It's Sunday

Public schools in several states are now being required to display "In God We Trust" signs. While it's mainly happening in the deep south, unsurprisingly, it's not entirely limited to those states. South Dakota. Louisiana. Florida. Kentucky. Tennessee. (Rapid City) Iowa. Arkansas.

 Also...

Scenes of Bible classes in public school could become increasingly common across the United States if other states follow Kentucky’s lead in passing legislation that encourages high schools to teach the Bible.

Activists on the religious right, through their legislative effort Project Blitz, drafted a law that encourages Bible classes in public schools and persuaded at least 10 state legislatures to introduce versions of it this year. Georgia and Arkansas recently passed bills that are awaiting their governors’ signatures.

Among the powerful fans of these public-school Bible classes: President Trump.

“Numerous states introducing Bible Literacy classes, giving students the option of studying the Bible,” Trump tweeted in January. “Starting to make a turn back? Great!”

  WaPo

Running backward to MAGA. Or forward to the new reign of Hitler.

“It’s part of an effort to establish this sort of narrow Christian agenda as the norm for our country, the government-sanctioned and -supported norm,” said Rachel Laser, the president and chief executive of the Americans United group.

[...]

In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled in School District of Abington Township v. Schempp that school-led Bible reading is an unconstitutional religious practice. But the court noted that teaching the Bible was allowed.

[...]

Proponents of Bible instruction — such as Chuck Stetson, who publishes a textbook that he says is already in use in more than 600 public schools across the nation — are thrilled. “We’re not too far away from a tipping point. Instead of having to find a reason to teach the Bible in public schools academically, as part of a good education, you’re going to have to find a reason not to do it,” Stetson said. “When the president of the United States gives us a shout-out, that’s pretty crazy. . . . It’s got the momentum now.”

I already know a reason: Separation of church and state.

The Alabama, Georgia and West Virginia bills say schools can teach the Old or New Testament, or both. Florida’s bill, which not only encourages but also requires public high schools to have an elective religion course, called for either “objective study of religion” or “objective study of the Bible”; consideration of the bill was indefinitely postponed this month.

If they want to teach a religion course, including all religions, or at least major religions, I'd be fine with that. But just a Bible study course? No way.

Mississippi’s and North Dakota’s bills failed this year. The rest are still up for consideration, according to state legislative trackers.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.