This State Requires Schools to Teach the Bible. Parents and Teachers Are Suing

这个州要求学校教授《圣经》。家长和老师正在起诉

Opponents of an Oklahoma directive for schools to teach the Bible are suing the state’s superintendent of public instruction, calling the mandate unlawful and asking the state’s highest court to halt the purchase of materials intended to be taught this academic year.

俄克拉何马州要求学校教授圣经的法令的反对者正在起诉该州的公共教育负责人，称这一法令是非法的，并要求该州最高法院停止购买本学年的教学材料。

The lawsuit—brought on behalf of more than 30 community members which include parents, teachers, and religious leaders—was filed with Oklahoma’s state Supreme Court Oct. 17. It argues that the mandate should be ruled invalid, and that political firebrand Ryan Walters, a Republican who serves as the state’s elected superintendent of public instruction, is illegally appropriating funds for the $3 million purchase of approximately 55,000 Bibles.

10月17日，代表包括家长、教师和宗教领袖在内的30多名社区成员的诉讼在俄克拉荷马州最高法院提起。该诉讼称，应判定该指令无效，且担任该州公共教育负责人的共和党人、政治激进分子瑞安·沃尔特斯非法挪用资金，斥资300万美元购买了约5.5万册圣经。

The complaint states the directive violates the Oklahoma’s constitution by using state funds to purchase religious materials as the mandate “represents a governmental preference for one religion over another.”

投诉书称，该指令使用州资金购买宗教材料，“代表政府对一种宗教的偏爱超过另一种”，因此违反了俄克拉荷马州的宪法。

Legal experts say this is a case other states will likely be watching, as it comes at a time when conservative state officials are testing the church-state divide. For instance, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, recently signed a bill requiring all public schools to display a copy of the Ten Commandments in every classroom. That law is also being challenged in court.

法律专家表示，这是一个其他州可能会关注的案件，因为它是在保守的官员测试教会与国家的分歧时发生的。例如，路易斯安那州州长杰夫·兰德里（Jeff Landry）最近签署了一项法案，要求所有公立学校在每间教室里展示一份《十诫》。这项法律也在法庭上受到质疑。

Walters, who announced the Bible mandate in June and issued subsequent teaching guidance a month later, has garnered national attention for his handling of LGBTQ+ student rights and position on teaching about race and racism. He’s been active in former President Donald Trump’s 2024 reelection effort and has said he supports dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. His name has been surfaced as a possibility for education secretary in a Trump administration.

沃尔特斯于6月宣布了圣经教学的指令，并在一个月后发布了相应的教学指导，他因处理LGBTQ+学生权利、教授种族和种族主义问题的立场而引起了全国的关注。他积极参与了前总统唐纳德·特朗普2024年的连任竞选活动，并表示支持解散美国教育部。他的名字已被提及为特朗普政府教育部长一职的候选人。

Walters recently drew scrutiny from his own party, with a number of state GOP lawmakers calling for an investigation into his stewardship of the department’s budget, spending priorities, and transparency.

沃尔特斯最近受到了自己党内的审查，多名共和党州议员呼吁对他的部门预算管理、支出重点和透明度进行调查。

In a statement, Walters said Oklahoma would not be “bullied by out-of-state, radical leftists who hate the principles our nation was founded upon.”

在一份声明中，沃尔特斯表示，俄克拉荷马州不会“被那些痛恨我们国家建国原则的州外激进左派所恐吓”。

“It is not possible for our students to understand American history and culture without understanding the Biblical principles from which they came, so I am proud to bring back the Bible to every classroom in Oklahoma,” he said. “I will never back down to the woke mob, no matter what tactic they use to try to intimidate Oklahomans.”

“如果我们的学生不了解美国历史和文化的宗教原则来源，就不可能真正理解它们，所以我很高兴能把《圣经》带回俄克拉荷马州的每一间教室，”他说。“不管他们使用什么手段来恐吓俄克拉荷马州人，我都绝不会向这些觉醒的暴徒让步。”

The lawsuit argues Bible mandate violates the separation of church and state

该诉讼认为圣经必修课违反了政教分离的原则

The 32 plaintiffs—which include 14 public school parents, four public school teachers, and three faith leaders—argue that Walters is pushing his religious beliefs, violating the separation of church and state.

