit: Oh, btw.......................the most watched show ever in the history of the world, or close to it. Take a guess why :p
 

hanimmal

Well-Known Member
Let's do the "Game of Thrones" theory here. Like with the Lannisters. A brother and sister love affair. A couple who actually loved each other, in theory. Someone explain to me why this is considered bad. Who came up with it and why is it enforced. Science? Religion? I'm not google savvy.

It seems to me it's just another case of government, religion, neighbors etc....peering into our bedrooms. What if there were no rules? Would all the bedrooms across the world be filled with sex crazed siblings? IMO, yes. Look at Pornub. Everyone doing their siblings. Right online for goodness sakes!! Where has common decency gone?!?! :blsmoke:

Edit: Oh, btw.......................the most watched show ever in the history of the world, or close to it. Take a guess why :p
I think my bs guess would be they made the laws likely because the dads back in the day needed to be able to pawn them off to some other repo-baby.

But before then who knows maybe kids were not as sexualized as they are today by society and it really isn't a problem.
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Just a question, wouldn't incest be in evolution too? I mean it's not like a whole bunch of people evolved at once right? Especially if there is no "intelligent design" imo it seems incest would last longer in evolution since there is no moral framework til the evolved brain became intelligent enough to understand morals or the science dangers of it.
We don't have some cro-magnon genes because us homo sapiens cared much about where we stuck our dicks so anythings possible. Considering how the bible teaches Adam and Eve were the parents of humanity we are all descendants of incestuous relationships.

:peace:
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
The reason is simple and its got nothing to do with The Man. The risk for passing down a serious recessive genetic disease is much higher for siblings. Yes by all means love........but don't procreate with your sibling. hahaha
That's the most likely reason for taboos developing to prohibit sex between closely related persons. Deformed kids would be considered cursed and the union that produced it a mortal sin bringing the wrath of GOD upon the sinners.

:peace:
 

bursto

Well-Known Member
If you breed cows with their siblings you get some weird deformities, its a big no no

It didn't go so well for that Lannister dude in the end either from memory
 
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bursto

Well-Known Member
Plus his brother was a midget, what's his dad been up to? Emilia Clarke had baby dragons, then later locked them in a cave. not sure it has any meaning it's just entertainment
 
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Side ways Onion

Active Member
I think the numbers speak for themselves, on an average of 1 every 8 children between siblings will have serious medical issues, while if that sibling marries outside his/her family they will have a 1 in 240 chance of their kids having a serious recessive disease.
 
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