{"id":1938,"date":"2024-06-24T21:51:35","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T01:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/feettofaith\/?p=1938"},"modified":"2024-06-24T21:51:35","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T01:51:35","slug":"louisiana-mandates-posting-the-ten-commandments-in-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/feettofaith\/2024\/06\/louisiana-mandates-posting-the-ten-commandments-in-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Louisiana Mandates Posting The Ten Commandments In Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Image by Jondolar Schnurr from Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

What\u2019s on your wall? If you\u2019re a student in Louisiana, one thing will soon be a fixture in every classroom. That state now mandates posting The Ten Commandments in schools. Critics of this requirement have already vowed a constitutional challenge in the courts based on the First Amendment\u2019s Establishment Clause. Will the law pass that test?<\/p>\n

The New Law<\/strong><\/h3>\n In May, Louisiana state legislators approved House Bill 71<\/a>\u00a0which Governor Jeff Landry then signed into law<\/a> on June 19th<\/sup>. The legislation requires display of the Ten Commandments in all public classrooms from kindergarten through college<\/a> classes at state-funded universities.\u00a0It also specifies the appearance of the displays\u2014poster-sized with wording in \u201clarge, easily readable font<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n A short fuse exists for compliance with the new law. The start of 2025<\/a> is the deadline for having posters in place.\u00a0And state funds will not be utilized<\/a> to implement the mandate.<\/p>\n Posting The Ten Commandments In Schools Will Add Posters to Classrooms [Image by Victor Salazar from Pixabay]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA First<\/strong><\/h3>\n**** With Gov. Landy\u2019s signature on the bill, Louisiana became the first state in the country to require the posting<\/a> of the Ten Commandments in all public-school classrooms.\u00a0However, other states<\/a>, such as Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah may follow suit.\u00a0In fact, the lieutenant governor of Texas publicly pledged<\/a> to pass a similar mandate in the Lone Star State.<\/p>\n Public Reaction To Posting The Ten Commandments In Schools<\/strong><\/h3>\n Public reaction to this Louisiana law ranges from exultation to vilification. Former President Donald Trump enthusiastically endorsed the idea of such a display and has called for a \u201creligious revival.\u201d <\/a>On social media, he posted \u201cBRING BACK TTC!!!\u201d<\/p>\n On the other end of the political spectrum, opponents, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (\u201cACLU\u201d), question the constitutionality of the new law. They argue that this requirement for a religious text to be in all public classrooms violates the Establishment Clause<\/a> of the US Constitution. For this reason, the ACLU has already vowed<\/a> to mount a legal challenge.<\/p>\n First Amendment Considerations<\/strong><\/h3>\n At the crux of any legal challenge will be the correct interpretation of the Constitution\u2019s First Amendment. That portion of the Bill of Rights says in key part: \u201cCongress shall make no law<\/a> respecting an establishment of religion\u2026.\u201d Traditionally, the US Supreme Court has used what\u2019s called the Lemon <\/em>test<\/a>, after a case involving a party named Lemon, to analyze Establishment Clause cases.<\/p>\n Under that test, a law must meet three requirements<\/a> to withstand a constitutional challenge: it has a secular legislative purpose, the primary effect is neither to advance nor inhibit religion; it doesn\u2019t foster a government entanglement with religion. More recent Supreme Court opinions, however, have moved away from the Lemon<\/em> test to focus on historical practices and understandings<\/a>.<\/p>\n Historical practices are considered when constitutional challenges are based on the Establishment Clause [Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhy The New Law Could Be Constitutional<\/strong><\/h3>\n**** Supporters of Louisiana\u2019s mandate for posting the Ten Commandments in school urge the law does not have a solely religious purpose. Although the Ten Commandments come from the Bible, they have historical significance. Along with the posters, the new law requires a four-paragraph context statement<\/a>. This statement describes how the Ten Commandments \u201cwere a prominent part of American public education<\/a> for almost three centuries.\u201d \u00a0The passage of the Louisiana mandate evidences the legislators\u2019 belief that religion, specifically Christianity, has been front and center<\/a> in the founding and history of this country and its public institutions.\u00a0Teaching history to students serves a secular purpose, and no government entanglement results if private funding provides for the required postings.<\/p>\n The Ten Commandments are not the only historical writings Louisiana\u2019s law addresses. Although not required, the law authorizes displaying other documents in public K-12 schools. These documents include<\/a> The Mayflower Compact (also referred to as \u201cAmerica\u2019s First Constitution\u201d) signed by religious pilgrims in 1620, the Declaration of Independence, and the Northwest Ordinance. Even though they may have a religious aspect, these documents serve as pieces of US history and give support to the claim the legislators\u2019 primary focus rests on teaching history.<\/p>\n Beyond Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic<\/strong><\/h3>\n Students do go to school to learn basics such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. But is that all that they need to know? Shouldn\u2019t they also be learning how to get along with others and in society? Rep. Dodie Horton, the bill\u2019s author, would answer that question in the affirmative, seeing the Ten Commandments as offering a \u201cmoral code\u201d<\/a> in the classroom. \u00a0In this vein, an appropriate secular purpose for the required posting could be to provide good guidelines for appropriate behavior in society in general and in the classroom in particular.<\/p>\n Desired Behavior In School And Critical Thinking<\/strong><\/h3>\n Arguing against the guidelines of the Ten Commandments<\/a>, as opposed to their source, seems unreasonable. Do schools want students to use disrespectful and ugly language? (Third Commandment<\/a>) Shouldn\u2019t they respect their parents and other authority figures such as teachers, coaches, and principals as well? (Fifth Commandment<\/a>) Should students believe in killing others whether in the school or outside of it? (Sixth Commandment<\/a>) School officials don\u2019t want students to steal from others whether that\u2019s a physical taking of money or property or taking someone\u2019s answers to cheat on a test. (Eighth Commandment<\/a>) Nor do school officials want their charges to lie making false claims about other students or about school personnel. (Ninth Commandment<\/a>)<\/p>\n Some of the Ten Commandments, such as the First<\/a>, expressly address God as recognized by Christians. Learning the beliefs of a specific religion is educational. Whether the student accepts that belief is their decision. Shouldn\u2019t students develop critical-thinking skills? Determining what they do or do not believe is a step everyone takes at some point. That applies to religion as well as a host of other topics in life.<\/p>\n *************** * The Supreme Court may ultimately rule on a challenge to posting The Ten Commandments in schools [Image by Mark Thomas from Pixabay]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhat\u2019s Ahead For Posting The Ten Commandments In Schools?<\/strong><\/h3>\n*** ** Louisiana\u2019s mandate to post the Ten Commandments in schools signals the beginning of what likely is likely to become a long and hard-fought battle in the courts, perhaps even going all the way to the Supreme Court. The resolution will not depend on religious or political beliefs. The bottom line is what the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment allows. And that determination is a legal question.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ** ***************What\u2019s on your wall? If you\u2019re a student in Louisiana, one thing will soon be a fixture in every classroom. That state now mandates posting The Ten Commandments in schools. Critics of this requirement have already vowed a constitutional challenge in the courts based on the First Amendment\u2019s Establishment Clause. Will the law pass that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5354,"featured_media":1941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[398,603,315,1],"tags":[594,591,597,600,588],"class_list":["post-1938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-law","category-news","category-uncategorized","tag-first-amendment","tag-louisiana","tag-schools","tag-supreme-court","tag-ten-commandments"],"yoast_head":"\nPosting The Ten Commandments in schools<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One thing will soon be a fixture in every Louisiana classroom. 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