Texas makes Bible passages required reading for millions of public school students

[orangecrush]

The Texas education board has approved a broad new statewide reading list that, for the first time, will make passages from the Bible required reading for more than 5 million public school students.

Under the new initiative, Bible stories will become mandatory reading for millions of public school students in addition to a more standard collection of books, renewing debate over growing efforts in the US to increase the role of religion in classrooms.

The rollout will be staggered, starting with elementary school students in 2030.

The Republican-controlled Texas state board of education gave final approval to the plan during a vote on Friday. Last year, Texas became the largest state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/26/texas-bible-required-reading-public-school

[AllaN01Bear]

1. i guess the constitution is only for democrats . rs. can ignore.

[Boo1]

2. I lurk on some right wing message boards

Just to see what they are saying.


Surprisingly, they hate this.

[hamsterjill]

11. I saw a lot of similar comments today.

Most of what I say was asking WHICH Bible would be used, the King James Version or the Catholic Bible.

This is, of course, all about division and we all know the answer to that question already.

Full disclosure, I am a Christian and totally against any type of religion being taught in schools. Religion is for home and family time.

[wcmagumba]

3. My "Sky Daddy" gots to be your "Sky Daddy" too...take that you dam heathen liberals...

All the children must read our poorly written ox farts...

[Midnight Writer]

4. I'd rather see kids studying Aesop's Fables.

1) They admit they are fables and do not pretend to be true

2) They seem to offer more relevant life lessons

3) They apply to everyone, regardless of religious belief

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

5. That wont satisfy them, theyll keep pushing

[Haggard Celine]

8. You're right.

They won't be happy until churches are getting tax money to put on programs down at the schools. I hope kids and parents resist these religious conversion efforts, as well as the courts.

[dalton99a]

13. +1

[TommyT139]

6. Let the pericope nominations begin!

David and Jonathan? The rape of Tamar? Judith and Holofernes? The Old Testament deity repeatedly killing entire herds of cattle? The very detailed requirements for the Tent of Meeting? The begats? Promoting divinatory practices like the Urim & Thummim, cleromancy, or dream interpretation...but not astrology or nature signs? 🙄

I predict this will backfire. Kids have been forced to read the Bible for generations, and they're just as likely to find the "dirty parts" ("your channels flow with nard"!!) as anything else.

[msongs]

7. thou shalt not commit adultery ....show pix of paxton/trump

[TexLaProgressive]

9. I just skimmed through the list K to 12

The Bible readings don’t show until 7th grade. There are not many, things like the Beatitudes and Pual’s treatise on love. And then a few scatttered in the higher grades. I am not familiar with some of these books, There is a mix of mytholgy and fables, non-fiction and fiction.
Anne Franks’ book aalong with an excerpt from Ayn Rand.

I don’t like it that the only religious texts are the Judaeo/Christian. If they are going to do this they should have a bit of the DHAMMAPADA, the UPANISHADS and the Koran.

Here’s the a link to the draft document:
https://tea.texas.gov/curriculum-and-instruction/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/draft-rule-text-for-agency-recommendations-to-the-sboe-for-literary-works-list-0.pdf

[Ilsa]

15. Is any of it "Old Testament," besides the Ten Commandments,?

There are some parables, or fables, that drive home lessons, but I only remember them being in the New Testament.

There are poetry/prose -like scriptures and prayers, and one I can think of seems like poetry only when recited in Hebrew or Aramaic (Mourners Kaddish). Where do they draw the line for favoring one religion over another? Using only the Bible favors Christianity first.

[jmowreader]

10. This won't turn out well

"Little Rotten Johnny, read for us your favorite Bible verse."

"Mrs. Jones, I'm going to read 2 Kings 6.27-29. "The king replied, 'if the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?' Then he asked her, 'what's the matter?' She answered, 'this woman said to me, 'give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we'll eat my son.' So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, 'give up your son so we may eat him,' but she had hidden him.'"

(Just so you know, that's actually in the Bible.)

"Little Rotten Johnny, why did you choose that passage?"

"If we gotta read Bible passages, I'm going to pick the most fucked-up ones I can find...and that's not even the worst one."

[GoodRaisin]

14. There are plenty of passages that can be picked to read from which describe abominations

that Republicans do.

[walkingman]

12. Texans deserve better than stone age drivel. ☮

"You believe in a book that has talking animals, wizards, witches, demons, sticks turning into snakes, burning bushes, food falling from the sky, people walking on water, and all sorts of magical, absurd and primitive stories, and you say that we are the ones who need help?" -- Mark Twain

[ananda]

16. Interesting that people who are in no way "Christian"..

are requiring this. They don't follow either Christ or
the Ten Commandments.