Lawmakers Across US Push for Ten Commandments in Public Schools: 'Why Would We Not Mention God?'

Republican legislators in more than a dozen states have introduced bills calling for the public display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. The movement gained momentum after Louisiana became the first state in the modern era to mandate such displays.

Adam Althouse, a Texas parent, believes his 16-year-old son Dylan and other students would benefit from seeing the Ten Commandments daily in their classrooms.

"They can look at it," Althouse said. "They could go home and ask their parents, 'What does this mean? Should I covet the neighbor's wife?' It puts a thought in their mind."

Texas is among at least 14 states where legislators aim to reintroduce Christian principles in public schools. Jonathan Saenz, an attorney with Texas Values who helped draft the Texas bill, said the display would help students understand historical and cultural foundations.

"Posting the Ten Commandments in our public school classrooms allows students to have an understanding and an appreciation for our heritage, for systems of law, and the connection of the Ten Commandments to Western civilization," Saenz said.

Saenz added that recent election results show voters support such measures.

"We're confident this is what voters want," he said. "They want to make sure we preserve our values, teach about these things in our public schools, and get back to basics."

Lawmakers pushing these bills are encouraged by recent political shifts and Supreme Court rulings that have opened the door to more religious expression in schools.

"God is mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. It's on our money, in songs like 'God Bless America,' in our literature, and in our pledge to the flag," said Montana State Sen. Keith Regier. "Why would we not mention God in our schools? The courts need to understand that by removing God, they are replacing it with nothing."

***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you receive the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***   

Opponents, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, argue that these measures violate the First Amendment.

"This is clearly outrageous," said Annie Laurie Gaylor of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. "This is not religious liberty. This is religious tyranny."

The foundation is challenging Louisiana's law, contending that public schools should remain secular spaces.

"It's up to parents to indoctrinate, or not, their children, or expose them to whatever so-called holy books they want," Gaylor said. "But not for our public schools. We're very alarmed at all the copycat legislation."

Texas legislators believe their bill will withstand legal scrutiny, citing a 2022 Supreme Court case that ruled in favor of a high school football coach's right to pray on the field after games.

"The only thing I ever asked for from the very beginning was to be reinstated as a coach and to be able to pray on the 50-yard line," said former coach Joe Kennedy, the plaintiff in the case. "The great part about it is, it just took one person to stand up and say, 'Enough is enough.'"

Kennedy believes the ruling has energized the fight for religious freedom in schools. "People are standing up," he said. "They're being bold in their faith, and they're being bold in their constitutional rights as Americans."

While Althouse wants Texas schools to prioritize academics, he also sees value in exposing students to biblical principles that have shaped American culture.

"I think being there in the schools is important," he said. "I think it would be good to have in the schools."

Saenz echoed that sentiment. "If it's good enough for the Supreme Court to display in their courtroom," he said, "it should be good enough for a public school classroom."