During last week’s debate over a resolution attacking Islam, Texas State Board of Education member David Bradley, R-Beaumont Buna, once again insisted that the Constitution doesn’t protect separation of church and state. The speaker at the podium represents Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. From TFN TV: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGGVDfVYGLI] […]
Religious Freedom
The Texas Freedom Network supports the constitutional guarantee of the separation of church and state, which protects the right of all Americans to practice the faith of their choice, or none at all, free of government interference.
Unfortunately, efforts to knock down that wall are a constant in Texas. Politicians and extremists continually work to impose their views on others, especially around issues like abortion, access to contraception, and LGBTQIA+ equality. And in a distortion of the principle of religious freedom, far-right groups have supported legislative efforts to allow people to use religion as an excuse to ignore laws they might not like and even as a weapon to discriminate against others.
Resources
- Prayer in Public Schools: A Primer (2001 report)
- The Texas Faith-Based Initiative (2002 report)NDOP_Report_2005_Revised
- A Report on The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (2005 report)
- Reading, Writing & Religion: Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools (2006 report)
- Reading, Writing & Religion II (2013 report)
- Can This Class Be Saved? The ‘Hobby Lobby’ Public School Bible Curriculum (2014 report)
Paranoia at the Texas Board of Education
This is the kind of anti-Muslim paranoia we heard on Friday, when the Texas State Board of Education passed a resolution attacking Islam, claiming textbooks have an anti-Christian/pro-Islamic bias and charging that wealthy Muslims want to buy publishing companies so they can control the minds of American schoolchildren. From TFN TV: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtvwaY5p3x0] […]
TFN Condemns Resolution Passage
UPDATED: It is important to note that opposition to this resolution was bipartisan. Three Democrats (Rick Agosto, Lawrence Allen, Mavis Knight) and three Republicans (Bob Craig, Pat Hardy, Geraldine “Tincy” Miller) voted to reject the resolution. But the board’s far-right members voted, as they almost always do, as a bloc to pass it. With two […]
A Proactive Response to Anti-Muslim Bigotry
As the Texas State Board of Education prepares to join in on the anti-Muslim hostility roiling the country, it is worth noting that many interfaith groups are stepping up their efforts to correct the misinformation and slander circulating about Islam. There are a number of interfaith endeavors scheduled in central Texas in the coming days […]
Texas Ed Board Targets ‘Pro-Islamic Bias’
Need more evidence that Texas State Board of Education members are more interested in promoting “culture war” politics than ensuring schoolchildren get a quality education? Just months after politicizing new social studies curriculum standards for public schools, the state board next week will consider a resolution criticizing publishers for allegedly promoting anti-Christian and pro-Islamic bias […]
