Woke, Anti-religion Activists Launch Biased Study, Want All References to Christianity Out!
This month, the leftist activist organization, Texas Freedom Network released a report attacking the instructional materials being reviewed by the Texas State Board of Education. Their number one concern and focus of the 23-page study is that there are a number of references to the Bible or Christianity. Despite these references often being taught in a literary or historical context, Texas Freedom Network believes that the mention of the Bible and Christianity is turning Texas public schools into “Sunday Schools”! The truth is, these are the same activists who celebrated the defeat of school chaplain policies not passing in Texas school districts and who attempted to remove “In God We Trust” from the Social Studies curriculum back in 2022. The author of the study gives minimal citations and often gives subjective opinions on what he believes the text conveys to students. Below are some of the claims that the Texas Freedom Network makes. We respond to these claims by revealing that the real bias is with the activists who are attacking the curriculum.
1. Author complains about reference to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. being a Christian. p. 5
The author appears to have a problem with a reference in the materials about Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was a pastor of a Baptist church, having a “deep Christian faith.” Instead of acknowledging the role Christianity had in Rev. King’s efforts in the Civil Rights Movement, the author makes a negative claim that some Christians who had “deep Christian faith” advocated for racial segregation.
2. “The New Testament stories are presented without comment regarding their truth status. It’s natural for third graders to conclude that the Christian stories must be factual” p. 7
The author of the study seems to suggest that kids are too impressionable and that it is dangerous for them to learn about the Bible because they might think that the Bible is true. However, wouldn’t it be considered coercing a belief system if students were forced to prove every reference to the Bible as true or untrue?
3. “In fairness, the authors do not explicitly claim the New Testament stories are true.” p. 7
The author disproves his earlier claim that students are being forced to believe Bible stories by conceding that the materials do not explicitly claim that the stories from the New Testament are true. Thus, even the author admits that the curriculum is not forcing students to believe the New Testament stories.
4. “The unit’s handling of early Christianity is equally troubling. For instance, it misleadingly implies that Christianity offered a simpler path to salvation than polytheism” p. 7
The passage the author cites is one that states that Christianity is a religion where “anyone could receive that forgiveness and remain connected with God” and describes other Roman religions as ones where “individuals must worship many different gods by working with priests in the temple.” The passage the author references does not promote one religion as being better than the other and simply tells the truth about Christianity and the other religions referenced. However, it seems that the author has a problem with the mention of details about Christianity.
5. “Unit does not notify parents that their children will be studying New Testament accounts of Jesus in some detail” p. 8
The same activists who oppose involving parents when the topics of human sexuality are discussed are concerned about whether parents are notified before students study the New Testament. One example that particularly troubles the author is that the gospel of Matthew is referenced when students study the Leonardo da Vinci painting The Last Supper.
6. The author is overly concerned with discussion of religious freedom as a major cause of English colonization of America. p. 11
The author of the study also seems concerned that the materials teach students that the pursuit of religious freedom inspired many people from England to form the colonies in America. Criticizing this claim is not new! We heard similar arguments from leftist activists when other subjects have been debated at the SBOE.
7. Own admission “Does the OER RLA curriculum turn Texas public schools into Sunday Schools? As far as the curriculum’s nonreligious content is concerned, the answer might be no.” p. 13
The author’s conclusion is surprising! The report leads the reader to believe that the materials put a heavy emphasis on religious texts with little mention of any other topics. Not only do the materials contain other topics besides religion, but those topics would not lead the author to conclude that the materials are turning a kid’s school into a Sunday School.
At the end of the day, the negativity towards references of religion are an effort to prohibit religious expression in schools. The same activists and (legislators) who oppose these references to Christianity want to replace it with gender ideology, LGBT, CRT, and other belief systems. Their goal is not to make the materials neutral, but to make sure your values are presented in a negative light.
However, you have a chance to make your voice heard. The SBOE will be taking a vote on these materials in September. Please follow Texas Values to receive more updates about how you can get involved.