Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters and other Christian Nationalists love to claim that Americans United and its allies are determined to drive all vestiges of religion from public education. To hear them tell it, we’re ready to call in a federal judge if a child bows her head over lunch in the cafeteria.
These offensive depictions stir up the Christian Nationalist base, but they’re simply not true. Americans United supports the right of students to engage in voluntary prayer and other religious activities in public schools in a non-disruptive manner that doesn’t infringe on the rights of others.
We also support objective, factual instruction about religion in public schools, as long as the approach is educational, not devotional. We have a long track record here. Check out these highlights:
1988: Americans United led a group of 14 religious and educational organizations in publishing a pamphlet titled, “Religion in the Public School Curriculum: Questions and Answers.” The publication called for an approach that is “academic, not devotional” and added, “The school may strive for student awareness of religions, but should not press for student acceptance of any one religion. The school may sponsor study about religion, but may not sponsor the practice of religion. The school may expose students to a diversity of religious views, but may not impose any particular view.”
1995: Americans United joined dozens of organizations that endorsed “Religion in Public Schools: A Joint Statement of Current Law.” The publication stated, “It is both permissible and desirable to teach objectively about the role of religion in the history of the United States and other countries. One can teach that the pilgrims came to this country with a particular religious vision, that Catholics and others have been subjected to persecution or that many of those participating in the abolitionist, women’s suffrage, and civil rights movements had religious motivations.” (This publication formed the basis of religion-in-schools guidelines that were issued by the U.S. Education Department under President Bill Clinton. Subsequent administrations have updated and reissued them.)
2021: Americans United first issued “Know Your Rights” guides for parents, students and teachers. The guides, which have been regularly updated, make it clear that objective instruction about religion is permitted in public schools.
The guide for teachers states, “Schools may teach factual information about religion, such as including in a history class the role of religion in the settlement of the American colonies or teaching in a geography or social-studies class the religious makeup of countries. It is generally not impermissible coercion to have students learn facts about religion. You can even use some religious materials, like the Bible, as part of literary and historic instruction, if you present the material objectively and do not attempt to introduce religious teachings. For example, it would be okay to use the Bible to help explain certain biblical allegories in English class, or as a text to compare with others in an ancient-history class. But the public schools and their teachers must not teach that a particular religion is true (or not true) or that religious doctrines or beliefs are factual. Nor may they encourage students to practice a particular religion or reward or punish them for doing so.” (The guides are available on AU’s site.)
The simple truth is, we could have resolved this issue a long time ago by following these guidelines. But Christian Nationalists don’t want that. Despite their talk, they don’t really seek objective instruction about religion in public schools because that puts all faiths on the same playing field. Christian Nationalists want their narrow interpretation of Christianity elevated above other beliefs and taught as fact – and they want to use the public schools as tools of evangelism.
Christian Nationalists seek indoctrination, not education. And that’s something Americans United will never allow.
