The GOP Platform Committee at the Republican National Convention adopted an amendment to the party platform that would give public high schools the option of teaching the Bible as literature. As proposed (and ultimately adopted), the amendment reads:

“A good understanding of the Bible being important to the development of a good citizenry, we encourage state legislatures to offer the Bible as a literature curriculum as an elective in America’s high schools.”

Travis Weber of the Family Research Council says the option is constitutional.

“This [teaching as literature] is a distinction which it is firmly agreed makes it constitutional, permissible under the Establishment Clause,” he explains. “There’s no government here saying This a religious principle that everyone must agree with. And there’s no teaching it as though this is what the faith requires and implying that students must agree with it.”

Weber

He does acknowledge that some members of the committee had concerns about including the measure in the platform.

“Even though they agree with the underlying principles, they feel they don’t want to deal with this issue specifically or would rather not bring it up or are just uncomfortable with an appearance of government – in essence, laying out a religious basis for education,” he tells OneNewsNow.

FRC president Tony Perkins, who is also a delegate to the convention, proposed the amendment. It was ultimately adopted by the full committee.