USA: Louisiana Requires Ten Commandments Posted in Schools
A law has been signed that mandates the posting of the Decalogue in every classroom
Beginning in 2025, the Ten Commandments must be posted in every classroom in every public school in Louisiana. After Kentucky’s failed attempt in 1980, Louisiana became the first US state to order that the tables of the Laws of Moses be posted in every public-school classroom, up to the university level. The measure, supported by Republicans and signed by Governor Jeff Landry, described the Commandments as “the foundational documents of our state and national government.”
The Ten Commandments will be displayed on “easy-to-read posters” with accompanying text explaining that the Decalogue has been “an important part of US public education for nearly three centuries.” Republican Governor Landry said the measure would be historically significant.
The Republican congressman who introduced the legislation, Dodie Horton, commented on the measure: “Given all the garbage our children face today, we have an obligation to put the Ten Commandments first.” The measure will allow “our children,” he argues, “to look up and see what God says is right and what is wrong.”
However, opponents (including various associations) consider this obligation unconstitutional and have announced their intention to sue to overturn the law. While the vast majority of Louisiana parents praised the new law, some civil rights groups said the law contradicts “the separation of church and state, enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.” There are even those who speak of a conspiracy: according to opponents, “the law is part of a broader plan to put a conservative spin on the state, turning public schools into the equivalent of Koranic schools for Muslims.”
In 1980, it was Kentucky’s turn to mandate the posting of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, but it was the US Supreme Court that rejected the directive. In that case, the Court found that the law violated the First Amendment’s freedom of religion. However, things may now be different in the Louisiana case: with a majority of six conservative justices out of nine, the odds of the Supreme Court upholding the religious right have actually increased. And Governor Landry says he’s ready for a fight: “I can’t wait to be sued,” he said after signing the law.
bible, law, commandments, louisiana, education, republicans, usa, school
