Techdirt is off for the long weekend! We'll be back with our regular posts tomorrow.
Oklahoma Opens Bids For Bibles In Every School With Curiously Specific Requirements
from the holy-shit dept
When it comes to how you include religious texts in public school classrooms and libraries, the devil, as they say, is in the details. Want those texts of various world religions in place for secular teaching of topics they pertain to? All good! But picking one particular religion’s iconography and injecting it into public schools is a fairly blatant First Amendment violation. And if you’re one of those state officials looking to ban certain books due discussions about sexuality, gender, slavery, or violence and you aren’t banning most religious texts, including the bible, then you’re a flat-out hypocrite.
The point is that public schools are secular in nature. Any desire to put religious texts in them should be done so for secular reasons and not for the overt promotion of either a single religion or for political reasons.
And that brings us to Oklahoma and its state Superintendent, Ryan Walters. Walters decided that he wanted a bible in every public classroom in Oklahoma, suggesting it would be used due to the nature of American history and our founding fathers. I would normally simply argue about that history and talk about just how many of our founding fathers either weren’t religious at all, or were religious in a way that today’s conservative religious folks would find abhorrent (see: Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Thomas Paine). But instead I’m going to focus more on the original requirements Walters had in the state’s RFP.
Bids opened Monday for a contract to supply the state Department of Education with 55,000 Bibles. According to the bid documents, vendors must meet certain specifications: Bibles must be the King James Version; must contain the Old and New Testaments; must include copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights; and must be bound in leather or leather-like material.
Now, most bibles don’t include those other historical documents, and certainly they aren’t all bound in material best served for the interior of a car. But at least one does. And if you’ve followed politics and the news closely enough over the last year or so, you may have already guessed which one that is.
A salesperson at Mardel Christian & Education searched, and though they carry 2,900 Bibles, none fit the parameters. But one Bible fits perfectly: Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. Bible, endorsed by former President Donald Trump and commonly referred to as the Trump Bible. They cost $60 each online, with Trump receiving fees for his endorsement.
Mardel doesn’t carry the God Bless the U.S.A. Bible or another Bible that could meet the specifications, the We The People Bible, which was also endorsed by Donald Trump Jr. It sells for $90.
Was this a politically motivated move to get specifically Trump-endorsed bibles, for which he receives payment, into the public schools of Oklahoma, thereby using taxpayer funds to enrich the former President. Well, gosh golly gee, we just can’t say for certain, can we? But if that was the motivation, this is exactly the action a person so motivated would take.
Now, after many people in the state and nationally lost their collective shit over what is, at minimum, the appearance of a conflict of taxpayer interests, the state amended the RFP to make it so other, less expensive bibles would qualify. But of course that came along with Walters blaming everyone else for the concern expressed about his very, very tailored RFP.
Walters, in a Monday video on X, said the Bible will be used “because of its historical significance throughout this nation’s history,” blaming what he called the “fake news media” for lies about the program.
“The left-wing media hates Donald Trump so much, and they hate the Bible so much, they will lie and go to any means necessary to stop this initiative from happening,” Walters said.
I’m trying to picture Jesus saying this very thing and somehow I just can’t manage it.
In any case, it should go without saying that when we’re talking about introducing religious texts, paid for by taxpayers and for use in secular schools, it should be done with great care. Having a bloviating boot-licker go about it in this way ought to anger Oklahoman taxpayers, whether they are Christian or not.
Filed Under: bibles, oklahoma, ryan walters, schools
Comments on “Oklahoma Opens Bids For Bibles In Every School With Curiously Specific Requirements”
Ummmm…it’s…Oklahoma.
Re:
…where men are men and sheep are scared.
Re: Re:
They’re #1 in the nation for domestic violence. It’s not just the sheep that are scared.
