We believe that Louisiana’s new “Ten Commandments” law, while well intended, is unconstitutional and tramples the rights of those who do not subscribe to the protestant brand of Christianity.
The new law, recently signed by Governor Jeff Landry, blatantly disregards the foundational principle of separation of church and state by mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in all public-school classrooms.
This misguided legislation not only tramples on the First Amendment but also ignores the diverse religious landscape of our nation.
The law’s fundamental flaw lies in its implicit endorsement of a specific religious tradition, effectively elevating one faith above others in state-funded institutions. This action directly contradicts the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from favoring any particular religion.
Even within Christianity, there are significant differences in how various denominations interpret and present the Ten Commandments. The Protestant version of the biblical rules, which the law mandates, refers to the Ten Commandments. However, that differs from the Catholic version, which only has nine commandments, with the ninth commandment split to make ten. This discrepancy alone highlights the problematic nature of the state choosing one religious text over another.
It’s worth noting that no church in Louisiana displays the Ten Commandments in every room of their facilities. Why, then, should public schools be held to a higher standard than religious institutions themselves?
A lawsuit filed by multi-faith and civil liberties groups rightly challenges this unconstitutional law. As Alanah Odoms, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, aptly stated, “Public schools are not Sunday schools.” Our educational institutions should be bastions of inclusivity and critical thinking, not vehicles for religious indoctrination.
Furthermore, this law ignores the rights and beliefs of non-Christian students and families. In a diverse society, public schools must remain neutral ground where students of all faiths – or no faith – can learn and grow without feeling marginalized or pressured into religious observance.
As history has shown, no federal court has upheld any display of the Ten Commandments by a public school. Louisiana’s law is likely to meet the same fate, wasting taxpayer money on legal battles that could be better spent on education itself.
We believe in the Ten Commandments, but recognize that, in America, we don’t have the right to impose our beliefs on others.
The “Ten Commandments” law should be repealed.
