Oklahoma
Editorial: Religious freedom under attack in Oklahoma schools
For people who supposedly revere the Founding Fathers, some Christian conservatives seem to have no problem ignoring one of their most abiding principles: the separation of church and state. Now the chief of schools in Oklahoma is demanding that all public schools teach the Bible from grades 5 through 12, saying it is necessary for an understanding of the country’s history. It is more of an attempt to ignore much of that history.
The Bible can have a valid place in public school classrooms. In a 1968 case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that although the daily Bible reading in Pennsylvania schools was an unconstitutional effort to inculcate religious teachings, the Bible can be a part of the lesson plan “when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education.”
Literature, for example, is full of biblical references. How could students understand John Steinbeck’s classic, “East of Eden,” if they aren’t familiar with Eden or the story of Abel and Cain? Shakespeare’s plays are filled with biblical references. Comparative religion classes are another appropriate place to visit the Bible in public school; the AP World History course includes a unit on world religions.
But that’s not what’s happening in Oklahoma — where, by the way, teachers already were free to use the Bible if it was relevant to an objective or secular lesson. In a memo, state Supt. of Public Instruction Ryan Walters said that the Bible and Ten Commandments must be taught in the classroom because of “their substantial influence on our nation’s founders and the foundational principles of our Constitution.”
While he didn’t say it explicitly, Walters’ language strongly implies the very thing that the 1st Amendment sought to prevent: that the United States be governed as a Christian nation. It is certainly the predominant faith in the country, but the Constitution prohibits religion from being imposed on others by popular vote or political mandate.
In his new guidelines for teachers, Walters goes out of his way to repeat wording about using the Bible only in the context of literature, history, art and so forth. But his guidelines call for teachers to use it for close literary analysis of writing. It certainly makes for an unusual choice over the genius of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ernest Hemingway, Maya Angelou and the like. Because teachers have limited teaching time, the mandate pushes out great works of literature and the consideration of great cultures that are not Western.
The careful wording can’t mask what is clearly an effort by Christian conservatives to blur the line between church and state in the classroom, especially in a country that is growing in religious diversity. It goes alongside the Louisiana governor’s recent order to place the Ten Commandments in public schools and a recent decision by Oklahoma’s state board to approve a Catholic charter school. Charter schools are privately operated but publicly funded, and the state Supreme Court rejected the use of taxpayer money for a religious school.
Expect more moves to bring Judeo-Christian religion into schools. It is unclear, given recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings, whether today’s court majority will honor the wise precedents that preserved Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation” between church and state intact. The current wave of Christian nationalism should, if anything, prod the justices to keep that wall as strong and clearly delineated as their predecessors did.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — If you have been waiting for the opening of a popular fast-food chain in Oklahoma City, your wait is almost over.
On Tuesday, Bojangles will open its first Oklahoma location in Oklahoma City.
The new restaurant, located at 13135 N. Pennsylvania Ave. in Oklahoma City, has a list of events planned throughout opening day.
The first 100 guests in line on April 28th will receive a $100 gift card and exclusive, Oklahoma City -themed merchandise.
Also, 10 dine-in guests can enter for a chance to win free Bojangles breakfast for a year.
At 3 p.m. on April 28, the restaurant will transform into a full-scale block party. Guests will be able to enjoy a live DJ, a mechanical bull, branded merchandise, and a sweepstakes.
“We are ecstatic about introducing Bojangles to Oklahoma and bringing our unique Southern charm to the market,” said Jose Armario, CEO of Bojangles. “Our recent expansions into new markets have been met with tremendous enthusiasm, and we are confident that the Oklahoma City community will embrace our delicious offerings with the same excitement.”
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The new store will open its doors at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28th.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are taking on the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of their opening-round series. The OKC Thunder are hoping that they can repeat their Sunday afternoon performance in this contest. Game 2 will be an interesting test with the Suns having more time to prepare.
Phoenix was up against a rock and a hard place in the series opener. The Oklahoma City Thunder not only have the talent advantage but the rest advantage as well. Phoenix punched their ticket to the NBA Playoffs on Friday night by staving off the Golden State Warriors on Friday night before landing in Oklahoma City on Saturday and playing on Saturday afternoon to the tune of a 119-84 blowout Thunder victory.
The NBA has seen plenty of upsets already. The Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers have all stolen games from the higher seed. The Thunder know they have to keep the foot on the gas in this contest.
“These series are unpredictable. No 2 games are the same. The minute you make an assumption, you are overconfident, or the minute you go down and you’re overly urgent, that can impact your ability to be present in the next game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said pregame on Wednesday night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are seeing the Suns make an adjustment with their starting lineup by inserting Collin Gillespie to give Phoenix a trio of ball handling scoring options alongside Devin Booker and Jalen Green. This gives the Suns hope to be able to find better shot quality against this stifling Thunder defensive unit.
Oklahoma City is healthier now than they have been all season. The Thunder only are missing rookie Thomas Sorber (ACL) who is out for the year. This allows the Bricktown Ballers to roll out their traditional first five in this contest.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns, Game 2 Starting Lineup
Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Lineup
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G
- Lu Dort, G
- Jalen Williams, F
- Chet Holmgren, F
- Isaiah Hartenstein, C
Phoenix Suns Starting Lineup
- Devin Booker, G
- Jalen Green, G
- Collin Gillespie, G
- Dillon Brooks, F
- Oso Ighodaro, C
The series will shift to Phoenix this weekend as the Oklahoma City Thunder hope to head into Saturday afternoon’s Game 3 with a 2-0 advantage in the series.
Stay tuned to Thunder on SI for complete coverage of the NBA Playoff run for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA (KOKH) — The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a home fire late Tuesday evening, around 10:42 p.m.
According to OKCFD, fire could be seen from a window of the home located in the 4200 block of N. Phillips Avenue.
Firefighters were able to rescue an adult female from inside the home. No injuries were reported in connection with the fire.
Investigators believe that the fire may have originated from an outlet near the refrigerator that had a power strip plugged in that was supplying multiple appliances.
There was also no smoke detector present within the home.
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