Bible stories are required reading for Texas schools

A Texas education panel has approved plans to make Bible reading mandatory for all public school students in the state.

Required readings include the Bible passages about Adam and Eve and the Exodus, where God spoke to Moses in the burning bush. English classics such as Great Expectations by Charles Dickens are also included in the required list.

Critics say the new reading requirements undermine religious freedom and blur the separation of church and state.

Although it doesn’t take effect until 2030, the Republican-controlled State Board of Education approved the measure, which would cover more than five million public school students.

Last year, Texas became the first U.S. state to require classrooms to display the Ten Commandments – a set of biblical rules that some Christians believe God has given to mankind.