Bible Literacy Classes Archives - American Atheists

Oppose Unconstitutional Bible Classes in Alabama Public Schools

American Atheists — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 17:06:57 +0000

Last Thursday, the Alabama legislature passed one of the worst “Bible class” bills we’ve ever seen. SB 14 not only allows public school teachers to discuss the Bible as a source of “morals” and “values,” it encourages them to teach “public policy” through a biblical lens. Can you imagine the discussions Christian extremists will be having with their impressionable students on LGBTQ rights, women’s healthcare, and their false and ahistorical version of “religious freedom”? This is our last chance! Please tell Governor Ivey to veto this bill! Under SB 14, a school principal may authorize the display of “religious materials,” including crosses, during elective courses in history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, and literature. This is pure indoctrination of children! But that’s not it. Under SB 14, parents can’t sue the school district if teachers try to indoctrinate children. Yes, by shielding schools and teachers from liability, SB 14 encourages teachers to break the law and proselytize. Please urge Governor Ivey to veto this unconstitutional bill and stop Alabama from facing even more costly litigation. Please act now!

The post Oppose Unconstitutional Bible Classes in Alabama Public Schools appeared first on American Atheists.

Alabama’s “Bible Class” Bill as Brazenly Unconstitutional as Abortion Ban

American Atheists — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 14:34:28 +0000

Montgomery, AL—Alabama’s “Bible class” bill is as much of a challenge to established law as the state’s controversial abortion ban, American Atheists announced today. Alabama’s so-called “Bible literacy” bill (SB 14), which passed the House on Thursday, is unconstitutional on numerous grounds. SB 14 encourages teachers to discuss the Bible as a source of morality and public policy. It also allows schools to display “religious materials” like crosses during certain classes. Under SB 14, parents can’t sue the school districts if teachers try to indoctrinate children, a provision that blatantly violates parents’ and students’ First Amendment rights. “Just like Alabama’s abortion ban, this ‘Bible class’ bill is a clear challenge to constitutional precedent,” said Alison Gill, American Atheists’ Vice President for Legal and Policy. “This bill is so extreme it even encourages school districts and teachers to break the law and proselytize, since it claims to shield them from legal responsibility.” If Governor Kay Ivey signs SB 14 into law, Alabama will face litigation over the Bible course curriculum, displays of religious materials, and the provisions meant to protect teachers and school districts from lawsuits. “The Alabama legislature is pushing the courts to overturn decades of rulings,” added Gill. “As with the abortion ban, the extremists behind this ‘Bible class’ bill hope it will reach the Supreme Court—and completely upend the separation of religion and government, turning public schools into little more than Sunday schools.” SB 14 bears the markings of Project Blitz, dubbed the Christian nationalist ALEC. This secretive campaign of the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation seeks to pass Christian nationalist and anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country with the ultimate goal of weakening the separation of religion and government. “Alabama lawmakers are knowingly wasting taxpayer dollars to push forward a radical agenda that is entirely unconstitutional,” added Gill. “We saw it with the abortion ban. We’re seeing it once again with this ‘Bible class’ bill.”

The post Alabama’s “Bible Class” Bill as Brazenly Unconstitutional as Abortion Ban appeared first on American Atheists.

Stop Project Blitz from Pushing Bible Classes on Missouri Public Schools

American Atheists — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 21:11:49 +0000

The Missouri House recently passed HB 267, a bill that would encourage public schools to provide elective Christian Bible classes.Tomorrow, the Senate Education Committee will hold a hearing on this legislation. This is our chance to stop this bill. Please take action now to tell lawmakers that HB 267 is not acceptable! Say –NO to inserting religious ideology into schools! –NO to indoctrinating our children! –NO to the Christian nationalist agenda of Project Blitz! More often than not, these Bible classes end up resembling Sunday school rather than public school because schools fail to meet the constitutional requirement to teach them in a secular way. We need your help to oppose these efforts: Tell the Senate Education Committee to vote NO on HB 267! This legislation bears all the hallmarks of Project Blitz, a multistate campaign by Christian nationalists to attack the separation of religion and government, LGBTQ equality, and access to reproductive services. HB 267 provides no way to ensure that students are free from religious proselytization. In addition, the bill states that understanding the Christian Bible and Hebrew Scriptures are “prerequisites to understanding contemporary society and culture,” marginalizing the values and experiences of students who are atheists or religious minorities. Please act now. Urge the Senate Education Committee to vote NO on HB 267 encouraging Bible courses in public schools!

The post Stop Project Blitz from Pushing Bible Classes on Missouri Public Schools appeared first on American Atheists.

American Atheists Opposes Forcing Bible Electives on Arkansas Public Schools

American Atheists — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 16:51:31 +0000

