Texas Board of Education appears poised to require Bible readings in public schools

[dalton99a]

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/sboe-bible-reading-public-schools-21317922.php

Texas SBOE appears poised to require Bible readings in public schools
By Isaac Yu, Staff Writer
Jan 29, 2026

The GOP-led State Board of Education on Wednesday showed support for a plan that would make Texas the first state in the country to mandate all public school students read passages of the Bible.

While members ultimately punted a final decision until the spring following heated public testimony, Republicans on the board generally agreed the passages should be deemed required reading, and some even suggested adding more.

“This is really building a scaffolding that culminates in a foundation in Western literature,” said Tom Maynard, a Republican representing Central Texas.

One Republican cast the proposal as a religious win.

“This would bring the Word of God back into schools in a meaningful way for the first time in decades,” Brandon Hall, a North Texas Republican, wrote on Facebook before the discussion began Wednesday. “We need prayer warriors to intercede for this vote.”

...

[Coventina]

1. OK Satanic Temple, you know what to do!!

[hlthe2b]

2. They NEVER learn...

I was going to say, "well, it is Texas so..." but I don't wish to insult our Texas DUers. Still, guys, I know what it is like (having had several years dealing with the impacts of Newt Gingrich in Georgia before finally returning back to Colorado, which I then had to spend a decade trying to turn from RED, RED, RED to purple and now blue). It can be done--even in Texas, with time. Ann Richards is your spiritual guide.

[Moostache]

3. I demand that every school that allows this be FORCED to pray to Mecca as well.

Full observation... prayer rugs, Islamic calls to prayer, the whole nine yards!
After which we will have a wiccan Divination - mandatory for all students.

[leftstreet]

4. "Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor..."

[JokeHer]

6. Oh no no no

They’re not going to read THAT part of the bible, or anything about love thy neighbor”… just that good ol Old Testament smiting sh*t!

[Mike Nelson]

5. I would want to know...

... given that several Bible verses command us to beat people to death with rocks ("stoning&quot , is shooting them with a gun preferable? It's much cleaner, and can be quicker. Does God and our school require the suffering in a stoning death, or can we, like a certain President says, "Just shoot them"?

[TBF]

7. We'll start with the Hebrew Bible & the Talmud. nt

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

8. Instead of putting Bibles in schools, they should be putting Egyptian history books in the churches!

[Nolagirl]

9. Maybe they can use a few

Passages from Song of Solomon.

[dalton99a]

13. +1. Or Leviticus 18

6 “‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.

7 “‘Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

8 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; that would dishonor your father.

9 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.

10 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.

11 “‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.

12 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.

13 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative.

14 “‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.

15 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.

16 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonor your brother.

17 “‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.

18 “‘Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.

19 “‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.

20 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her.

21 “‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

22 “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.

23 “‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.

24 “‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. 25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28 And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

29 “‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30 Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.’”

[markodochartaigh]

10. Sirach 26:29

29
A merchant can hardly keep from wrongdoing,

nor can a shopkeeper stay free from sin.

Sirach 13:3-23

3
The rich do wrong and boast of it,

while the poor are wronged and beg forgiveness.

4
As long as the rich can use you they will enslave you,

but when you are down and out they will abandon you.

5
As long as you have anything they will live with you,

but they will drain you dry without remorse.

6
When they need you they will deceive you

and smile at you and raise your hopes;

they will speak kindly to you and say, “What do you need?”

7
They will embarrass you at their dinner parties,

and finally laugh at you.

Afterwards, when they see you, they will pass you by,

and shake their heads at you.

8
Be on guard: do not act too boldly;

do not be like those who lack sense.

9
When the influential draw near, keep your distance;

then they will urge you all the more.

10
Do not draw too close, lest you be rebuffed,

but do not keep too far away lest you be regarded as an enemy.

11
Do not venture to be free with them,

do not trust their many words;

For by prolonged talk they will test you,

and though smiling they will probe you.

12
Mercilessly they will make you a laughingstock,

and will not refrain from injury or chains.

13
Be on your guard and take care

never to accompany lawless people.†

15
Every living thing loves its own kind,

and we all love someone like ourselves.

16
Every living being keeps close to its own kind;

and people associate with their own kind.

17
Is a wolf ever allied with a lamb?

So the sinner with the righteous.a

18
Can there be peace between the hyena and the dog?

Or peace between the rich and the poor?*

19
Wild donkeys of the desert are lion’s prey;

likewise the poor are feeding grounds for the rich.

20
Humility is an abomination to the proud;

and the poor are an abomination to the rich.

21
When the rich stumble they are supported by friends;

when the poor trip they are pushed down by friends.

22
When the rich speak they have many supporters;

though what they say is repugnant, it wins approval.

When the poor speak people say, “Come, come, speak up!”

though they are talking sense, they get no hearing.

23
When the rich speak all are silent,

their wisdom people extol to the clouds.

When the poor speak people say: “Who is that?”

If they stumble, people knock them down

[walkingman]

11. Without freedom from religion, there is no freedom of religion...

[jmowreader]

12. Yeah, THAT's going to end real fucking quick

"Johnny, it is your turn to read us a Bible passage. Choose one and proceed."

"Mrs. Jones, I choose Genesis 22."

"Uhh...okay..."

Johnny reads: "Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, 'Abraham!' 'Here I am,' he replied. Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, whom you love - Isaac - and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you."

The teacher stopped him. "Johnny, that's okay. Let's all read it silently." They do. "Class, what can we learn from this passage?"

Mary said, "that whoever wrote this shit is fucked in the head?"
Ellen said, "that Abraham should have joined a different church?"
Johnny said, "that there's even more entertaining shit than this in the Bible?"
Arthur said, "that Satanism looks a hell of a lot more rational than Christianity?"
Rob said, "that I'm gonna be an atheist?"

Mrs. Jones said, "while all those things are true, Genesis 22 teaches us to always obey our leaders."
Johnny said, "what the fuck, Mrs. Jones? That's fuckin' bullshit, okay? God told Abraham to fucking kill his only son - which would have destroyed his family unless one of his wives was willing to give him another one - and burn his body on an altar, and this is supposed to be a good thing?"
Mrs. Jones said, "watch your language, Johnny."
Johnny said, "hell no I'm not watching my language, Mrs. Jones. The Bible is full of this shit. I mean, turn to Leviticus 18, where there's a list of all the people you're not supposed to fuck. You are not allowed to fuck your mother, your dad's other wives, your sister, your granddaughter, your aunt, your daughter-in-law, your sister-in-law, a three-way with a woman and her daughter, your wife's sister, a woman on a period, your neighbor's wife, other guys, or sheep. Oh, and you're not allowed to do any child sacrifices, which brings Genesis 22 into question in a right hurry. Ma'am, what I'm getting out of this shit is that either the Levites would fuck anything that moved or the asshole who wrote this shit did it with a pen in one hand and his dick in the other. Now, am I right or am I right?"

"So, what are we supposed to do? The Legislature says we must have Bible readings in class."
"Let's get a good book, one that's not full of murder and bans on having goat sex, and wrap it in a brown paper bag we wrote 'The Holy Bible' on. That should make everyone happy - the state will think we're getting all Bibled up and we're not reading shit that'd have you put in prison and your teaching license revoked if it was in any other book. It's not like the assholes who wrote this law have ever opened a Bible, right?"

[Solly Mack]

14. Fuck that noise. Sue, sue, and sue some more.

[Redleg]

15. "Prayer Warriors"

Ugghh, I seem to remember Jesus encouraging his followers to be warriors instead of woke wimps.