Oklahoma recently mandated a controversial move to force all schools grades 5-12 to teach the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, but the actual mandate itself is not quite as defined as the state is presenting it as.
Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters sent a letter to all public school superintendents that says adherence to the mandate is compulsory and “immediate and strict compliance is expected.”
The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone. Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation which is why Oklahoma educational standards provide for its instruction.
This is not merely an educational directive but a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.
Walters said in a statement
However, Oklahoma’s News 4 pointed out that ‘the news release states that “Walters requires Bible be taught in Oklahoma Classrooms” but the Memorandum sent to public school superintendents that language is not used.’
Oklahoma had already allowed schools to permit the Bible and allow teachers to use it during instruction, Phil Bacharach, a spokesman for state Attorney General Gentner Drummond, said in a comment.
‘But it’s not clear if Walters has the authority to mandate that schools teach it. State law says individual school districts have the exclusive authority to decide on instruction, curriculum, reading lists, instructional materials and textbooks,’ ABC News reported.
It is expected for there to be challenges made against this decision.
Dion Lefler for Kansas’ Wichita Post referred to this as “shades of Spanish Inquisition.” Lefler wrote in his article that Walters has tried on other occasions to inject strong religious curriculum into Oklahoma schools but has failed.
The last time I wrote about this guy, he was carrying out a KGB-style purge to rid the state’s so-called Department of Education of “anyone that has a disagreement on Superintendent Walters’ beliefs to fight the liberal woke culture seeping into our schools.”
That line came from a warning memo by one of his henchmen that was coded so Walters could identify and fire anyone sharing his bizarre edicts with the press or the public.
This has been a rough month for Walters. He’s gotten slapped down twice by the Oklahoma Supreme Court for unconstitutional acts he’s committed in his personal vendetta against the public schools.
Early this month, the court ruled he overstepped his authority by threatening to downgrade the accreditation of the Edmond school district — one of the state’s best performing — if its board didn’t ban from its high school libraries two critically acclaimed books he doesn’t like, “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls and “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini.
And earlier this week, the court ruled Walters’ efforts to establish the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school was unlawful. “This State’s establishment of a religious charter school violates Oklahoma statutes, the Oklahoma Constitution, and the Establishment Clause (of the U.S. Constitution),” the court wrote in its ruling.
But while at the same time the State Superintendent is championing forcing the Bible into schools, the state is also allowing groups such as the Satanic Temple to take advantage of loopholes in their laws.
In April, the Satanic Temple announced in a blog post: ‘With the Oklahoma House’s passage of Senate Bill 36, which permits the participation of uncertified chaplains in public schools, The Satanic Temple (TST) has announced its plans to have its Ministers in public schools in the Sooner State. If the bill advances through the Senate, this legislation will take effect on November 1, 2024. State Superintendent Ryan Walters, a vocal advocate for religious freedom in schools, has endorsed the legislation.’
SB 36 offers an unprecedented opportunity for our Ministers of Satan to join the state workforce. With State Superintendent Walters and 54 House representatives endorsing the bill, we anticipate extensive political support to ensure that TST’s Satanic chaplains are afforded equal opportunities to participate in this program.
Rachel Chambliss, TST’s Executive Director of Operations, said
Moreover, in June, the state passed legislation that would allow students to attend religious education classes and receive elective credit for attending. The Satanic Temple praised the move and announced their plans to introduce their curriculum in Oklahoma schools.
But when Walters caught wind of this, he made a public statement claiming that Satanists would not be allowed into Oklahoma schools, though the Satanic Temple would beg differ. The group wrote in a blog post:
The Satanic Temple’s Hellion Academy of Independent Learning (HAIL) is officially coming to Oklahoma! Governor Kevin Stitt has made history by signing HB 1425, making Oklahoma the first state to offer students school credit for The Satanic Temple’s religious and morality classes.
HB 1425, championed by Governor Kevin Stitt and Superintendent Ryan Walters, mandates Oklahoma school boards to establish Release Time Religious Instruction programs, allowing students to attend off-campus religious education classes during the school day and receive elective credits. This means that students can now attend religious education classes during the school day and receive elective credits for their participation, including those offered by The Satanic Temple.
Superintendent Ryan Walters appears to believe that his Twitter declarations will override our Oklahoman members’ constitutional rights.