这32名原告包括14名公立学校学生家长、4名公立学校教师和3名宗教领袖，他们认为沃尔特斯是在推行自己的宗教信仰，违反了政教分离的原则。

In the complaint, parents—both those who are Christians, and those who are not—argue that he is overstepping, and that the mandate interferes with the upbringing of their children. One longtime educator believes “the Bible contains confusing concepts, many of which are not age-appropriate for elementary- and middle school students,” according to the complaint. One religious leader’s “conscience is violated by a sacred Christian religious text being used for what he considers to be political grandstanding,” the filing states.

在投诉中，无论是基督徒还是非基督徒家长都认为，沃尔特斯此举越过了界限，该规定干涉了他们抚养子女的权利。一位资深教育工作者认为，“《圣经》包含很多令人困惑的概念，其中许多内容不适合小学生和中学生阅读”，投诉中这样写道。一位宗教领袖表示，“他认为将神圣的基督教宗教文本用于政治作秀是违背良心的”，投诉文件中这样陈述。

The complaint alleges that the $3 million to purchase the Bibles also is illegally reallocated from education department staff salaries. It also alleges that the specifications limit acceptable Bibles. Earlier this month, the state officials amended the original request to broaden eligible Bibles after backlash that the original request favored an edition endorsed by Trump.

投诉书还指控，用于购买圣经的300万美元是非法从教育部门员工工资中调拨的。投诉书还称，相关规范限制了可接受圣经的版本。本月早些时候，州政府在受到强烈反对后（反对者认为最初的请求倾向于特朗普支持的一个版本），俄克拉荷马州官员修正了最初的要求，扩大了可接受圣经的版本范围。

The complaint alleges that school districts have the authority to select academic materials, and that Walters and the state’s education department do not.

投诉书称，学区有权选择教学材料，而沃尔特斯和该州教育部门无权决定此事。

Lawyers representing the community members said the mandate is an erosion of church-state separation, and a political stunt. The plaintiffs are represented by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Oklahoma Foundation, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.

代表社区成员的律师表示，这一规定是对政教分离的侵蚀，是一场政治噱头。原告由美国人政教分离联合会、美国公民自由联盟、俄克拉荷马州基金会美国公民自由联盟、无宗教自由基金会和俄克拉荷马州苹果籽法律与正义中心代理。

Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, one of the firms representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement that Walters was “abusing the power of his office” through the mandate.

代表原告方的律所之一——美国人政教分离联合会的主席兼首席执行官雷切尔·莱泽在一份声明中表示，沃尔特斯通过这一规定“滥用职权”。

“Not on our watch,” she said. “We’re proud to defend the religious freedom of all Oklahomans, from Christians to the nonreligious.”

“我们不会坐视不管，”她说。“我们很自豪能为俄克拉荷马州所有人的宗教自由辩护，无论是基督徒还是非宗教人士。”

Broadly, religion in schools has been litigated since the mid-20th century, said Whittney Barth, executive director for the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. Courts have found devotional reading of the Bible and the offering of the Lord’s Prayer to be unconstitutional, as is religious instruction in classrooms.

埃默里大学法律与宗教研究中心主任惠特尼·巴特说，广义上，自20世纪中叶以来，学校中的宗教问题就一直在诉讼中。法院认定，在课堂上诵读圣经、宣读主祷文以及进行宗教教育都是违宪的。

The Bible has historically been taught as literature, and has been seen to have academic merit as a historical document, she said. The American Academy of Religion has guidance on teaching the Bible.

她表示，从历史上看，《圣经》是作为一门文学课程来教授的，并因其作为历史文献的学术价值而受到重视。美国宗教学会针对圣经教学提供了一些指导。

“What’s interesting about this case is the integration of the Bible into the curriculum in ways that, I think, many people would say have both devotional aspects as well as potentially academic aspects,” Barth said. “I do think this raises those kinds of concerns.”

巴斯说：“这个案件有趣之处在于，圣经以多种方式融入课程，我认为很多人会说，这既有宗教方面的考量，也可能有学术方面的考量。我确实认为这会引起这些方面的担忧。”