Thoughts on Mahmoud v. Taylor

A few weeks ago, on June 28th, 2025, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Mahmoud v. Taylor that parents can opt their children out of reading LGBTQ+ books on religious grounds. I suspect this will be a landmark decision, and I am not alone in this suspicion. Johann Neem opined that this ruling marks the beginning of the end of public education in the United States. Neem brings up a valid point. In a public sphere with such a diverse representation of viewpoints, it is nearly impossible to introduce perspectives that do not offend someone’s religious sensibilities. It calls into question the need for public education, the standardization of curricula, and a host of other issues.

As a product and former employee of the public education system, I see its value to the American ideal of a melting pot. There needs to be a space where a majority of the public can safely interact with one another. Otherwise, the future of our republic is in grave danger. If we become a salad bowl of siloed opinions that cannot communicate and engage peacefully with one another, we run the risk of becoming a house so divided that we cannot stand. Public schools are uniquely positioned to transmit our nation’s shared cultural values to the next generation, and with immigration as high as it currently is, America needs them more than ever.

However, seeing public schools’ necessity does not mean they get a free pass to do just anything. Someone has to determine which values they transmit. Much of this is embedded in the collective worldview. Do we pass on Judeo-Christian values, Greco-Roman values, secular humanist values, Muslim values, traditional conservative values, liberal progressive values, or some other type of values? Equally important, who decides? Let’s dispense with the myth of a values-neutral education; it does not exist. When people coexist, decisions must be made, and these decisions inevitably draw upon their values and worldviews. The collective certainty of all parties involved complicates the decision making, and so there are valid reasons to be concerned about the future of public education.

The United States was built upon a Protestant Christian culture. Yes, we have had atheists, Catholics, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and a host of other religions that have contributed to the culture, but it remains primarily Protestant. Freedom of choice is essential to the Protestant worldview and animates much of our collective culture. Decentralized, local government is not a product of the Levitical priesthood, Roman Catholic orthodoxy, or Shariah law, but rather the belief that individuals must make their own decisions. We do not demand conversion for citizenship and do not execute blasphemers, cultists, or heretics. Whether this is the “best” way is open for discussion, but it has been generally true since the founding of our nation.

This biblical Christian culture and worldview have been under increasing attack in recent decades. At the heart of these attacks is a battle for America’s soul. Will we collectively submit, in a general sense, to the lordship of Jesus, or will we rebel and do what is right in our own eyes? This remains to be seen, but milestones exist that indicate the outcome.

• In June 2005, the Supreme Court ruled twice on public displays of the Ten Commandments.

  • In Van Orden v. Perry, they ruled that the state could acknowledge religion without establishing it.

  • In McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky, they ruled that the state could not act to openly and principally further religious interests.

• In June 2015, they legalized homosexual “marriage” with Obergefell v. Hodges, a travesty about which I have previously written.

• And in June 2025, they ruled on Mahmoud v. Taylor.

These decisions all happened in June, and all happened a decade apart. I could (and may) write on the significance of June, and the significance of the years ending in 5, but for today, I want to briefly discuss the importance of them being 10 years apart. Ten symbolizes divine order, law, responsibility, and completeness. In Numbers That Preach, Troy Brewer connects these concepts with God’s kingdom--His legal system in the earth--and Jesus’ lordship over it. Jesus is Lord, but He becomes Lord either through humility or judgment. When humanity lacks humility, God sometimes shows up to judge and reorder the natural world according to His plan. Ten generations after Adam, God flooded the earth to judge rebellion, and He judged rebellious Pharaoh and the Egyptians with ten plagues. 

Currently, the milestones seem to suggest that we are, by God’s grace, self-correcting. Given the choice, I prefer humility to judgment. I would rather the Supreme Court shift us back towards God than a flood or ten plagues. It remains to be seen how this ruling will impact the future of public education. Will public school systems adopt more righteous curricula? Will they dissolve entirely, and will we return to a country of private schools? If so, will the United States of America continue as a nation with a Christian culture and worldview?

Time will tell. For now, I’m grateful the pendulum is swinging back in the right direction, and I hope (without much evidence) that the Supreme Court will eventually overturn Obergefell v. Hodges. Unraveling the damage done by LGBTQ+ activism takes time, and time is running out. But we serve a gracious God, and I believe that our repentance invites His mercy. May we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, so that He hears from heaven, forgives our sin, heals our land, and continues to bless our nation (2 Chronicles 7:14).