Debate Over Texas Textbooks Continues

The heated debate over textbooks continues in Texas.

Liberals and conservatives are divided over some issues including race and religion.

If you view the fight over school books in Texas as a major battle in the culture wars -- then the social conservatives on the state's board of education have been winning most of the skirmishes.

In a string of victories they pushed through language that will require a return to the use of BC and AD when referring to periods of time in history.

Conservatives also pushed through language that will require a focus on Roman Catholic Saint Thomas Aquinas and French theologian John Calvin.

And there will be textbook passages that examine the phrase "laws of nature and of nature's god." which appears in the Declaration of Independence.

That one passed 11 – 3 -- one person abstained. Conservatives also beat back a measure that would have required textbooks to emphasize the separation of church and state.

The liberals on the board were getting frustrated by that point.

There was more frustration when liberals on the board tried to require a focus on minority recipients of the Medal of Honor.

Texas is one of the "biggest buyers" of school textbooks. And its choices could influence what goes into books used across the country.