Classes on the Bible can now be freely taught in state-funded schools in Kentucky after a Bill was passed last week.
Governor Matt Bevin, an evangelical Christian, signed the ‘Bible Literacy Bill’ into law.
The aim of the Bill is to increase biblical literacy and teach students about the role the Bible played in American history.
Biblical principles
The class will not be mandatory and each school board in the state will be given the option to offer it or not.
It will focus on providing “knowledge of biblical content, characters, poetry, and narratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporary society and culture”.
Sponsor of the Bill, Republican D.J. Johnson, said that the Bible “really did set the foundation that our founding fathers used to develop documents like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights”.
“All of those came from principles from the Bible”, he added.
Choose Life
Kentucky joins several other states that have passed legislation to allow for classes on Bible literacy in public schools, including Alabama and Florida.
Last year, Gov. Bevin signed a Bill requiring that mothers be given the facts about abortion.
The ‘informed consent’ Bill was praised by pro-life groups who said it would stop abortionists circumventing an existing law.
It requires abortion providers to give mothers biological facts and medical information in person, or by video, at least a day before they have an abortion.
Before the Bill was passed, clinics had been skirting around a 1998 pro-life law by making mothers listen to a pre-recorded message over the phone.