In the race for St. Cloud School Board in Minnesota, one candidate is already making clear her belief that — separation of church and state be damned — what the district needs most are some good old-fashioned “biblical principles.”

“We need to restore education. Education started using the Bible as the textbook, and we’ve gotten away from that and it’s not going good for us,” said Beth Schlangen, 65, of St. Cloud.

If only someone could ask her when, exactly, education “started” and how she explains the ancient texts that predate the Bible… Then again, that’s raising logical points to an illogical argument, so we shouldn’t expect her to reconcile her statements with reality.

Schlangen, who said God “told her to run,” has also made clear how she wants the Bible to influence curriculum.

When asked if she thought St. Cloud teachers are teaching students to do the wrong things, Schlangen said she has concerns about topics such as sex education. “They are really confusing them about gender,” she said. “If you try to go against the natural path your body takes, you can cause harm to yourself.”

What’s harmful is ignoring the science behind gender identity. That confusion she references doesn’t happen in schools that accept students as they are, which she clearly doesn’t.

The good news is that the five other candidates for the three open seats still support church/state separation. Please, voters in St. Cloud, choose any of those other options. Schlangen may think God wanted her to run — but she didn’t say God told her she would win. So we have that hope, at least.

(Image via Shutterstock. Thanks to Brian for the link)

