View: Displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools is detrimental to religion.
Louisiana's House Bill 71 tries to manipulate the holy Ten Commandments by mandating its display in public schools. This bill recently passed the Senate with a 30-8 vote and the House with a 79-16 vote, awaiting Republican Governor Jeff Landry's signature to become law.
It's the first bill to require the Ten Commandments' display, and states like Utah, Texas, and South Carolina have attempted similar legislations. The Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that a high school football coach could publicly pray after games is being misused to push for these bills, blatantly disregarding the Establishment Clause that forbids government establishment of religion.
HB 71 violates the separation of church and state and diminishes the Ten Commandments' spiritual significance. It mentions historical documents like the Mayflower Compact and claims phrases like "a Covenant with AlmightyGod to 'form a civil body politic'" to equate the compact to the deeply religious Ten Commandments. This dilutes thecommandments' sanctity by categorizing them as mere historical material, disrespecting religious beliefs, and infringing on the Constitution.
Supporters of the bill argue that the Ten Commandments are historically significant, laying the foundation of Western civilization. They refer to the Supreme Court's depictions of Moses holding tablets as evidence. While they celebrate the measure for introducing God and "God's laws" into the classroom, their intent is to manipulate the bill under the guise of secular education.
The Ten Commandments' influence on Western principles is undeniable. They contributed to universal concepts like the sanctity of life, importance of honesty, and the need for justice. Phrases like "Thou shalt not kill" shaped prohibitions against taking innocent life, and "Thou shalt not steal" formed property rights laws. "Not bearing false witness" related to perjury laws, and the value of "honor thy father and mother" impacted societal priorities like respect for elders.
Though these principles are part of Western values, the Ten Commandments are primarily religious laws. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam believe these directives are divine mandates from God to Moses. The Ten Commandments are portrayed as being "written with the finger of God" in Exodus. So why would religious people want others viewing them as just historical documents?
During the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, people congregate in synagogues to read and celebrate the Ten Commandments. There's even a tradition to stay up all night studying the Torah to commemorate their revelation and rectify the Israelites' previous sleepiness before the commandments were given.
The Ten Commandments' deep religious connection is crucial for preserving their spiritual relevance.
A proposed amendment to HB 71 includes voluntary display of other historical documents such as the Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, and Northwest Ordinance. By claiming these documents are analogous to the Ten Commandments, the intent to force religion in schools remains evident.
Viewing the Ten Commandments as equivalent to other historical documents is disrespectful to religion, and no one can argue that a declaration or pledge citing 'God' is the same as a religious text authored by the "finger of God."
The Ten Commandments themselves include instructions with explicit references to God and religious observance, such as "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3) and "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8). These commands enforce religious beliefs vs. the general ethics in other documents like the Declaration of Independence or Magna Carta, also referencing God.
What comes next? Will the Sabbath be seen as promoting work-life balance, or a prohibition on worshiping other gods as an antidote to the worship of people or false values? Repackaging religious texts as civil documents removes their spiritual foundation from religious practice and belief.
The law HB 71 is unconstitutional because it favors a specific religious expression - the display of the Protestant version of the Ten Commandments, which is translated from the King James Bible. This means that other religious groups, like Catholics, Muslims, and Jews, whose versions of the commandments differ, are not given the same consideration. Additionally, religious groups like Buddhism and Hinduism, which don't have a version of the Ten Commandments at all, would be hindered. This goes against the separation of church and state.
To understand how unique the Ten Commandments are compared to other ancient legal codes, let's look at examples like the Code of Hammurabi or the Twelve Tables. The Code of Hammurabi referred to the deity Shamash and was influenced by the cultural and societal needs of ancient Mesopotamia. The Twelve Tables addressed the legal needs of Roman citizens in the 5th century BCE. The Egyptians had goddess Ma'at to govern truth and justice, while the Greeks derived moral lessons from their 12 Gods.
These legal codes were not viewed as sacred religious texts like the Ten Commandments. In contrast, the Ten Commandments have a distinctively religious nature, as they are believed to have originated in the wilderness of Sinai Desert, isolated from societal influence. They are seen as divine commandments, not products of secular human culture or society.
Public schools should not have displays of the Ten Commandments to respect their religious significance and the traditions that surround them. This will help maintain the relevance of these commandments and ensure public education remains a neutral environment free from religious endorsement.
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People who oppose the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools argue that it infringes on the separation of church and state. This move could negatively impact the religious significance of the commandments and disrespect the deep connection they have for many religious communities.
Additionally, classifying the Ten Commandments as merely historical documents ignores their religious significance and the beliefs of those who view them as divine mandates. This misrepresentation can lead to a loss of spiritual relevance for the commandments.