Little Rock, AR—American Atheists, on behalf of its constituents in Arkansas, wrote to express serious concern over HB 1626. This bill would require every public high school to offer elective courses on the Bible if requested by students. American Atheists opposed HB 1626 for three reasons. First, it is wasteful of public education resources. Second, it puts schools at risk for liability. Third, it may result in religious coercion against Arkansas students. In 2017, the state of Kentucky passed HB 128, which establishes elective Bible classes in Kentucky schools. The ACLU conducted a case study on the implementation of the elective Bible courses in public schools and determined that the majority of courses did not fall within the Constitutional strictures of being “objective, nondevotional, and … not promot[ing] any specific religious view.” The ACLU concluded that several of the courses were being used to impose religious “life lessons and actively inculcate Christianity.” Further, a case study on Bible curriculum in the state of Texas conducted by Dr. Mark Chancey of Southern Methodist University found numerous violations of the constitutional requirements clarified by Roberts v. Madigan. This depth report concluded that Most Bible courses in Texas have teachers with no academic training in biblical, religious, or theological studies, and some were even taught by local clergy. Most Bible courses are taught as religious and devotional classes that promote one faith perspective over all others. Most Bible courses advocate an ideological agenda that is hostile to religious freedom, science, and public education itself. Similarly, a 2000 study by People for the American Way (PFAW) found that “Bible History” courses taught in Florida from 1996–1999 were usually “taught from a Christian, generally Fundamentalist Protestant, perspective, and typically, the courses presented the Bible as a history textbook, assumed that students were Christian, and used the Bible to promote Christian faith formation.” PFAW’s study resulted in the state of Florida removing the existing courses. While proponents assert that HB 1626 would protect religious freedom in schools, they ignore the fact that the bill is inherently antagonistic toward the religious freedom of anyone who is not Christian. This bill shows clear favoritism for Christian students and beliefs because it makes no mention of offering courses about minority religions if requested by students, nor courses on secular philosophy if requested by nonreligious students. If passed, HB 1626 would cause Arkansas to face scrutiny as it implements a Bible course curriculum. “Taxpayer dollars should fund public education, not be wasted on efforts to indoctrinate students, nor to defend such unconstitutional indoctrination in court,” wrote Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy.

The post American Atheists Opposes Forcing Bible Electives on Arkansas Public Schools appeared first on American Atheists.

Florida Residents: Oppose Bible Classes in Public High Schools

American Atheists — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 15:46:22 +0000

Christian nationalists throughout the country are trying to insert religious ideology into the public education system. And they have their eyes locked on Florida! At this very moment, the Florida State House is considering H195, a bill that mandates that public schools provide elective Christian Bible courses. But their real goal is to indoctrinate children. More often than not, these classes end up resembling Sunday school rather than public school because schools fail to meet the constitutional requirement to teach about the Bible in a secular way. We need your help to oppose these bills: Tell the House Education Committee to vote NO on H195! Bills like this are being promoted across the country by Project Blitz, a multistate campaign by Christian nationalists to attack the separation of religion and government, LGBTQ equality, and access to reproductive services. H195 is exclusionary and unfair, wastes scarce educational resources, and does not protect students from religious proselytization. Please act now. Urge the House Education Committee to vote NO on H195, and help us prevent Florida from mandating Bible courses in public schools!

The post Florida Residents: Oppose Bible Classes in Public High Schools appeared first on American Atheists.

Action Alert: Keep Christian Propaganda out of Public Schools

American Atheists — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 22:15:55 +0000

Missourians, we asked you last week to write to your representatives to oppose a so-called Bible literacy bill. But Missouri lawmakers refused to listen. Now that bill and two more Bible bills are moving toward final votes in both the House and Senate. We need you to stand with us today to oppose these bills. Take action now! HB 267, HCR 13, and SCR 13 would insert religious ideology into the public education system by encouraging schools to provide elective Christian Bible courses. This legislation bears all the hallmarks of Project Blitz, a multistate campaign by Christian nationalists to attack the separation of religion and government, LGBTQ equality, and access to reproductive services. HB 267, HCR 13, and SCR 13 provide no way to ensure that students are free from religious proselytization. Please act now. Urge your State Representative and Senator to vote NO on turning public schools into Sunday schools!

The post Action Alert: Keep Christian Propaganda out of Public Schools appeared first on American Atheists.

ACTION ALERT: Oppose Bible Classes in Missouri Public High Schools

American Atheists — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 15:00:06 +0000

Christian nationalists throughout the country are trying to insert religious ideology into the public education system. And they have their eyes locked on Missouri! At this very moment, the MO State House is considering HB 267, a bill that would encourage public schools to provide elective Christian Bible courses. But their real goal is to indoctrinate children. More often than not, these classes end up resembling Sunday school rather than public school because schools fail to meet the constitutional requirement to teach them in a secular way. We need your help to oppose these bills: Tell your State Representative to vote NO on HB 267! This legislation bears all the hallmarks of Project Blitz, a multi-state campaign by Christian nationalists to attack the separation of religion and government, LGBTQ equality, and access to reproductive services. HB 267 provides no way to ensure that students are free from religious proselytization. In addition, the bill states that understanding the Christian Bible and Hebrew Scriptures are “prerequisites to understanding contemporary society and culture,” marginalizing the values and experiences of students who are atheists or religious minorities. Please act now. Urge your State Representative to vote NO on HB 267 to allow Bible courses in public schools!

The post ACTION ALERT: Oppose Bible Classes in Missouri Public High Schools appeared first on American Atheists.

Atheists Oppose Mandatory Bible Electives in Virginia Public Schools

American Atheists — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 20:34:03 +0000

Richmond, VA—American Atheists, on behalf of its nearly 1,500 constituents in Virginia, wrote to express serious concern over SB 1502. This bill would require every public high school to offer an elective course on the Christian Bible or Hebrew Scriptures. American Atheists opposed SB 1502 for three reasons. First, it is wasteful of public education resources. Second, it puts schools at risk for liability. Third, it may result in religious coercion against Virginia students. In 2017, the state of Kentucky passed HB 128, which has language identical to SB 1502. The ACLU conducted a case study on the implementation of the elective Bible courses in public schools and determined that the majority of courses did not fall within the Constitutional strictures of being “objective, nondevotional, and … not promot[ing] any specific religious view.” The ACLU concluded that several of the courses were being used to impose religious “life lessons and actively inculcate Christianity.” If passed, SB 1502 will cause Virginia to face scrutiny as it implements a Bible course curriculum. “Taxpayer dollars should fund public education, not be wasted on efforts to indoctrinate students,” we wrote in our comments.

The post Atheists Oppose Mandatory Bible Electives in Virginia Public Schools appeared first on American Atheists.