Don’t forget that the bibles are China made. So they wanted to have schools directly support the ccp with bibles made in Chinese sweat shops likely by kids.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/thousands-of-trump-bibles-were-printed-in-china-as-he-campaigned-against-trade-practices
Re:
are you sure there trump bibles or different bibles
Re: Re:
that the school is using
Re: Re:
Before Waters slightly changed the requirements earlier this week, everyone who looked into the requirements figured out that only the two Trump-endorsed Bibles fit the bill.
Re: Re: Re:
i see
Re: Re: Re:2
And to be clear, the changed requirements still favor the Trump-endorsed Bibles. But Waters made his grift all too clear at first and changed those rules to cover his ass.
…the intent to teach those religious texts from a literary or historical perspective. Churches and church-run private schools exist to indoctrinate people; public schools exist to welcome and teach everyone equally regardless of their religious beliefs.
Re:
That might be how you view schools. American politicians seem to view schools as nothing more than where worker drones are trained.
Republicans definitely view schools as indoctrination centers.
Re: Re:
and this is why many of them do not think outside the box.
Re:
Neither the state of Oklahoma nor its residents are capable of objective religious teaching.
Am I the only one finding this sacrilegious?
I mean, I am kind of an atheist so it’s not really any of my business, but…
I thought the religious people kind of considered the Bible the word of God (by proxy or whatever)?
What business have things like the Pledge of Allegiance or the Constitution in there? What happened to the separation of Church and State? Usually it is supposed to shield the workings of the state from religious meddling, but it seems like it should also work in the other direction?
I probably should not complain: given the infatuation of the evangelicals with Trump of all people, Hamilton/Madison/Washington et al seem like an improvement.
Re:
As a former Christian.
These people don’t follow God or Jesus and they certainly don’t follow what’s written in the Bible. They just cherry pick out of it what justifies they evil views and actions. Just like how they value life so much they will let a woman die slowly and painfully due to a birth that was never going to work. All of their beliefs are just justifications they can point to.
They literallyare the same people who put verses on guns, and puke on American flag towels.
Re:
Conservative Christian lawmakers believe the separation of church and state should only burden the state.
Re: Re:
Jesus’s harshest rebukes were against those that forced religion on others without actually being faithful themselves.
It’s almost like they haven’t really even read the book they want to force others too- probably in the hopes they will also simply go for their own twisted interpretation of it.
It’s all fucked up on so, so many levels.
Re: Re: Re:
They haven’t. There’s actually some data on it.
I dunno exactly how much trust I would put in LifeWay, an arm of the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention), but… according to them (and others, like Pew) the numbers of christians who have:
A) read the bible cover-to-cover
B) read the bible regularly
…are both pretty pathetic. Especially considering these people are supposed to consider that collection of texts the word of god, or at least inspired by god.
It’s just one more sign that at this point ‘christianity’ is largely just cultural/tribal.
Their culture wars, not their god or their religion, have become their identity.
Re: Re: Re:2
“The fastest way to become an atheist is to read the bible.”
Re: Re: Re:3
Unless you’re able to read it with the understanding that it’s neither literal nor the word of God. Then it’s just another book that may or may not have some good ideas, and you can evaluate each idea on its own merits rather than a literal instruction from God. The foundation of something resembling rudimentary cognitive behavioral therapy can be found in the character of Christ.
It’s just a shame about the rest of the book.
Re: Re: Re:4
What you’re describing doesn’t require being a theist. It doesn’t seem like you’re disagreeing with me, but the “Unless…” seems like you intended to.
Re: Re: Re:5
No, they were saying it is possible to remain a theist even after having read the Bible thoroughly. The point isn’t that such a position is inconsistent with atheism but that it’s not inconsistent with being a Christian.
Re: Re: Re:6
The quote isn’t a universal absolute. Of course it’s possible to be a theist and read the bible. But stating that you don’t believe that the bible is literal or the word of god means that the bible isn’t the basis for your theism. The quote is a reference to the immoral nature of the deity depicted in the text (petty, vengeful, genocidal, punishing descendants for the wrongs of their ancestors, etc.) and the unbelievability of the factual claims such as talking burning bushes and walking on water and parted sea waters, etc.
