US high school assignment asking students 'Is God real?' sparks outrage. Viral post

The assignment quickly drew widespread condemnation. (Image: Olivia Gray/Facebook)

A high school homework assignment in Oklahoma, US, has come under fire for asking students to address sensitive religious questions. The assignment, titled "How did the world start?" was shared by a concerned parent on social media, has since sparked a heated debate over the role of religion in public education.

The controversy began when Olivia Gray posted a photo of her sophomore daughter Nettie Gray’s world history homework from Skiatook High School. The assignment, titled "How did the world start?" had several provocative questions: "Is God real?", "Is Satan real?", “What is religion?”, “When did evil start or did it always exist?” among others.

Olivia’s Facebook post, dated August 15, expressed her shock and outrage, calling the task "some crazy s---" and questioning the appropriateness of such content in a public school setting.

“This is some crazy s--- overall and also on a technical level. Literally the kid had been in school ONE WEEK,” Olivia wrote, capturing the sentiments of many parents who were equally appalled.

The assignment quickly drew widespread condemnation, with numerous people expressing their concerns in the comments section of Olivia’s post.

“I would love to see the teacher’s grading rubric… that’s an assignment I would struggle with as a college level student. What are the “right” answers? I don’t think I even wanna know,” one user commented.

A second wrote: “I find it extremely disturbing content...how old is Nettie? And I thought there was separation of church and state in the US Constitution?”

“So now she is being FORCED to spill her personal beliefs and will be graded on such?” a third said.

In response to the growing backlash, Skiatook Public Schools released a statement on August 19, acknowledging the issue. “Skiatook Public Schools became aware of the World History assignment in question through a social media post,” the statement read. “Once administration reviewed the assignment, it was determined that the presentation of the material was not conducive to our instructional plan.”

The district assured parents and the community that they are taking steps to prevent similar incidents in the future. “Administration and staff will continue to collaborate on best practices to meet the Oklahoma Academic Standards,” the statement added.