The Bible and basic civics Members of the Texas State Board of Education prepare for a June 26 meeting on social studies standards. Photo by Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Associated Press America cannot be understood apart from the Bible. At virtually every turn in American history, there is a reference or overture to the Bible. Its place in our storied past has been central—forming our imagination, our ethics, our legal code, our cultural markers, and even our holidays.