Oklahoma Establishes Office for Religious Freedom and Patriotism

On Tuesday, Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction, declared the establishment of an Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism within the Oklahoma Department of Education. This office is touted as a protector of religious freedom, but critics argue it embodies authoritarian practices that infringe on individual rights and the principle of religious liberty. Funded by taxpayers, the office aims to safeguard “parents, teachers, and students’ abilities to practice their religion freely” and will also be responsible for investigating claims of religious freedom violations, as detailed in a press release from Walters. This move raises significant concerns among those who value the separation of church and state, as the department has previously overlooked this critical constitutional principle in public schools.

Historical precedents illustrate the Oklahoma Department of Education’s troubling trend of disregarding the boundary between religion and public schooling. For instance, last year, a high school in Skiatook faced backlash when the prominent display of the Bible verse John 3:16 was removed after a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), which champions the rights of atheists and secular individuals. Moreover, in July, Walters introduced guidelines intended to integrate the Bible into Oklahoma’s history curriculum, advocating for a mandatory presence of the Bible in all classrooms. He asserted the ambitious plan to ensure every educator would have a Bible available for teaching, signaling a drastic shift in educational priorities towards religious instruction.

By September, Walters had sought $6 million to procure 55,000 Bibles tailored to specific criteria for use in schools, indicating a significant governmental investment in religious material. The criteria outlined that these Bibles had to be of the King James Version and include key American historical documents like the Pledge of Allegiance, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Furthermore, the only acceptable editions were to be bound in leather or a leather-like material. Notably, only two specific Bibles met these stringent guidelines, both of which were endorsed by the Trump family, raising ethical questions about the implications of such endorsements in public education.

Following widespread backlash against these requirements, new guidelines were introduced in October to relax the initial restrictions, allowing copies of founding American documents to be provided independently of the Bible. Walters considers public schools to be “ground zero for the erosion of religious liberty” and links this decline to poor academic outcomes in Oklahoma’s education system. The establishment of the Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism appears to be a direct response to Walters’ claims about declining religious liberty, as he positions this initiative in alignment with Trump’s “Freedom to Pray” campaign.

Despite claiming to promote religious freedom, Walters’ actions suggest a different agenda that could further entrench certain religious ideologies within public education. The Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism may foster a climate where specific religious beliefs are amplified, thus overshadowing the rights of individuals who may not share those beliefs. Walters’ oversight of the office, combined with the push for the mandatory inclusion of the Bible in schools, raises critical questions regarding the true motivations behind this initiative and its potential impact on students’ educational experiences.

Critics argue that rather than fulfilling its stated purpose of advancing religious liberty, the Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism could instead serve as a vehicle for deeper religious entrenchment in public education, undermining the constitutional mandate for the separation of church and state. By prioritizing the promotion of certain religious expressions through taxpayer-funded programs, the initiative opens the door to potential abuses of power and discrimination against non-religious individuals or those from different faith backgrounds. As Oklahoma navigates this controversial initiative, the ongoing debate underscores the need for a careful reevaluation of the role of religion in public schools and the implications for students of diverse beliefs.