‘Is God real? What is Christianity?’ High school assignment draws outrage in Oklahoma

A world history assignment at a public high school in Oklahoma has sparked backlash after it asked students about Christianity and the existence of God.

The Skiatook High School assignment was originally shared on Facebook by Olivia Gray, whose daughter and her classmates were assigned the polarizing research paper titled “How did the world start.”

Students were instructed to answer 10 questions, including “What is Christianity? What does it mean to be a Christian? Is God real? Is satan real?”

“I don’t see what that has to do with world history,” Gray told KOKI.

Her Aug. 15 post received more than 400 shares and 600 comments as of Aug. 21. Gray’s other daughter shared the photo of the assignment on X, formerly Twitter, and it has been viewed 3.3 million times.

The research paper was reportedly assigned by a football coach at the school, whose emergency certification expired in June, according to Osage News.

Nettie Gray, Olivia Gray’s daughter who was assigned the paper, called the questions “confusing,” KJRH reported.

“Weird like (what) if I didn’t give the answer he wanted to hear. I’m like he might give me a lower grade which I know ... he can’t really do that because of school stuff,” the high school sophomore said.

She told KOKI the assignment made her uncomfortable because she is not Christian.

“If you are a Jewish (person) sitting in that class, if you are a Muslim student sitting in that class, how are you going to relate to being asked what Christianity means to you?” Olivia Gray told Osage News.

Skiatook High School is made up of 45% minority students, according to U.S. News & World Report. This includes 16% of students who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native.

Olivia Gray, who is Native, said the questions should not have been asked to Native students.

“If you consider how we’ve been forcefully converted, I don’t think asking us any questions about Christianity is fair at this point,” she told the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise.

Of the 8,450 residents in Skiatook, nearly 1,300 are Native, according to U.S. Census data.

In a statement to multiple news outlets, Skiatook Public Schools said the assignment was determined to be “not conducive to our instructional plan.”

“Administration and staff will continue to collaborate on best practices to meet the Oklahoma Academic Standards,” the statement read. “Skiatook Public Schools encourages parents concerned about any assignment to contact the site administrator.”

The district told KOKI students will not be required to complete the assignment.

The Skiatook High School controversy comes after Oklahoma State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters ordered public schools in the state to incorporate the Bible into lessons for students in grades 5 through 12, the Associated Press reported in June.

Walters referred to the Bible as an “indispensable historical and cultural touchstone,” but his mandate drew immediate pushback.

“Public schools are not Sunday schools,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “This is textbook Christian Nationalism: Walters is abusing the power of his public office to impose his religious beliefs on everyone else’s children. Not on our watch.”

Skiatook is about a 20-mile drive north from Tulsa.

This story was originally published August 21, 2024 at 9:16 AM with the headline "‘Is God real? What is Christianity?’ High school assignment draws outrage in Oklahoma."