Have you heard the news, at least in the U.S.? A few districts have banned the Bible from public schools. Seriously?

So, does that make you angry? In the state of Texas, there was an argument because the Christian Bible was banned, while the holy books from other religions were not restricted. The public argument was mostly about the Islamic Koran, which was still available to students.

Imagine the outrage!

I am writing as a Christian, and I know it is easy for a believer like me to be outraged and emotional. School boards and other levels of government are supposed to be elected and accountable.

I think we should avoid a fight between the religions of Christianity and Islam. There are holy books, in other religions, and they were probably unrestricted too. For example, there are books that are considered sacred, for Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs, to name only a few. Probably those books were also not banned.

If you are interested, here is one video news clip about one of the Bible-in-schools arguments. This one was in Florida:

Notice that someone in Florida saw the foolishness of this decision, and the Bible is now available, without restrictions, to students in that district.

A normal reaction would sound like “What?? [followed by other angry words]!!” That probably happened in the places where a Bible ban was put into schools, and we should not be surprised.

So, should I be outraged, and should I make a loud argument?

My opinion is: No!

Think about a fish hook. If someone puts the correct bait on the hook, a fish will bite. And fish that bite hooks get caught. 

Don’t get caught.

There are at least two lessons here, for Christians like me: 

1) What we should not do:

Don’t be trapped in an argument with other innocent parties. For example, there are differences between what Christians and Muslims believe, and there may be some debates, and even arguments between different groups.

But an argument created by a third party is a trigger. Don’t be triggered.

The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. (Titus 3: 8 to 11)

Don’t go down that road!

2) What we should do:

Don’t forget what you actually believe. Who and what are you? What really matters, in your life? What future are you moving to?

For this, we have these words from Jesus:

The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12: 29 to 31)

Hopefully, arguments about Bibles in schools will be answered by responsible managers and elected officials. We should not have such obvious discrimination.

But, did you know that the Bible is available in many places, for low prices? Or, you could download almost any version, in almost any language, for free. I remember one church where the pastor would preach sermons, but when he mentioned some words in the Bible, many of us pulled our phones out of our pockets and read the words from that “book”. 

He didn’t like that and scolded us for not bringing our Bibles to church.

OK, let’s avoid that argument. Are you interested in learning another language? Those free Bibles on phone apps come in many languages, and often have a recorded voice that reads the words out loud. I worked as a language teacher, and I strongly recommend that free resource.

There are also spiritual reasons for including the Bible in your life, and it is cheap or free for almost everyone.

I hope we can see these lessons.