One Nation, Under God: The Impact of Oklahoma and Louisiana’s Recent Religious Education Laws

By Saron Hatsey

As the academic year begins, many American schools are starting to change academic policies. From mass phone bans to A.I integration, K-12 educators in the United States continue to attempt to improve the learning environment for their students. However, 2 new laws from Oklahoma and Louisiana stood out from the others.

In June 2024, Superintendent Ryan Walters mandated “all Oklahoma schools … to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum.” Likewise, in Louisiana lawmakers recently passed a bill that requires the 10 commandments to be displayed in all classrooms. These bold laws have created mass controversy, with critics often claiming they violate the constitution. Such conversations deepen when noting America’s long history with intertwining religious teachings and education.

American Education and Christianity

It can’t be mistaken that one of the United State’s founding principles was freedom of religion. The Puritans were one of the first groups to reach the Americas in the early 1600s after being persecuted from England. Highly valuing education and literacy, they founded the first schools in colonial society on the notion that everybody should be able to read the bible. Some early collegiate institutions, like Harvard and Yale, also were founded under the Puritans and their strong Protestant beliefs. While the education system changed drastically in the years to follow, the focus on literacy and Christian teachings remained.

The 1960s brought great changes to the U.S, one major one regarding religious education. In the case of Engel v. Vitale (1962), the Supreme court ruled to prohibit prayer in public schools “even if participation is not required and the prayer is not tied to a particular religion.” Despite the initial negative public response, the court upheld its decision, stating that government-led prayer was a violation of the 1st amendment and the separation of church and state. Consequently, Engel v. Vitale (1962) was the beginning of many laws that effectively ended the Christian teachings and practices in public schools.

Why the Oklahoma and Louisiana laws are problematic

Oklahoma and Lousianas recent rulings aim to use biblical texts in a similar fashion to classrooms in the 50’s and 60’s. Louisiana's law requiring the 10 commandments to be displayed in public classrooms is a clear violation of freedom of religion. Guiding your students' morality on the bible is a violation of separating church and state, and does nothing to enrich students on the bible’s role in global history. As the ACLU and associated groups said, “The First Amendment promises that we all get to decide for ourselves what religious beliefs, if any, to hold and practice, without pressure from the government. Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools.”

While less cut and dry, Oklahoma's law also violates the constitutional boundaries within a student's religion and education. Superintendent Ryan Walters highly emphasizes the importance of the bible, stating it as a “momentous historical source.” While this statement isn’t untrue, it remains very clear that it’s motivated by his own beliefs and not to improve historical understanding. Including the bible in biblically irrelevant classes like math or science lowers its value as enriching literature and cements it as a political ploy. As Superintendent Robert Miller of the Bixby school district said “As a Christian myself, I am a little offended by diminishing the word of God to a mere classroom prop.”

Where does this leave us?

While this article focuses on Christianity, it’s important to note that these laws affect all religious students. A 2019 survey reports that 52% of public school students report seeing religious clothing and jewelry amongst their pupils to express affiliation. With such substantial amounts of students having faith, it's important to teach about (not for) religions at a global scale. Such teachings can help students gain more cultural insight about their peers and the world, creating a space welcoming to diversity and inclusion. Moreover, if taught correctly, learning about the structure and background of religious texts (like Ryan Walters claimed he was doing) can help students understand historical texts further.

Today, Oklahoma students, teachers, and representatives are protesting for change. Crowds are beginning to rally against these new 2024-2025 school year laws, calling for the impeachment of Ryan Walters.

Moreover, Oklahoma educators are beginning to resist and speak out against the bible mandates. “If there is no curricular standard that ties with that particular classroom, what would be the purpose of a Bible if not for pure indoctrination?” Superintendent Rob Miller says.

In Louisiana, multi faith groups have sued the state over the 10 commandments law. The groups claim the law “unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state’s favored religious scripture.”