As a life-long Christian, Educational Therapist/Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist and lay minister, I have some very strong words to say about Bible curriculum in public schools. I am also a former Christian school and public-school classroom teacher of additional 15 years combined. About four months ago, I drove up to Austin, TX and presented this statement to the Texas Board of Education. Adopting Bible curriculum in public schools is straight up Christian Nationalism and is a violation of religious freedom for all students. I was one of MANY lay ministers, clergy, and rabbis who opposed this adoption of curriculum of this kind. Here is the statement I made.
Hello, my name is Julie Nichols. I am an Educational Therapist serving in private secular practice in the San Antonio, TX area. I serve neurodivergent students of all ages. Most of my students attend public school although I have small numbers of homeschooled, private schooled students, and adults. I am also a certified lay minister and have published a number of articles about inclusion of neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ youth and families in both religious and non-religious settings.
My own young adult children went to private Christian schools for most of their schooling, were raised in the Church, and I have served in Christian ministry most of my life in one form or another. Currently in addition to my secular Ed. Therapy private practice, I serve in reconciliation ministry to help heal the wombs Christian Nationalism has caused to Neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ kids/young adults and their parents. My husband of 30 years and have young adult children.
As an Educational Therapist, I see the negative impacts of Christian Nationalism in both religious and non-religious schools which are mostly in the area of exclusion. I also experience the negative effects of Christian Nationalism while serving in reconciliation ministry due to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric.
As a life-long Christian, Educational Therapist, particularly an educator with Christian school experience, I oppose Bible instruction being taught in public school. Public schools are composed of children from many religious faiths and those children without religious backgrounds. I think it is very anti-Christian, anti-Texan, and anti-American to teach Bible instruction on those who are not being raised in Christian homes who are many students. What kind of message would we send if our public schools teach Bible instruction and the Ten Commandments, but we don’t provide free and reduced lunches, we don’t provide better services for students with disabilities, we don’t properly pay our teachers, and we don’t fully-fund our public schools so all students are better-served? We are saying that Jesus is a bully who excludes when he is actually a God of love and inclusion who served those most marginalized from society.
Please give this some thought as our legislation impacts the lives and well-being of our students and teachers. I thank you for your time and service.
I don’t think a number of Texas Christians understand what an encroachment of civil rights and religious freedom this is for students who are either not Christian like Jewish, Hindu, atheist, agnostic, etc…., or students who are a different kind of Christian than the Religious Right. I am reaching a point where I am calling myself a follower of Christ rather than a Christian because of what the Religious Right is doing. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs says that basic needs of hunger and safety come before any other needs can be met. The Religious Right abandons basic decency, basic needs and rights of all students, and humanity in order to push through what they desire.
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