The Satanic Temple believes that public schools should be entirely free from religious influence. Nevertheless, if other religious groups insist on forcing their way into our schools through legislation, we will ensure our members’ children enjoy the same opportunities as those of other religious backgrounds. Starting in November, Oklahoma parents interested in religious and morality classes for their students can invite The Satanic Temple’s HAIL program to their local public schools.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
I am totally opposed to this move by Oklahoma for a few reasons, none the least of which is the complete hypocrisy of basically them allowing the Satanic Temple to creep right on in.
James 3:10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. [11] Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? [12] Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
It is complete and utter hypocrisy to claim they are protecting the expression of freedom of religion, and then out of the other side our Walters’ mouth to say Satanism is prohibited, even though the legislation that he endorsed does not ban it.
And how in the world is this supposed to coexist? Children don’t like being forced into doing stuff, especially at the age these kids are at. This will just drive them into further rebellion and learn to despise God and his word even more, and perhaps even send more kids down the Satanist route.
Furthermore, having unsaved, vassals of the state teach the Bible is an incredibly bad idea, so bad I cannot stress just how asinine it is. If anything, should this not get overturned (which I think it probably will), these teachers and school staff will just weaponize it in a manner that is designed to make the kids scorn and hate the word of God, and critique and change it when they want to.
And on top of that, which version(s) of the Bible will be used? We know it probably will not be the King James Bible; or perhaps the teachers will be allowed to use whatever version they want. Again, complete hypocrisy and disarray.
James 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. [14] But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. [15] This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. [16] For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. [17] But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. [18] And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
This is so stupid, and it will only succeed in making these kids “twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Matthew 23:15); and I would say it is “earthly, sensual, devilish,” and will only promote “confusion” and “hypocrisy.”
Proverbs 25:4 Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. [5] Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
Also, considering Louisiana’s move to mandate the Ten Commandments in all classrooms, it will end in colossal failure. As the above proverbs suggest, the evil and problems need to be removed first before a perfected vessel and righteousness can be established. It’s just like with a diet and healthy living. You can spend hundreds of dollars of supplements monthly to get better, but if you don’t fix your diet and have a healthy lifestyle the supplements will not help much if not at all.
It’s important to remember that it’s an election year. These politicians want to appear righteous so they can get votes. It is quite obvious to anyone who understands and loves the King James Bible that these people love “the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:43); and in doing so their actions will only succeed in damning these children and hardening their hearts against the truth.
Matthew 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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*sigh*
I thought the same thing Jacob, non-believers teaching something they don’t know or understand.
Look, children need honesty and direction. They are like play-doh. Malleable. Schools should teach subject matter.
If teaching the Bible allows confusion due to the satanic influence worming its way in, confusion in the children will occur. Considering the percentage of parents that are Christians, many children have no where to go to suss out the truth. Their parents are already taking them to ‘rainbow parades’!
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Oklahoma’s school system is rank 46th in the US in its quality of education. OK is also ranked 4th in the nation for the number of homeschooled children. With this new change in their public schools it is very likely OK will soon be number one in homeschooling.
They’ll probably use the “Queen James” version of the Bible. Yes, there is such a thing!
I wouldn’t doubt it, but typically they’ll choose the King James Bible and not because they’re true believers or newly repented and exalting it, but it’s one of their clever and sly ways of deceiving and turning people against it.
This is hypocrisy if I ever seen it. Requiring Bible reading for grades 5-12 while offering satanism classes.
21) Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
1 Corinthians 10:21
The Luciferians have been teaching their religion in the schools for a long, long time. That’s what the religion of humanism IS. It’s just financing Catholic education without looking like it. (Another
recent political gongshow story recently supposedly shooting that down.) In fact, they’ve been doing it incrementally for YEARS through busing and sports, social services like ‘Catholic Social Services’ and others receiving public monies for years.
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This is just Catholic Masonic education, moving Americans into the one world order, fascist or communist arm, both tyrannical & inquisitorial craft. They did it with ‘conservative’ evangelical Christian homeschool education, too, through publishing. Took me years, as the adult working with that stuff& constantly confused &disappointed…to realize that what was going on was no mistake & an organized attack: NOT people seeking together for the truth as they always represented it.
