Can The Bible Be Outlawed By Schools?

When did the Bible become something to criticize and attack? Last time I checked, freedom of religion, which includes the Bible, was still one of our rights. It seems these days that any type of religious reading is okay, as long as it isn’t the Bible. Ironic, considering that our country was built on the foundation of values found in the Bible.

The separation of Church and State was created to keep government from interfering in the Church, not the other way around. So it’s hard to believe that a school teacher was fired for the benign act of gifting a Bible.

One day in October of 2012, as his students were in line, substitute teacher Walt Tutka stood holding the door for them to pass through. As the final student walked by, Tutka quoted a line from the Bible.

“The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.”

The child took an interest in the line, and was told it was a Bible verse. In the ensuing days, the student approached Tutka about the Bible a number of times, asking where in the Bible the quote could be found. Walt promised to find the exact Bible location. Keeping his word, he searched the Bible and found the passage in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

“I thought that was going to be the end of it, but it wasn’t. He continued to speak with me until one day I happened to have my Bible with me right during lunch. It hit me when he stopped me and I said, ‘Look, here it is right here. Here you go.’ It was a gift.”

As reported by Todd Starnes from Fox News, the teacher was summoned to the principal’s office and made aware of school policy prohibiting the distribution of religious materials, including the Bible. He was subsequently fired.

The Bible was confiscated as contraband.

The EEOC looked into the matter and found in favor of the teacher in December of 2014. They ruled it was an act of discrimination for the Phillipsburg School District to terminate the employment of a teacher for giving a student the Bible.

Hiram Sasser of The Liberty Institute supports the Bible gift.

“This is a great indication the EEOC is taking religious liberty seriously and they are going to enforce the law — and in this case make sure Walt’s rights are protected. This sends a message to school districts that their natural allergic reaction to religion is misplaced, and not only is it wrong — but it’s also an egregious violation of the law.”

Tutka is grateful for the EEOC ruling concerning his Bible gift. He is a member of Gideons International, a ministry that delivers the Bible to school children around the world.

The Bible is a valuable and precious item to many of us. Why should it be wrong to share the Bible with others? Is there place for the Bible in school?

[Image via American Free Press]