Not only do Texas school students have a 1st Amendment right to access The Bible, but students are deprived of a full understanding of history and English without it -- that was the case presented by one group on Monday to the Texas State Board of Education at an Austin meeting during which the board was expected to make a decision on new elementary school teaching curricula that includes Biblical matters..
Banning access to Bibles in Texas schools keeps students from truly understanding the world around them, the group "Texas Values" told the board.
Because religion and especially Christianity have had profound influence in the shaping not only of America but societies worldwide, leaving out The Bible by keeping it out of schools deprives students of recognizing the true influence of religion on world history and the adopting of rules in languages such as English.
"We believe that having access to The Bible will make kids better prepared for college and have a better understanding of the world in the future," Mary Elizabeth Castle, Texas Values' Director of Government Relations, told Newsradio 740 KTRH.
"The Bible gives students a well-rounded understanding of so many references -- over 300 idioms -- that we use every day, that they need to know [in order] to have better reading comprehension, and better understanding of literature and even history," she added.
And students have a 1st Amendment right to access to the Bible, she said.
"At the end of the day, these references to the Bible are protected by the 1st Amendment and they do have a right to learn these things and they don't violate the Establishment Clause."
Lack of access to a Bible keeps students from understanding the context and origination of many aspects of Western culture, Castle said.
"For example, you're going to learn about the Golden Rule in this curriculum, but many students don't know where that comes from, so having an understanding of these Biblical materials will help them understand these good values," Castle added.