Texas Students Could Be Punished for Quoting the Bible If Gov. Abbott Signs New Bill Into Law: SB 326/HB 2391
Christian theology and history would fall under Texas' new definition of "hate"—silently criminalized through a foreign speech code never shown to the public.
A Bible verse. A church history lesson. A theological claim that Jesus was crucified by the Jews.
These are not fringe opinions. They’re foundational truths of the Christian faith, recorded in Scripture and preached for two millennia.
And under a new bill passed by Texas lawmakers in the state’s Senate and House, quoting them could now get students punished in public schools—not for what they say, but for what political operatives have now decided those words mean.
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The bill, HB 2391 (SB 326), will soon head over to Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) desk.
As far as I can tell, SB 326 passed the Texas Senate on April 14, 2025, passed the Texas House on April 30, 2025, with amendments, and now requires the Senate’s final approval of those amendments before it can be sent to the governor to be signed into law.
If signed into law, it will quietly embed a foreign anti-Christian speech code into Texas education policy, allowing schools to punish students for Bible-based beliefs, Christian doctrine, and historical facts—all while pretending to uphold “tolerance.”
This isn’t just bad policy.
It’s an assault on the First Amendment, a violation of religious liberty, and a direct attack on free speech rights protected by the U.S. Constitution.
Texans who oppose Gov. Abbott signing this bill into law can make their voices heard here.
The bill’s author, Senator Phil King (R), can be contacted here.
The author on the House side, Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R), can be contacted here.
What the Bill Says—And What It Hides
HB 2391 amends the Texas Education Code to say that when a student is being disciplined for a code of conduct violation, schools must consider whether the behavior was “motivated by antisemitism.”
But rather than define antisemitism, the bill instructs schools to follow Section 448.001 of the Government Code—which also does not define antisemitism.
Instead, it defers to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and its 2016 “Working Definition of Antisemitism.”
The actual definition isn’t included in the bill.
It isn’t printed in the statute.
It’s not shown to parents.
It’s buried behind a hyperlink that leads to an external list of politically charged examples—several of which are explicitly anti-Christian, anti-Bible, and anti-historical.
The IHRA’s Anti-Christian Definition—To Be Enforced in Texas Schools
Here’s what the IHRA says counts as antisemitism:
“Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.”
Here’s how the definition appears on the IHRA website:
That’s right. The IHRA officially considers the Biblical and historical claim that Jews killed Jesus to be antisemitic.
But the Bible says it clearly:
Matthew 12:14 says that the Pharisees, who were Jewish leaders, “went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.”
Matthew 26:3-4 says the chief priests and the elders, also leaders of the Jews, had “gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.”
Mark 14:1 says the leading Jewish “priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him.”
Luke 22:2 says the Jewish “chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.”
In Matthew 27, Pontius Pilate took water and washed his hands in front of the Jewish crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood” and “[i]t is your responsibility!” (v. 24) before ordering Jesus to be crucified. Verse 25 says, “All the people answered, ‘His blood is on us and on our children!’”
In John 19:4-7, it says Pilate again “came out and said to the Jews gathered there, ‘Look, I am bringing [Jesus] out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.’ When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man!’ As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, ‘Crucify! Crucify!’ But Pilate answered, ‘You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.’ The Jewish leaders insisted, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.’”
In Acts 2, after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, the Apostle Peter addresses his “fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem” (v. 14), preaching, “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (vv. 22-23).
In Acts 3:12-15, after Peter heals a lame beggar, he says to the astonished crowd: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.”
In Acts 4:8-11, Peter says to the Jewish leaders: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’”
In 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16, the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica: “You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.”
These are not fringe verses. They are canonical Scripture.
Yet under HB 2391, if a student quotes them in class, during a debate, or in a project—and someone claims offense—the school is legally required to evaluate whether the conduct was “motivated by antisemitism” using the IHRA’s foreign standard.
This turns Bible teaching into hate speech, and faithful students into disciplinary targets.
It’s Also Anti-History
It’s not just Scripture that’s on the chopping block.
Christian theology and history itself are now considered dangerous. Why?
Because the same IHRA definition—to be weaponized in Texas law—implies that:
Historical church teachings about Jewish involvement in the crucifixion,
Statements from early theologians, reformers, and church councils,
And political comparisons of modern Israel to past regimes
are all examples of antisemitism.
In other words, Texas lawmakers have adopted a policy that doesn’t just criminalize faith—it erases historical inquiry, theological doctrine, and educational integrity.
This is nothing short of anti-historical censorship.
The Mechanism of Constitutional Subversion
HB 2391 doesn’t say it’s banning Christianity.
It doesn’t have to.
Here’s how it works:
A student is accused of violating a vague school rule—“offensive speech,” “hostile environment,” or “verbal misconduct.”
That rule can be triggered by a Scripture reading, a theological claim, or a historical reference to Jewish involvement in Christ’s death.
HB 2391 forces the school to evaluate the student’s motive using the IHRA’s standard.
The IHRA standard labels core elements of Christianity as antisemitism.
Result: Texas public schools are now legally obligated to enforce a foreign, anti-Christian censorship policy—without due process, without legislative transparency, and without public consent.
This violates the free exercise of religion, the freedom of speech, and the right of students to express their faith without fear of state punishment—all guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Abbott’s Choice: Protect Religious Liberty—or Kill It Silently
This is a defining moment.
If Governor Abbott signsSB 326/HB 2391, he will be endorsing a law that:
Criminalizes Christian theology under the guise of “antisemitism”
Hides its speech codes in foreign legal language the public cannot see
Outsources Texas disciplinary standards to an unaccountable global body
Opens the floodgates for punishing students simply for quoting the Bible
This is a direct, institutional threat to the religious freedom of every Christian student in Texas.
It is anti-Bible. Anti-Christian. Anti-history. And anti-Constitutional.
The Bottom Line
SB 326/HB 2391 is a Trojan Horse for blasphemy laws.
It doesn’t declare Scripture illegal—it just makes it punishable.
It doesn’t say Christian theology is banned—it just calls it “hate.”
It doesn’t rewrite the Bible—it just turns your children into offenders for quoting it.
This is how free speech dies in America—not through laws that say “you can’t speak,” but through policies that say “your motive was wrong.”
If Abbott signs this bill, the Constitution will mean nothing in Texas schools.
And Christian students will learn that quoting God’s Word carries consequences.
Unless the people speak up now.
Follow Jon Fleetwood: Instagram @realjonfleetwood / Twitter @JonMFleetwood
What the hell is happening to Texas? I'm a Jew and this law makes me want to vomit. AIPAC must have its claws into state legislatures too.
The political/religious dogma killed Jesus and I dare say if He showed up today our "leaders" would have Him under house arrest in minutes