Country music star Kacey Musgraves is going on an angry tirade against Texas, slandering it as some sort of Christian nationalist state by claiming that officials are now “forcing” the Bible on children and “indoctrinating” them after new education rules were passed in the Lone Star State that include using the Sacred Scriptures in school lessons. Conservatives have been quick to point out that at one time, the Bible was the foundation of American education and helped create a culture of shared values.
Musgraves got on her Instagram account to share a story from the Dallas Morning News that featured the headline, “Bible passages will be taught in Texas public schools.” Musgraves’ post included a caption that said, “The Bible being forced by people who don’t even follow it themselves. smfh. This is simply indoctrination and it’s not okay.” Christian philosophers and apologists have noted that all education is a form of indoctrination, as can be clearly seen in modern schools run by the government.
Some, such as Arizona pastor Jeff Durbin, say there’s no such thing as neutrality. Children in school will be indoctrinated with some form of ideology. What matters, according to Durbin and others within the Reformed Reconstruction movement, is that the ideology being taught be true and moral, leaving only Christianity as the most viable option.
According to a report from Breitbart News, Musgraves still has a few shows scheduled in Texas later in the year. However, it remains to be seen if her comments about the state will have an impact on those plans. Musgraves is also a huge supporter of Drag Queen Story Hours at libraries, leading many to question why they should listen to her opinion about children’s education.
The article then reveals that the new education rules don’t actually do any of the things Musgraves says they do. The lessons containing Biblical ideas are not mandatory in Texas schools, thus the Bible is not being “forced” on children. In fact, much of the material is presented in a fairly straightforward and non-controversial manner.
Each school district may pick and choose whether to include those lessons. However, if they implement the plan, they will receive additional funding, so there is an incentive for teaching kids the Bible. The lessons are also geared toward exposing kids in the classroom to basic Christian ideals, informing them that the ideas “are used in both Jewish and Christian worship.” There are no extensive Christian theological discussions contained in the lessons.
For example, a lesson contained in the kindergarten curriculum teaches children to help their neighbor, instructing teachers to educate students about the Golden Rule by using lessons from the Bible. This is the “do unto others as you would like others to do unto you” principle most adults heard growing up. It’s a great principle for learning how to get along with each other. And it comes from the Bible, specifically the teachings of Jesus Christ.
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The lesson also tells teachers to explain that the Scriptures are a “collection of ancient texts” and that its different parts make up “the core books of the Jewish and Christian religions.” A lesson from the third-grade curriculum on the first Thanksgiving directs teachers to discuss how the governor of Plymouth said a prayer and delivered a speech that had references to “several passages from the Christian Bible in the book of Psalms.”
It then tells teachers to instruct the kids about what the book of Psalms is, referring to them as a collection of songs, poems, and hymns “that are used in both Jewish and Christian worship.” After the rules were implemented, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said that the policy was “a critical step forward to bring students back to the basics of education and provide the best education in the nation.”