The bible claims to be the literal word of god, so if you don’t believe that, you’re saying you don’t believe in that depicted version of god. For some people that equates to atheism as far as Christianity is concerned.
Re: Re: Re:7
That’s not entirely accurate. The Bible claims the Torah is the word of God, perhaps, but the Bible doesn’t claim that it is the Word of God necessarily.
Regardless, my only point was to clarify the point being made.
Re: Re: Re:3
That’s what got me started.
It took (too many) years, but in hindsight the conclusion was inevitable.
Re: Re: Re:
“It turns out we were the Pharisees all along!”
Re: Re: Re:
it’s worse. When you point out the words you f jesus, his word is completely meaningless. You are always cherry picking his words. Christians, followers of christ, regularly dismiss his teachings. They actively reject his teachings.
No lessons are to be learned from The condemnation of the Pharisees. No lessons from the sermon on the mount. Not surprising from people who think the anti capitalism of letters from a birmingham jail isn’t important to understanding MLK.
Re: Re: Re:2
Wow man. I’m learning so much about myself from this community. It’s almost amazing how much you have figured out about me that I didn’t even know!
Re: Re: Re:3
Have you killed anyone who has broken gods covenant?
Still sporting that beard that is required?
Must be a bit troublesome with only wearing clothes of the same material, right mate?
I guess it’s good that you are required to cover your head, avoids getting it baked by the sun with that long mop of hair.
Re: Re: Re:2
Incorrect. People calling themselves Christians regularly do that, but true Christians aka followers of Christ don’t.
Re: Re: Re:3
Religion is inherently subjective. There’s no way to determine who is a “true Christian,” just different thoughts from different subjective individuals. There are Catholics who think the Pope isn’t the authority on Catholicism and Christianity. Sure, you can point out how some people violate their own sacred texts according to your interpretation, but hypocrisy doesn’t stop them from being able to claim adherence. Arguing over who’s a “true Christian” is like arguing about Jar Jar Binks being a secret Sith Lord.
Re: Re:
And/or that the only religions that should be separated from the state are other religions.
Re:
Ah, I see why you might be confused, you think they actually care what’s in the bible beyond the cherry-picked quotes that do exist and either do or can be spun to support their positions or the quotes they’ve merely been told is in the book and never look up, and/or how they can use to justify and/or shield their bigotry and power-grabs.
They don’t care what the book actually says, they just use it as a bludgeon and shield as needed for their own ends.
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it.
Re:
What happened to the separation of Church and State?
What bible is used to swear in the new President?
Or used to swear that you are telling the truth in court?
Re: Re:
No POTUS thus far has been any religion other than Christian, so that’s never come up for debate. As for swearing oaths in court, Christians swear on the Bible, Jews the Torah, Muslims the Koran, and Atheists and agnostics don’t swear on any book at all. I know because I’ve served multiple juries in my life.
Re: Re: Re: Not all presidents sworn in on a Bible
Several Presidents swore their oath on something other than the bible.
Adams swore on a book of law and the Constitution
Pierce affirmed the oath rather than swear on anything
T Roosevelt didn’t use anything for his first swearing in
Johnson swore on a Catholic missal
Funnily enough Congressman Keith Ellison, a Muslim, took his oath with his hand on a Qur’an that belonged to Thomas Jefferson.
This one’s always a treat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFYRkzznsc0
Re: Re: Re:2
Thanks for backing me. I was too tired to do the research. Please note, though, that I said no POTUS had been anything other than Christian, I never said a word about Congress critters.
Re: Re:
Depends on the President. Several Presidents (Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump) swore on two Bibles. Biden swore on a large, leather-bound Bible that his family had been using since 1859. Some Presidents (Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt (in his 1901 inauguration), and Calvin Coolidge) didn’t swear on any Bible at all. (JQ Adams swore on a book of law, with the intention that he was swearing on the Constitution.)
