Louisiana has passed a law that would require the biblical “Ten Commandments” to be posted in plain view in its public schools.
But would the supporters of this Louisiana law ever approve a similar law allowing the Muslim majority in Dearborn, Michigan to display Muslim religious texts in public schools?
I suspect they wouldn’t. And that’s exactly why we must adhere to the first amendment’s long-standing principle of the separation of church and state. In public schools, there must be no proselytizing, and no one should be forced to read religious texts.
The first amendment states “Congress shall pass no law respecting an establishment of religion …”. In essence, this means the government should not endorse a religion or favor one over another.
In a private school religious dogma can be taught and religious texts can be displayed. However, it is unconstitutional for a public school to display the “Ten Commandments”.
As the Christian right becomes more radical and extreme, they also become more bitter about their steadily-declining majority in America; they are now circling the wagons around their religion.
Louisiana wants to program public school students to obey the “Ten Commandments,” yet supports the 2024 presidential republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump who, arguably, has likely violated nine of the ten commandments.
Prior to the current 6-3 conservative majority on the United States Supreme Court, Louisiana law would easily have been seen as an unconstitutional violation of the separation between church and state. But with this rogue Court, it’s a tossup as to what they will decide.
Louisiana Governor Landry stated, “If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawmaker, which was Moses”. But if the goal is for students to respect the rule of law then why not display the Louisiana Penal Law statutes in public schools. Codified in the state penal law are crimes that are similar to commandments six through 10.
Currently the world community has seven theocracies; namely, Iran, Afghanistan, Vatican City, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Sudan. In those countries personal rights, especially for women, are limited and restricted.
The American settlement of Plymouth County in the 17th century was a theocracy where “witches” were executed. Historian George Lincoln Burr wrote, “the Salem witchcraft was the rock on which the theocracy shattered”.
America is not a theocracy and should not become one. This Louisiana law should be declared unconstitutional.
