America's Christian assholes want to throw out the Establishment Clause of our Bill of Rights so they can make America a Christian theocracy. President Fucktard Trump is on their side.

Here's why President Trump was tweeting support for an Indiana Bible bill

A bill filed in the Indiana Statehouse hasn’t received a hearing yet, but it’s gotten the attention of President Donald Trump.

Monday morning, Trump tweeted support for states introducing “Bible literacy” classes. He seemed to be referencing a story from the television show “Fox and Friends” that highlighted states that introduced such bills. They include Indiana, North Dakota, Missouri, West Virginia, Virginia and Florida.

Numerous states introducing Bible Literacy classes, giving students the option of studying the Bible. Starting to make a turn back? Great!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2019

Indiana's Senate Bill 373 would do several things, all related to religion and education. It would allow schools to mandate the teaching of creationism, require all schools to put posters of the American flag, state flag and motto “In God We Trust” in all classrooms and allow students to get elective credit for religious studies.

It would also require that schools teaching a course on religions of the world include the study of the Bible. State law already allowed for the course, but doesn't specify any particular religious texts. Such courses are supposed to include the historical study of religion, the cultural study of religion and a literary study of writings and documents relating to “various religions.” It must also be “neutral, objective and balanced.”

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With similar measures being proposed in several states right now, "Bible literacy" is gaining attention in conservative circles and caught Trump's attention Monday morning.

Greg Shufeldt, an assistant professor in Butler University's political science department, said the president is likely throwing his support behind an initiative favored by his evangelical base to deflect some of the criticism that group has given him for ending the government shutdown.

Trump agreed last week to reopen the government for three weeks as he continues to lobby Congress for money for a wall along the southern U.S. border.

"This is a low-stakes thing to do," Shufeldt said. "He can communicate to his supporters that he is attempting to fight for them."

The policy implications are probably less important, Shufeldt said, than the political points.

Filed by Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, Indiana's bill has been assigned to the Senate’s education committee but hasn’t been scheduled for a hearing. The committee chair, Sen. Jeff Raatz, has signed on as a co-sponsor.

Kruse, who said he filed the bill to bring more religion back into society, has unsuccessfully pursued some of its proposals in previous sessions. He said he filed the bill now, in part, because of the new makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court.

It’s unclear if the bill will get a hearing, but should it pass, the more conservative makeup of the court could be important because at least one provision is likely to be challenged. Kruse’s bill would allow school districts to set policies that “require the teaching of various theories concerning the origin of life, including creation science, within the school corporation.”

The nation's highest court found the required teaching of creationism to be unconstitutional in a 1987 case, Edwards v. Aguillard. The court was considering a Louisiana law that required creation science be taught alongside evolutionary science in public schools, which it found to be in violation of the First Amendment’s establishment clause because the law was intended to advance a particular religion.

That clause states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” The court has interpreted that provision to extend to state and local governments as well, said Daniel Conkle, a professor at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law.

“It’s quite clear that it would be unconstitutional under existing U.S. Supreme Court precedent to require the teaching of creation science,” Conkle said. “That’s pretty well established.”

In Indiana, Kruse is not shy about his aim of promoting Christianity with his bill.

“I’m a Christian person and a religious person,” he said. “I think we need more Christianity and more religion in our society, in our state.”

Call IndyStar education reporter Arika Herron at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @ArikaHerron.