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Genesis 3 dialogue. Hegelian dialectics & the goal for evolutionary progress ALWAYS compromise and synthesis. Craft. Philosophy & tradition. Colossians KJB.
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Ask the wrong questions, or note the obvious misrepresentations or historical biases….and they’d go for your throat, then your back if you persisted: and they would NEVER refund money spent for their misrepresented hogwash.
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This is horrible for children: defiles & conditions them to be self-righteous ‘gods’ and Catholics on one hand, relativistic anything-goes on the other because of twisted & bended teachings on repentance, forgiveness, love etc. Searing consciences early. Fragmenting rational thinking and personality. Making them victims and bullies, bullies and victims: “transformed” and “conformed”….but to the image of antichrist, not Christ according to the scriptures.
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It leaves them utterly subservient to whatever ‘authority’ is imposed upon them without the wherewithal to prove, or to measure any of it. Educated to be ‘manageable’ and ‘useful’.
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Compartmentalized ‘religion’. And, they will think they are ‘good Christians’, ‘good people’… becoming ‘gods’, & that all religions are the same since what will be taught is severely bent, twisted & selectively edited.
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EXACTLY what Bryan Denlinger is talking about with living one way in the ‘church building’ and another way on the outside, only even to another level of duplicitous, double-minded living. It’s witchcraft & wickedness.
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Praise the Lord that he’s judging & going to judge it: there are still those few who question & seek the truth which we must be alert for & praying for that opportunity…speaking of women & those of that position….to speak to one on one Tracting. Speaking of Jesus. Living out Christian standards of dress, separation, purity etc when in public, or at work: the goal for all women to be keepers at home as they grow in the faith& are guided by the word, aided by God.
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Men need to be growing in the faith, studying to shew themselves approved, then taking it to the streets & preaching: how else will they hear?
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It’s true that there are many fakirs trying to do things humanistically, & many proud, militant Catholic/Protestant/Reformed Augustinian types who are easily manipulated politically: only adding to the ‘agitation’, useless to true biblical preaching & salvation…..& so suffered, the camera turned their way etc. Some, I believe, like Steven Anderson, specifically trained & set in the ‘right place’.
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It was the same deal earlier with men like John Newman or Constantin Tischendorf.
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True, manly Christian humility and meekness is rare….and a certain amount of patience must be shown to those trained in humanistic, Catholic Augustinian attitude & tactic to bring them to true faith, if need be, and/or to manly purity & meekness as opposed to easily manipulated tantrum-throwing spiritual toddlers, porn compromised fleshiness, or feminist cowed toadies. Hollywood ‘manliness’.
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But there are also unregistered, biblical fellowships in both Canada & the U.S. who are training their men to biblical street-preaching, and exhorting their people to mature & biblical, godly order in family.
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Public preaching is dangerous now, and the response to it deceitful as always, so that men must go out in groups, using bodycams & recording equipment….and only the mature who can avoid or forestall the fleshly response that these devil-possessed people, even trained & honed & paid by the same to bring out in Christians to dull & belie their testimony.
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Grace Missionary Baptist Church in Toronto and Old Paths Baptist Church in Northfield, Minnesota are documenting that work & biblical approach online. Youtube, Rumble and sermonaudio as required by the increasingly draconian censorship.
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As for teaching Bible in the schools, which ones do you suppose they’ll use? Not to mention the fact that the infiltrated & turned churches were made what they are by years and years of one world, kingdom building Sunday School materials & sermons teaching & promoting humanistic unity and values. Even amongst the King James Only folks.
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The Lord brought me out step-by-step, out of the dead mainstream Lutherans, in reaction to more liberal & pentacostal Methodist & such, and I truly expected the conservative evangelicals and baptists to be different when the Lord saved me out of that mess.
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But they weren’t other than surface deep. At least now it’s out in the open!
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It used to drive me nuts, even before I came to understand the King James’ utter authority, uniqueness & power as the engrafted word of God when they had me teaching Sunday School.
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On one hand, I never felt qualified because I was there to learn Bible myself which never really was taught, just something they called ‘Christianity’….and on the other hand, I could never use & teach that crap which wasn’t even true to the context of the few NIV verses that they used for a platform to spout their psych humanistic globalist manipulations as it was either. I knew what THAT was, being saved out of it.
