A group of faith leaders in the United States has filed a lawsuit seeking to block a new law in Texas that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public classrooms. The law, signed by Governor Greg Abbott, would make Texas the largest state to impose such a requirement.
The faith leaders argue that the law violates fundamental religious-freedom principles and would subject nearly six million students to “religious mandates, every single school day”.
The lawsuit notes that children who attend public schools in Texas “follow various faiths and religions, or do not practice any religion at all”. It argues that this law is “wholly inconsistent with the fundamental religious-freedom principles… upon which our nation was founded”. The US Constitution protects the right to practice — or not practice — a religion without interference from the government.
The concept of the “separation of church and state” has long been seen as a bedrock principle in US law. Thomas Jefferson, the country’s third president, used the phrase to discuss the Constitution’s Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from making laws “respecting an establishment of religion”. This concept has been upheld by several Supreme Court rulings.
Proponents of the law argue that the Ten Commandments have historical significance beyond their religious context and are foundational to US society. A sponsor of the Texas bill, Candy Noble, said the requirement to show the Ten Commandments concerns “what is historically important to our nation educationally and judicially”.
Several groups have vowed to challenge the law, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation. In a statement, these groups said the law “is religiously coercive and interferes with families’ right to direct children’s religious education”.
The law requires public schools to display a poster or framed copy of an English version of the Ten Commandments, which should be no smaller than 16 by 20 inches. However, translations and interpretations vary across denominations, faiths, and languages, and may differ in homes and houses of worship.
This is not an isolated incident, as other states have also passed similar laws. Louisiana became the first state in the US to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools, although a federal appeals court blocked the requirement. Arkansas also passed a similar law in April, which several groups plan to challenge.