Each year, students across the United States select their courses for the next school year; however, in some parts of the U.S. along with math, language, and science classes, students may be mandated to enroll in Bible study. While some believe schools should provide religious teaching, forcing it hinders students’ education, is unjust to non-Christian students, and, most importantly, is unconstitutional. 

   The current plan in states such as Oklahoma and Texas is to incorporate the Bible into English classes. According to the Texas Tribune, “Elementary school curriculum would infuse new state reading and language arts lessons with teachings on the Bible” (texastribune.org). The Texas State Board of Education approved this plan last November, setting the plan in place for the 2025-26 school year. This plan will take away valuable time in classrooms, especially at the elementary school level when the fundamentals of reading and writing are primarily being taught.

   Including Bible teachings in public schools is not only inequitable to non-believers but also reinforces religious discrimination against minorities. According to the Pew Research Center, 77 percent of adults in Texas are Christian, while only 4 percent believe in other faiths. The statistics are not much different for Oklahoma, either. Seventy-nine percent of adults in Oklahoma are Christian while only two percent believe in different faiths. While Christian teachings may appeal to a large number of Oklahomans and Texans, the reinforcement of Christianity in public schools disregards the minority of non-believers, which is evident seeing as 82 percent of Americans admit that Muslim Americans face discrimination (pewresearch.org). The fixation in schools on Christianity will only open up more doors to subordinate minority religions in the United States. 

   Religious teachings in school are firmly unconstitutional. Great historical thinkers such as Voltaire and Thomas Jefferson, whose ideas were extremely influential in the creation of the United States Constitution, were strong advocates for a separation of church and state. According to the Library of Congress, the United States Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” (loc.gov). Passing legislation forcing or urging schools to teach the Bible defies and contradicts the Constitution and the founding principles of our nation. 

   Those in support of teaching the Bible in schools argue that teaching the Bible is not unfair to non-Christian students if other religions are also taught. According to the Texas Tribune, the plan includes “…a second-grade lesson highlighting the Jewish celebration of Purim. A fourth-grade poetry unit includes Kshemendra, a poet from India who studied Buddhism and Hinduism” (texastribune.org). Others argue that the Bible is an important literary text; however, religious topics will prompt teachers with difficult questions to answer, especially at the elementary school level, in which students are not well equipped to handle religious ideas. Those in favor also suggest that if schools are not mandated to teach the Bible, then it is constitutional. While this may be true, BBC News stated, “School districts are not forced to adopt the curriculum, but will receive a funding incentive of 40 dollars per student to buy learning materials if they do” (bbc.com). Many school districts that lack funding may feel forced to adopt this new curriculum simply for the funding incentive, and schools that want to implement Christianity in education may use this funding as an excuse against backlash from adopting the curriculum. 

   Luckily for California students, mandated Bible teachings will likely never be a reality as no attempts to incorporate the Bible into school curriculum have been well supported. History Teacher Jonathan Schiller said, “While in some instances teaching the Bible as literature or as a historical document would be acceptable, it would be inappropriate in a public school to teach the Bible as scripture.” While the Bible is an important religious text for millions of people around the world, it is unfit to be present in a United States public school classroom because it is an inefficient use of educational time, subjects people of other religions to potential discrimination, and violates the United States Constitution.