Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes public schools and universities in Ohio to teach the impacts of Judeo-Christian Religion on American History.

Highlights:

• Authorizes public school teachers and instructors at state institutions of higher education to provide instruction on the positive impacts of religion on American history, which may include the following historical accounts (Sec. 1):

• The history of the pilgrims, including the following;

• The organization of the pilgrims as a church;

• The history of the portrait of the pilgrims displayed in the United States capitol rotunda, and its biblical depictions;

• The religious implications of the Mayflower Compact;

• The treaty with the Native Americans signed by the pilgrims; and

• The first Thanksgiving as an act of gratitude towards God;

• Appeals to divine power and protection in the Declaration of Independence;

• An appeal made to the biblical exodus in the fight for independence;

• The religious background of the signers of the Declaration of Independence;

• The influence of religious leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence;

• The impact of the first and second great awakenings on public policy;

• George Washington’s direction regarding chaplains in the army;

• George Washington’s farewell address;

• Benjamin Franklin’s appeal for prayer at the constitutional convention;

• The influence of religion on the United States Constitution;

• Reverend John Leland’s influence on James Madison;

• The history of the concept of the separation of church and state;

• The debates of Reverend John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg and Reverend Frederick Augustus Mulhenberg;

• The historic role of the black robe regiment;

• The nation’s response to Thomas Paine’s “The Age of Reason;”

• The role of the Ten Commandments in American law;

• Religious influence in the civil rights movement;

• The impact of religious leaders on the nation’s culture;

• The history of the national motto “In God We Trust;” and

• The phrase “religion, morality, and knowledge,” expressed as essential to good government in the Ohio Constitution.

Full Bill Text