Also, in the case of Kennedy and Biden, their Bibles were likely some Catholic version, while the others who swore on a Bible likely used a Protestant one.
Depends on the person. Many people don’t swear on the Bible. They might swear on some other religious text, the Constitution, the American flag, their ancestors, a family member, or any other number of things. Some don’t swear on anything at all, or take an affirmation instead of swearing.
You don’t seem to understand that, in both of these cases, swearing on a Bible, specifically, is merely customary, not required, and only for Christians whose beliefs do not prohibit swearing oaths. And even those Christians often don’t follow that particular custom. Then, even with Christians who do will vary on which Bible they use.
Re:
The Antichrist was prophesied to have a large mass of “Christian” followers. As far as I’m concerned, these people are fucking Legion.
Re: Re:
The Antichrist, per the Bible, will oppose Jesus Christ and falsely substitute themselves as a savior in Christ’s place before the Second Coming. He is described as the polar opposite of Jesus Christ, and Christians who believe in the idea of the Antichrist think he will fool large numbers of Christians into believing his lies and becoming his followers.
I can think of only one person alive right now who could be The Antichrist.
Re: Re: Re: 'They say I'm the anti-christ. I say follow me and you can continue to hate the Other. Your choice.'
If the last few years of seeing Trump in politics has made anything clear it’s that if the christians are right about the whole ‘anti-christ’ thing then said person is going to have a really easy time of it snapping up a huge majority of US christians.
Re:
As a Christian, I’m inclined to agree. Including secular or national documents or documents originally written later than the 2nd century AD (unless it’s, like, a foreword or something describing/clarifying/annotating the Bible) in a copy of the Bible without an explicit and direct order from God Himself to do so is fairly sacrilegious. (That would be true even if they were written by Christians and mentioned God.) I might be inclined to allow for additional religious texts that date to the time the other books were written as not necessarily sacrilegious under certain circumstances, but definitely not anything else.
Both the Declaration of Independence and the original (unamended) Constitution are secular, national documents written in the late 18th century, with the Constitution including amendments from as recent as the late 20th century, none of which change the secular and national nature of the Constitution. They derive not from inherently Christian or Judaic values but from Enlightenment and (in the case of the Declaration) possibly deistic values. The Constitution even explicitly prohibits establishment of any state religion. They have no business being in the Bible. They are perfectly fine documents that deserve respect, but they simply aren’t biblical texts and so shouldn’t be shoved in Bibles as though they are.
But then so is profiteering off of selling special copies of the Bible, which Trump apparently has no problem doing and MAGAts have no problem with. And I suppose there are a number of MAGAts who think that Trump is literally the Second Coming of Christ, so I suppose it at least makes some sense from that perspective.
Take a deep breath ... if you can.
There’s another curious thing that Tim missed or glossed over:
Walters is fast-tracking the procurement of these bibles. Very much so. Compare, for instance, how Walters handled emergency medical inhalers, which had already been funded by the feds. Well over a year, and the inhalers haven’t been ordered. (Reporting from lawdork.)
Bibles in schools?
But I thought the good righteous folk in Oklahoma were strongly against pornography.
Re:
Are we talking about sexual pornography, or religious?
Re: Re:
Does the Song of Solomon count as both?
Re: Re: Re:
Lessee now –
“A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me ;
he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.”
Umm, conceivably “lie” could be interpreted as “tell untruths”?
“Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins,
which feed among the lilies.”
I’ve seen deer in motion. This verse says “bounce bounce bounce” like no others …
“My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door,
and my bowels were moved for him.”
clearly this gruesome Oklahoma chappie wants the children to die of laughter before puberty.
“This thy stature is like to a palm tree,
and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.
I said, I will go up to the palm tree,
I will take hold of the boughs thereof :”
Can’t put it clearer than that. And all taken from the King James Bible, which to these English-speaking Evangelicals is the Word of God and None Other!
