Including Bible Passages in Public Education Does Not Violate Separation of Church and State
September 6, 2024 | Trinity, TX
A message from Dr. Audrey Young, State Board of Education (SBOE) Member, District 8
The desire for Texas students to excel in literacy is at a critical juncture. By failing to expose students to the single most referenced source in all of literature, we will continue to severely limit their opportunity for academic success. Much of Western Literature is woven with references to people, characters, metaphors, and themes from the Bible. Texas students will experience a richer reading experience if they have a passing acquaintance with stories and vocabulary from the Bible.
For example, the Book of Esther is in the Jewish Tanakh and the Christian Old Testament. In this story, a young Jewish woman named Esther ascends to the throne of Persia (now Iran) and defeats the evil advisor Haman, saving the Jewish population from a terrible fate. The story shows that one person acting selflessly, choosing the well-being of others over themselves, can make a huge difference and save many innocent lives. The moral of the Story of Esther, for children, is to always do the right thing, using the influence you possess to help others, as Esther does.
My belief is that these stories are no different than the other stories we expose students to in public education, with the exception that they come straight from the most referenced book in the world. Separation of church and state as a legal concept does not mean the two realms never interact. It only means that one does not control the other. The founding fathers clearly and openly used their Christian faith to inform their governance and political philosophies. Christianity has informed the political realm since the founding of this nation. Including passages from any religious text does not violate the separation of church and state. Rather, it enhances and reinforces the intent of our nation’s founders that moral and ethical principles, whether innate in human nature or taught from a religious belief system, are valuable in informing our body politic and body social.
The purpose of including religious texts is not to proselytize. It is to help instill basic values of human decency, moral and ethical strength, and literary competency (the Bible is the number one source of influence and reference in Western Literature). I believe evangelism and proselytization are the sole responsibility of religion. However, utilizing the same religious texts which influenced the founding of this country; the same religious texts which are the primary source material for Western Literature; and religious texts which are used not for proselytization but for education, is clearly NOT a violation of the legal definition of separation of church and state.
Contact Dr. Audrey Young
SBOE Member District 8
P.O. Box 2683
Trinity, TX 75862
(936) 662-4264
audrey.young@tea.texas.gov
Livestream of upcoming SBOE meetings
SBOE has launched a new website, providing easier access to resources and information related to Texas education policies, updates on board actions, rules, regulations, and curriculum. Users can find meeting dates, agendas, contact information, and more.