Louisiana requires public schools to display the Bible's 'Ten Commandments' in classrooms

2024-06-20 21:32:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Louisiana requires public schools to display the Bible's 'Ten

The "Ten Commandments" of the Bible

Louisiana has become the first US state to require the Bible's "Ten Commandments" to be displayed in every public school classroom, the latest move by a Republican-dominated legislature pushing a conservative agenda under a new governor.

The law, signed Wednesday by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, requires a poster-sized display of the "Ten Commandments" in large, easily readable letters in all public school classrooms, from first grade through university auditors that are funded by the state.

Opponents express doubts about the law's constitutionality and have vowed to challenge it in court.

Supporters of the law said the measure is not only religious, but also has historical significance. In the legal text, the "Ten Commandments" are "fundamental documents of our state and national government," proponents say.

The posters must be placed in classrooms by the beginning of 2025. They will be accompanied by a statement that describes the "Ten Commandments" as "an important part of American public education for nearly three centuries."

According to the law, no state funds will be used, but their deployment will be covered by donations.

The law also "authorizes," but does not require, the display of other symbols in public schools, including the "Mayflower Compact," signed by religious pilgrims aboard the Mayflower in 1620, often referred to as "America's First Constitution." or the Declaration of Independence, among others.

Bible

Opponents vow to challenge the law

Shortly after the governor signed the law Wednesday at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Lafayette, civil rights groups and organizations that want to keep religion out of government vowed to file a lawsuit to challenge the decision.

The law prevents students from getting an equal education and will make children of other faiths feel unsafe in schools, the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Church Separation said in a joint statement. from the State" and "Freedom from Religion Foundation".

"Even among those who may believe in some variant of the 'Ten Commandments,' the text may vary according to religious belief or tradition. The government should not take sides in this theological debate," the statement said.

The controversial law comes during a new era of conservative leadership in Louisiana under Gov. Landry, who replaced two-term Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in January.

Republicans hold a supermajority in the Legislature and have won all of Louisiana's statehouse elections, paving the way for lawmakers to push a conservative agenda.

Other states have also come up with similar proposals, including Texas, Oklahoma and the state of Utah. Except for Louisiana, no other state has been able to pass such laws as a result of threats of legal challenges regarding the constitutionality.

A similar law was declared unconstitutional

Legal battles over classroom displays of the Bible's "Ten Commandments" are not new.

In 1980, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a similar Kentucky law violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the government from defining an official religion, or passing laws favoring a religion. to another, or to limit its free exercise.

The court concluded that the law did not have a secular purpose, but served a clearly religious purpose./ VOA