By Jordan Hatfield, The Register-Herald
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Senate beat back at attempt on Tuesday on a 15-19 vote along party lines to include all sacred texts and religions in a bill that would allow elective courses on the instruction of the Bible in public high schools.
A similar amendment was attempted when the bill was making its way through the West Virginia House of Delegates last week, but also failed.
House Bill 4780 would allow local county school boards the option to require the elective be taught in their district. It would also allow students to be taught the contents of the text in an objective manner that would not promote a religion, emphasizing the history, philosophy, law and culture of the religion.
A similar bill passed through the Senate last week. Senate Bill 38, which would allow for the same elective, would include all sacred texts and comparative religion as spelled out in an amendment by Sen. Stephen Baldwin, D-Greenbrier. However, the bill has not made its way out of the House Education committee since passing the Senate.
Baldwin offered the same amendment Tuesday to the House’s version of the bill, but it did not have the same fate. He expressed his confusion to his former senators who questioned his amendment by pointing out they passed a bill in the Senate including all sacred texts and comparative religions only six days ago. …