Re: Re: Re:2
For the record, I’m Hebrew culture, emotions were thought to come from the bowels rather than the heart. That should at least clarify the “my bowels moved for him” part.
But yeah, that book is a real trip.
Whoops
“The left-wing media hates Donald Trump so much, and they hate the Bible so much, they will lie and go to any means necessary to stop this initiative from happening,” Walters said.
Talk about giving away the grift, acting as though convicted felon Trump’s involvement was why people were objecting to the strangely specific requirement for a use of taxpayer money that shouldn’t have been spent to being with really gives away that padding convicted felon Trump’s bank account was a primary goal of this con for him.
Re:
don’t tell me there gonna give trump scum bibles to the schools
Re:
they only have 4 days for anyone to buy these trump scam bibles
Re:
This is like Trump complaining that prosecuting him for crimes he committed is election interference when he’s the one who decided to run for office.
Re: Re:
Let’s not forget that it would not have been “election interference” if he hadn’t thrown every delaying tactic in the legal book at the courts in order to run out the clock.
It could have been long over and he could already have served part of his time except for that.
His great idol wasn’t as slippery and did have to serve time after his Bierhallenputsch.
Unfortunately that didn’t stop his political career either.
Re: Re: Re:
Are there any cases left that he hasn’t won on appeal?
Re: Re: Re:2
Yes, there are. 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in New York.
Re: Re: Re:2
He keeps losing defamation cases against E. Jean Carroll for saying he didn’t rape her. Because as a horrendous adjudicated rapist, him simply saying he didn’t rape her is defamatory.
Re: Re: Re:3
Lmao remember he is suing someone because they reported to say he was a convicted rapist or something. Which is only not true on a technicality because the hellhole he grifted from for decades and claims to hate has a dumb distinction on the books that he’s not a rapist because he did everything but stick his dick in her.
Rape is rape.
Christ whipped the gamblers in the Temple something something
Just saying
These same people who demand the bible be in classrooms, would loose their minds if the Koran was also included.
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it.
Re:
Why the fuck should an anti-Western hate book like the Koran, manual for a religion that’s antithetical to Western civilized society, be placed anywhere near a school?
Re: Re:
I am not a theologian, but am curious. What specifically, in the koran, is anti-west? What is antithetical?
Is it the misogyny? ‘Cause we got that here.
Is it the mandatory church attendance? Got the too.
Maybe it is the violent attitude toward your neighbors. Got it.
In light of recent events, what is it that makes us better than them?
and yes, I really am that stupid
Re: Re:
Nearly everything “anti-Western” that you find in the Koran, you also find in the Bible. They’ve normalized their shitty book there, you’ve normalized your shitty book here.
Re: Re:
Other than comparative religion classes, why the fuck should any manual for any religion—including the Bible—be placed anywhere near a school?
Re: Re:
Why the fuck should an anti-Western hate book like the Koran, manual for a religion that’s antithetical to Western civilized society, be placed anywhere near a school?
There wasn’t even a ‘Western’ when it was written. Nor did Jesus discover America before the Bible was written.
The problem with the Koran is the same as the Bible – both are excuses used by simple-minded people to blame their atrocities on. Nothing more, nothing less.
Neither should be part of civilized society, let alone near schools.
Re: Re: Might want to ask Thomas Jefferson that
He owned several Qur’ans. One of which has been by officials who are Muslim to take their oaths of office.
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it.
Re: Re: Re:
No real American would even think of swearing an oath of office on the koran.
Re: Re: Re:2
Any American who practices Islam is an American who practices Islam—nothing more or less. Your narrow-minded view of any religion outside of Christianity is your problem.
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it.
Re: Re: Re:3
Fanatics don’t possess the ability to process the world in a reasonable way.
Re: Re: Re:4
Well, that explains your views, then.
Re: Re: Re:2
People who purport to be experts on what a true American is usually mean their idealized history-revised version of a false America that has never existed.
Muslim Americans fought in the Revolutionary War and predate the formation of the United States.
Educate yourself.
