Oklahoma Schools Chief Defends Forcing Teachers To Instruct From The Bible In Combative CNN Interview
CNN HOST PAMELA BROWN: “You’re saying that the teaching of the Bible in the classroom is a must, that every teacher must accept that. The bible includes beheading, rape, and incest. Do you support teaching children about those topics?”
RYAN WALTERS: “I support teaching children our history accurately and what we’ve seen is the radical left and the teachers’ union have driven the bible out of schools.
“You can’t talk about our rights coming from God, as Thomas Jefferson referenced, you can’t talk about Abraham Lincoln talking about being on God’s side in what he does and that inspires him?
“You can’t talk about the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King Jr., who routinely referenced examples from the bible, including from a “Letter from Birmingham Jail”?
“I’m doing the things I’m doing is because of the tenets taught to me by the bible, so it’s essential that our kids understand our history and we’re going to put it back in and the left is going to continue to try to censor our history. Well, we’re not gonna allow it here in Oklahoma.”
BROWN: “Okay, you didn’t answer my question. We’re going to get to the history and everything, and by the way, Thomas Jefferson, he advocated for freedom of religion, actually not the establishment of a religion for one, but are you okay with all teachings of the Bible? If you want to bring it back into the classroom, rape, incest, beheading. Is that acceptable to you?”
WALTERS: “Again, I’ll answer your question, you might not like to answer, but it is the answer. It is our history is referenced, the bible was referenced multiple times in American history. It had a profound influence on American history.
“It was the bestselling book in American history, to not teach that in the classroom is academic malpractice. Our kids have to understand our history and we’re not going to hide that from them.”
BROWN: “Okay, so will you allow teachers to teach all aspects of the Bible? How are teachers supposed to know what of the bible to teach and what of the Bible not to teach? It’s a simple question, given the fact that the bible includes, also, you know, pornographic material, something you’ve come out against and actually took a teaching certificate away from a teacher for giving access to students— pornographic material. That’s in the bible.”
WALTERS: “Yeah, let me be crystal clear. The bible is not on the same plane as Gender Queer and Flamer. These are pornography, the bible is a book that was referenced throughout American history.
“We have academic standards that tell our teachers that you are to talk about the bible in reference to the Mayflower Compact, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” the Declaration of Independence, so these are all very clear.
“It’s very clear from primary sources that these individuals reference history— in our history, they referenced the bible. So look, when it’s historically accurate, we’re absolutely going to include that.
“I mean, think about how absurd it would be to teach about the Pilgrims if you don’t mention their intention for moving to the New World, it’s crucial and we’re not gonna allow the radical left to continue to push a false history on our kids that said that faith played no role, well, just read the history. It’s clearly there.”
Watch the full clip. There’s a LOT more.
Scottie's Playtime 
Huh. As if this guy’s read any of the materials he’s dropped names of, including the Bible. Certainly not the Letters from Birmingham. As to history, I wonder if they’ll get the true story of the Greenwood Massacre?
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Hi Ali. He has already demanded that teacher downplay the treatment of freed blacks with orders that teacher teach black people were violent to white people also. Like it was a fair fight and black people got what they deserved. He is a fundamentalist racist Christian who believes in the strict Old Testament bible god, not the New Testament Jesus help the poor and treat others nicely god. Hugs. Scottie
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So, and this is a good thing for our side, there are now conflicting instructions. Anyone and everyone can point to it all, either shrug and teach none of it, or shrug and choose which they teach. It will eventually shake out, and people will all see who people really are in this situation.
IMO. It’s a good thing it’s summer vacation, as probably no one will really recall much of this stuff. School will begin a new term, and teaching will probably begin, too.
I’m not minimizing what Supt. Walters is saying and doing. I am saying, he’s dug a hole for himself, and as usual with these people, they think they should keep digging. Maybe he’ll go to work over the summer and get an actual curriculum ready for the fall term, but it doesn’t sound like he’s that sort of superintendent. Or person.
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That may be Ali, and I hope you are correct, but look at the position of the poor teachers. It is a low stressful paying job already, and now you have someone threatening your teacher’s license if you don’t do as they say. Plus you realize that there are some fundie Christians who will take this as permission to set the science books aside and teach creationism, teach young earth stuff, and that evolution is wrong because that books says god wished man kind and everything into existence. Kids asks how, the bible says god can, the bible says god did, you fail kids. I have seen already in the past where teachers have failed students for not answer in a biblical way but with what they were taught in science and home. Teachers are human and some will push their religious bias with this dictate. As a parent and an atheist I would be horrified. I remember when James was a teen, his abusive parents made him go to a catholic religious school. Every afternoon he would come to our house where Ron and I would go over the incorrect lessons he was taught and show him proof of what really was true. At first they totally convinced him that the founding fathers were all dedicated Christians who really tried to found a Christian country, and that it was for many years until the liberals tried to change the nation into a godless heathen hell so they could break god’s laws. The taught him all the religious stuff that I mentioned above. Lucky that was a church school, the Superintendent in OK wants to make public schools church schools and is using history and historic to find ways to do it. Notice that is the trend right now, don’t say you are pushing religion you are pushing history. Yet they mandate the ten commandments and other bible stuff, and only suggest a few other documents that have no requirement to be posted. Easy to see through. Hugs. Scottie
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