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Humanistic conditioning is subtle though. Even when the Lord brings you out of it, you do not realize how much it still affects you & your thinking. Much time in God’s word cleanses of that, but it’s fought every step of the way both by your own fleshly sin tendency & the world around you. We saw people during the ‘Promise Keepers’ humanistic ecumenical scam go for college certification in education, so that they could take the Gospel out….but instead, coming back transformed into religious humanist ‘Christians’ & one worlders, anti-parent, going for the children etc. Stealth evangelism isn’t biblical: it’s not in the light & it compromises, defiles those stooping to it. The biblical way is to teach your own, & to evangelize by public preaching of the word of God bringing both the negative bad news that the Law exposes: sin & need (not innate goodness), and the good news of the Gospel that can only be received after receiving that.
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Commenting on that among the reasons we got ‘loved out the door’, no doubt. But the Lord used that to open my eyes further….even slow learner that I was.
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There will be no Bible doctrine, you can bet. Too divisssssive. And no Bible faith, just pseudo-doubt-engendering ‘faith’ and blind faith in man, feelings & ‘experience’.
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I used to teach the historical narrative content of the Bible chapter the verses were wrest from, & show the children that it was real people, places, events, etc. and give the Gospel, including repentance, but a far cry from what it should have been.
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Academic ranking is a trick, too. Homeschooled children in Ohio used to have to pass tests that supposedly level measured their of knowledge, competency etc, & we had to find a ‘certified’ educator to administer the test.
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We (parents) couldn’t see actual test samples, even after the children had taken them & been scored, because they said that would ‘compromise’ the tests. However, those who administered the tests would frequently comment that we shouldn’t worry about the scores too much because they COULD see the questions, & many were subjective, attitude measuring things having nothing to do with content or literacy. Some so subjective that even the administrators of the tests were puzzled: having no right answer.
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Which is conditioning craft in & of itself. It teaches relativism and despair: why bother learning anything?
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The standards proving the rankings of schools come from UNESCO, which is antichrist Luciferian humanism on steroids, & their major crony crusading arm. Take them with a grain of salt, but educate your own, being sure to measure & test objectively what they do & don’t know. Line upon line, precept upon precept.
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Catholic schools were always considered to be ‘superior’ academically & ranked higher.
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Worldly ambitious people were always sending their children there, and considering it a ‘Christian’ education. Now I realize that this was because the objective material & measured literacy was countered by the religious, humanistic and DEFINITELY anti-biblical and anti-baptist elements of the curriculum& teaching methodology….& thus not considered to be ‘dangerous’ by nicolaitan elites, entrenched powers, financiers etc.
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It’s ordered like all the initiating, sorting and selectively promoting MYSTERY systems & ‘secret societies’. Much more common and mundane than the titillating horror movie distractor promoted to muddy the waters.
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Reading of the incredible surveillance, mind control & bullying tactics of Romanist educators in books by former Catholics & men such as Charles Chiniquy & others who came out of Rome in earlier years before they’d achieved such ecumenical compromise & humanistic conditioning, and acquired so much media control, is an aid there.
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Jason Cooley has taught through some of that recently, as well as what went on in the subtly humanistic and scientized textual criticism undermining, & preventing, real King James Bible belief & faith. Teaching also of the counterfeit King James Only people & schools that Peter Ruckman was so apt to point out. Now using the studies of George LaMore, who got the ‘disinvitation’ boot from the King James Only Scholars Guild, too, as he pointed out the same demonstrable & inexcusable changes & undermining going on even in Bible schools & institutions of baptists. He founded Grace Missionary Baptist Church there in Toronto.
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Unlike Cooley, or James Beller who fought against the subtle establishment of a State Church, documenting Puritan & Reformed, as well as Catholic persecution & infiltration, his people stand firmly with premillennial biblical teaching & without compromise in that area….which is a blessing.
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There is encouragement there, study materials pointing out & documenting how the compromise in the King James believing camp was accomplished, child literacy training materials that are Bible without Augustinian compromise, & sound preaching for those unable to find solid local fellowship or to move to where they might.
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We are yet blessed with a measure of liberty that we should not neglect or shirk from, because the Lord could allow it to be removed tomorrow.
That’s Gary LaMore, not George. gmbc online