Re: Re: Re:3
White Americans fought against race-based slavery and marched with MLK for the cause of racial equality. LGBTQ Americans joined the military and served their country with honor despite Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. A “real American” doesn’t exist because an American isn’t made from one mold. Those who believe in the concept of a “real American” are supremacists, likely of a racist nature.
One American can believe in creating and upholding systems where people can be humane and merciful and compassionate. Another American can believe in creating and upholding systems where people can do horrific things to others with few-to-no consequences. Both are Americans; neither is more of a “real American” than the other. Anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves.
Re: Re: Re:2 No real American
some light reading for your pleasure:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
Don’t forget, Trump’s Bible is upside down.
Re:
No, no, no. He’s burning it on a black family’s lawn because he couldn’t get a giant crucifix of wood made and delivered in time.
Next up, “We will allow the Quran in our schools. The only requirement is that they contain a picture of Muhamned.”
Total sence
Christians 60 different groups
Jewish have a few also
then the Muslims also.
The Overt Push of religions to believe that only 1 of them is going to heaven, and NONE of the rest will.
Gives you a Lottery of 1/100 chance of Going to heaven.
Then TRY to explain to The Christians, that there IS more versions of the Bible Besides the KJ version.
then ask them to go read the Jewish version of the 10 commandments.
You shall have no other gods besides me
You shall not make or worship idols
You shall not misuse or disrespect the name of God
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
Honor your mother and father
You shall not commit murder
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or anything that belongs to your neighbor
Re:
They like the KJV because it sounds fanciful and has the most misogyny, and is what Grandpappy used. It was created purposefully to confirm the power of King James as the head of the Church of England and is widely held as a bad translation, let alone that the 17th century language in it is even harder for modern people to understand and the meaning of words has changed. Remember it is from Shakespeare times. That’s why it’s mostly evangelical groups that cling to it.
More modern translations are widely accepted as more faithful, accurate, and more easily understood because the use current vernacular. But it’s harder to twist the meanings of words people use in every day life.
Re: Re:
“and is widely held as a bad translation”
I’d disagree with that. It has a few sections with a decidedly limited translation of the original words, but in general, holds up quite well… IF.
That “If” is, if you are a British subject living in the 17th century. Not only has language shifted significantly since then, but so has culture. Which means not only would anyone reading the KJV today who doesn’t have a background in 17th century English repeatedly get the wrong idea about what the words literally mean, but the world view they’re speaking to in translation isn’t one that exists today — even in religious enclaves.
There are modern translations that try to preserve the poetic language of the KJV and the gist of the intent of the translated passages while using current language; I wouldn’t personally use one of those as my primary text (something that takes the dead sea scrolls etc. into consideration would be a much better choice), but it will at least help the reader understand the text in a way similar to how the founding fathers would have done.
The Anglican Church has a list of currently approved versions: https://liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resources/Scripture/Versions.shtml
Some are better for communicating bigger ideas, some are better for reading out loud, and some are better for studying intent of the content; different translations for different tasks.
The alleged purpose here, to add context to the works of the founding fathers, is probably the least assisted by any of the versions of the KJV (the two 1611 variants, or the multitude of later versions up to the 1769 version), especially if the bible in general leaves out the translator’s notes and footnotes of linguistic and cultural drift.
But I think it all comes down to your final point: it’s harder to twist the meanings of words people use in every day life. So people would rather have a book that references unicorns to one that references aurochs.
Re: Re: Re:
Thank you for that list I’ve been wondering for a while now but which Bible to actually get that would be relevant to modern language I haven’t read one in decades but I’ve been wanting to brush up so I can better understand people’s hypocrisy about jesus’s teachings. To be clear I grew up going to Christian church but I am not religious or identify as Christian if anything I am closer to being an atheist and am opposed to most organized religion but they should all have the same rights and not a single one of them should be pushed to some level of theocracy.
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it.
Why do all you degenerate fucks hate Christians so much?
