Louisiana: The Ten Commandments must be displayed in public classrooms under new law

[wnwnwn]

https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-ten-commandments-displayed-classrooms-571a2447906f7bbd5a166d53db005a62

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom under a bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday.
The GOP-drafted legislation mandates that a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” be required in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. Although the bill did not receive final approval from Landry, the time for gubernatorial action — to sign or veto the bill — has lapsed.
Opponents question the law’s constitutionality, warning that lawsuits are likely to follow. Proponents say the purpose of the measure is not solely religious, but that it has historical significance. In the law’s language, the Ten Commandments are described as “foundational documents of our state and national government.”
The displays, which will be paired with a four-paragraph “context statement” describing how the Ten Commandments “were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries,” must be in place in classrooms by the start of 2025.
The posters would be paid for through donations. State funds will not be used to implement the mandate, based on language in the legislation.
The law also “authorizes” — but does not require — the display of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and the Northwest Ordinance in K-12 public schools.
Not long after the governor signed the bill into law, civil rights groups and organizations that want to keep religion out of government promised to file a lawsuit challenging it.
The law prevents students from getting an equal education and will keep children who have different beliefs from feeling safe at school, the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation said in a joint statement Wednesday afternoon.
“Even among those who may believe in some version of the Ten Commandments, the particular text that they adhere to can differ by religious denomination or tradition. The government should not be taking sides in this theological debate,” the groups said.
Similar bills requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms have been proposed in other states including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah. However, with threats of legal battles over the constitutionality of such measures, no state besides Louisiana has had success in making the bills law.
Legal battles over the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms are not new.
In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a similar Kentucky law was unconstitutional and violated the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says Congress can “make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” The high court found that the law had no secular purpose but rather served a plainly religious purpose.
Louisiana’s controversial law, in a state ensconced in the Bible Belt, comes during a new era of conservative leadership in the state under Landry, who replaced two-term Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in January.
The GOP also has a two-thirds supermajority in the Legislature, and Republicans hold every statewide elected position, paving the way for lawmakers to push through a conservative agenda during the legislative session that concluded earlier this month.



Discuss

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I guess the SCOTUS will eventually rule in favor of this so all these red states can once again display Christian symbols and text in public areas.

[Christian Man]

I can understand how this could be a 1A issue, but the 10 commandments is a good guide to follow regardless of one's religious beliefs.

[President Johnson]

My personal opinion is that this is a violation of the separation of state and church.

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

Biden needs to ask Trump to condemn this in the debate. Associate Trump with these toxic religious zealots!

[soundchaser]

It's literally making a law respecting an establishment of religion. Obviously unconstitutional, and even this SCOTUS should be able to see that.

But then I suspect Landry knows that, and he allowed this to go through BECAUSE it'll give him another enemy in the culture wars.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

“I didn’t have to learn the Ten Commandments in school. We went to Sunday school,” he said. “You want your kids to learn about the Ten Commandments, take them to church."

He added that the bill could potentially open the state up to lawsuits.

“We’re going to spend valuable state resources defending the law when we really need to be teaching our kids how to read and write,” Duplessis said. “I don’t think this is appropriate for us to mandate.”

The only sane lawmaker in Louisiana that spoke out against the bill.

[7,052,770]

I can understand how this could be a 1A issue, but the 10 commandments is a good guide to follow regardless of one's religious beliefs.

Some of them are. There's no secular reason to tell people to have no gods before God, or to keep the Sabbath holy.

[President Johnson]

Biden needs to ask Trump to condemn this in the debate. Associate Trump with these toxic religious zealots!

That would probably backfire. Biden should instead ask Trump whether he can name the ten commandments and follow them. Especially about truth telling.

[Arizona Iced Tea]

No one is forcing your kid to attend public school. That being said, it's not the government's responsibility to give them a religious education. If a parent really wanted to, they could send their kids to a religious school or homeschool them. I'm just as much against this as I am with the pride flags in classrooms. Stop trying to indoctrinate kids.

[Ancestral Republican]

No one is forcing your kid to attend public school. That being said, it's not the government's responsibility to give them a religious education. If a parent really wanted to, they could send their kids to a religious school or homeschool them. I'm just as much against this as I am with the pride flags in classrooms. Stop trying to indoctrinate kids.

The establishment clause prohibits the establishment of religion, not the establishment of basic human decency. Get a grip.  

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

No one is forcing your kid to attend public school.

Factually incorrect lmao, wth?

Edit; Oh right. Republicans don't think Kids have any innate right to an education. Gotcha.

But even beyond that... It actually is a legal mandate to make sure your kids get an education afaik, even if not in those words, and the enforcement is probably shoddy. And homeschooling is practically abuse w/o the proper skills and the existence of private schools doesn't mean that Public ones shouldn't be the assumed default (they should).