Re:
I dislike individual Christians who use the word of God as an excuse to practice cruelty and hatred. I loathe conservative Christian lawmakers who try to turn their religious beliefs into secular law. I despise the leadership of churches and Christianist sects that cover up child abuse. But I don’t hate Christians as a generalized group. To truly believe I have that kind of hate only because I oppose acts that try to force a specific religion onto non-believers/into secular spaces is absurd.
Re:
They don’t.
It is not hate to disagree with others’ attempts to disrupt society, for their own benefit .. at the expense of others.
Re:
It’s not hate. Some of us resent the specific Christians who indoctrinated, groomed, and abused us in our childhoods which required years of deprogramming to recover from and now we’re wary of any other simplistic-thinking authoritarians who’ve mixed up Jesus, guns, football, light beer, and Murica into a giant ugly fake religion that allows them to be useful idiots for whatever wealthy manipulative asshole has spiked their dopamine receptors at the moment.
Re:
Why do all you degenerate fucks hate Christians so much?
How ‘Christ-like’ of you to refer to people as ‘degenerate fucks’ while complaining about being hated by them.
People like you deserve it, fuckface.
Re:
“Why do all you degenerate fucks hate Christians so much?”
Perhaps because Christians hate everyone that is not a Christian and try constantly to have them all executed legally through war. 🙂
the bible actually warns to add nothing to it
“must include copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights”
All that was forbidden in one of the final admonitions of the bible. Rev 22:18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.
Just pointing out the hypocrisy of this misuse of the bible.
I feel like this is another of those ‘careful what you wish for’ moments.
I mean, the Ten Commandments say ‘don’t be greedy, don’t kill people’, Timothy 1 says ‘love of money is the root of all evil’, and Jesus says ‘give your riches to the poor’.
The Bill of Rights is a long list of things that the government isn’t allowed to do, and the Declaration of Independence explicitly says ‘if your government is bad, it’s your right to overthrow it’.
I mean, what if someone decides to donate a copy of the Bible to the school, with a list of their favorite verses stuck to the inside cover? Or an annotated poster explaining the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence and what all the words mean?
Is Walters going to go ‘😭 Nooo, you’re not supposed to read those verses!’?
Re:
All good points but sadly ultimately irrelevant ones since the people trying to cram bibles in schools and the ten commandments there and everywhere else don’t actually care what the book says(unless they find a verse that seems to support them anyway), they’re just using it as a bludgeon to attain power and as a shield against pushback against that power-grab, since clearly anyone objecting to them trying to force their religion onto everyone else is only doing so because they have an irrational hatred towards christians/christianity(which also feeds into their persecution complex/fetish).
“the bible actually warns to add nothing to it”
I believe the back end of the Christian bible also states one should not alter those words in any way. From what I have seen, every version of the Christian Bible has altered the very text of the admonition against the alteration of the text.
Re:
Technically, any Bible that is not a direct reprint of the original books in their original language has altered the text of the Bible.
Re: Re:
This is my biggest issue with the fundamentalists who insist that the bible is the inerrant word of god.
You don’t know how to read Aramaic, Koine Greek, and ancient Hebrew. You’ve never read the bible. You’re trusting translators. You’re trusting translators who didn’t live in the times the texts were written and won’t necessarily understand the context. So even if you could trust documents written several decades after the supposed events took place (meanwhile, lots of people can’t recall in great detail what happened last week), you’re just playing a long game of telephone.
Opportunity
Someone with the spare funds should go to the same manufacturer those bibles use and just put in a bit close to cost. When they inevitably try to go with Trump version you can tie it up in courts for a couple years for violating the bidding process or if you win you’ve kept the money out of the grifters hands.
Somewhere in the trump bible, you can bet it’s been find/replaced and ‘jesus’ is replaced with ‘donald’ or ‘trump’ etc…..
And so Trump raised the dead / fed the 5000 etc…..
But I can’t be arsed to buy this tacky piece of shit just to spellcheck it.