[John Dule]

Unamerican christofascism.

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

Biden needs to ask Trump to condemn this in the debate. Associate Trump with these toxic religious zealots!

That would probably backfire. Biden should instead ask Trump whether he can name the ten commandments and follow them. Especially about truth telling.

How would it backfire? These issues are the only ones we are actually winning on lol

[wnwnwn]

Biden needs to ask Trump to condemn this in the debate. Associate Trump with these toxic religious zealots!

That would probably backfire. Biden should instead ask Trump whether he can name the ten commandments and follow them. Especially about truth telling.

I think Biden could hadle it well.
It´s not like the average person on MI, PA or AZ was in favor of these kind of laws.

Imagine the ad
The republican controlled state of Louisiana is imposing their religious ideas in public schools.
The force the display of their King James based version of the Ten Commanders.
This ignores both the constitutional right of freedom of faith and the diversity of the state.
This republican effort is agaisnt the rights of parents and children of catholic, jewish and any other faith.
Now, will the republican controlled Supreme Court allow it or now?
THE REPUBLICANS
OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE CONSTITUTION
OUT OF TOUCH WITH OUR VALUES

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

I can understand how this could be a 1A issue, but the 10 commandments is a good guide to follow regardless of one's religious beliefs.

Some of them are. There's no secular reason to tell people to have no gods before God, or to keep the Sabbath holy.

On the first one, there is, but the pseudo religious have long misinterpreted it.

In context, it was clearly also meant to mean that humans should not worship other humans which is a very important secular message for all those in the cult who worship Trump or others who worship, for example, Elon Musk.

That interpretation is consistent with the passage 'No man is righteous, not even one.'

It was a message at the micro and macro level for humans to be humble. This is why I don't like statues of humans (except in contexts where the statue is specific like in a museum.)

This is also similar to the misinterpretation by the pseudo religious of the passage 'thou shall not take the name of the Lord in vain' as to mean 'don't say 'damn.'' When it clearly primarily means  'don't invoke the Lord to make a specious or self serving argument.'

However, in my case, I'm an exception. Lord, it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way.

I like the song

[JA]

Unamerican christofascism.

I mean, this seems pretty on-brand for American Christofascism. Let’s not pretend like our country doesn’t have a very long and complicated relationship with Christian fundamentalists, and those who’d seek to exploit that demographic for power.

[jojoju1998]

Unamerican christofascism.

I mean, this seems pretty on-brand for American Christofascism. Let’s not pretend like our country doesn’t have a very long and complicated relationship with Christian fundamentalists, and those who’d seek to exploit that demographic for power.

The irony was that the first Christian Fundamentalists, and earlier on, the first baptists, methodists, often sought protections from the state relgiion ( which was episcopalian, or congregationalist ).

[TDAS04]

I wonder how many of the legislation's proponents can name the Ten Commandments themselves.

[DaleCooper]

I wonder how many of the legislation's proponents can name the Ten Commandments themselves.

10% at most.

[7,052,770]

I wonder how many of the legislation's proponents can name the Ten Commandments themselves.

For one thing, Catholics and Protestants have a slightly different list. Normally, I would expect something like this to be pushed entirely by Protestants, but in Louisiana there is probably a lot of Catholic for it too.

The article doesn't say which version is mandated. Presumably either one is fine? I wonder if that will be a flashpoint.

[Ferguson97]

Blatantly unconstitutional

[TheReckoning]

Kids should absolutely be taught about the Ten Commandments, being perhaps the most powerful moral precepts to ever exist in written form, but having a poster on a wall is obviously a step far beyond that. This will probably be struck down.

Although, people calling this “fascism” really goes to show just how much memories of World War II have faded away. Putting up a poster is not “fascism”, nor is it why fascism is bad.

[Frodo]

Isn't it bad etiquette as well as against forum rules to quote the entire article? Just post the link.  And no, don't use your autism as an excuse. 

[Christian Man]

Biden needs to ask Trump to condemn this in the debate. Associate Trump with these toxic religious zealots!

That would probably backfire. Biden should instead ask Trump whether he can name the ten commandments and follow them. Especially about truth telling.

I think Biden could hadle it well.
It´s not like the average person on MI, PA or AZ was in favor of these kind of laws.

Imagine the ad
The republican controlled state of Louisiana is imposing their religious ideas in public schools.
The force the display of their King James based version of the Ten Commanders.
This ignores both the constitutional right of freedom of faith and the diversity of the state.
This republican effort is agaisnt the rights of parents and children of catholic, jewish and any other faith.
Now, will the republican controlled Supreme Court allow it or now?
THE REPUBLICANS
OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE CONSTITUTION
OUT OF TOUCH WITH OUR VALUES

I doubt this attack would work unless Trump endorses it. It would be like attacking Biden for not caring enough about the environment when Hochul scrapped congestion pricing.