Do the Ten Commandments belong in our public schools?

Louisiana says "yes" and welcomes a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court

While I'd prefer the Lord's Prayer, which Jesus gave us, with an occasional Hail Mary for good measure, I don't think the local school board in my hometown would be willing to adopt the Our Father as part of the public school curriculum.

"Louisiana Requires Ten Commandments to Be Displayed in Every Public Classroom," said the front page headline in The New York Times.

And, wouldn't you know it, this came about just in time to be an issue in the 2024 presidential election.

Not surprisingly, the Republican candidate for president has already endorsed it.

Meanwhile, just taking a wild guess here, the Democratic candidate for president plans to come out against it during Thursday night's debate unless one of those Ten Commandments is revised to say "Thou Shalt Not Elect a Convicted Felon."

Apparently, the $59.99 Trump Bible has left out the part about adultery.

According to The Times piece by Rick Rojas, "A law signed by Gov. Jeff Landry makes the state the only one with such a mandate."

Responding to threats of a legal challenge to this new law, Landry said, "I can't wait to be sued. If you want to respect the rule of law, you've got to start from the original law giver, which was Moses."

With all due respect, Governor, if you're sitting down with a tall beverage in hand, I have some troubling news for you about your understanding of the Holy Bible.

According to scholars more learned than I am, the original law giver was actually God. These are His commandments, not Moses's.

Moses was simply the law distributor, much like a columnist working for the Egyptian Enterprise many centuries ago.

But at least you have good intentions, a trait that is also mentioned in the Bible.

Added The Times report, "The legislation is part of a broader campaign by conservative Christian groups to amplify public expressions of faith and provoke lawsuits that could reach the Supreme Court, where they expect a friendlier reception than in recent years. That presumption is rooted in recent rulings, particularly one in 2022 in which the court sided with a high school football coach who argued that he had a constitutional right to pray at the 50-yard-line after his team's games."

True enough, but as is this Court's preferred mode of operation, it was an extremely narrow ruling. It should be noted that the Court did not grant the coach the right to pray at the 45-yard-line or in front of the scoreboard with his team trailing at halftime.

"The measure in Louisiana requires that the commandments be displayed in each classroom of every public elementary, middle and high school, as well as public college classrooms. The posters must be no smaller than 11 by 14 inches and the commandments must be 'the central focus of the poster and in a large, easily readable font.' "

In an "English Only" state, you wonder if they'll be willing to print these posters in multiple languages to be certain that every kid gets the message.

But wait, before Moses can rest his weary feet and take a well-deserved day off, there's more.

The poster must also "Include a three-paragraph statement asserting that the Ten Commandments were a 'prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries.' "

Not to mention that denying women the right to vote was also a prominent part of American life for almost three centuries.

I have no objection to students of any age learning the Ten Commandments, but they should be shared in a church or a synagogue or private schools or private discussions or on public billboards that are privately funded or in television ads or, most especially, in the home.

Not being one to second-guess God - or Moses - I have no trouble with the Ten Commandments, other than the one stating "Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Backyard Swimming Pool."

I went to public schools that did not have the Ten Commandments plastered on the walls from kindergarten through college, but I managed to learn all Ten of them anyway.

And not once in all my years was I prevented from praying before an arithmetic test or making the sign of the cross before shooting a free throw or taking my turn at home plate with two outs and the bases loaded.

To those who say we should have out-loud, in-class prayer in the public schools I say, which prayer will we be praying?

While I'd prefer the Lord's Prayer, which Jesus gave us, with an occasional Hail Mary for good measure, I don't think the local school board in my hometown would be willing to adopt the Our Father as part of the public school curriculum.

And just imagine the uproar of certain religious folks in this country if the Muslim majority in the Michigan city of Hamtramck was allowed to pick which prayers its public school students would recite.

Even if this new Louisiana law is deemed constitutional, there are debates about exactly which set of Ten Commandments should be used, given that there are several versions out there that Biblical scholars have debated for years.

There is only one state in the United States where a particular religion enjoys a majority, and that is Utah, where fully 68 percent of the population identifies themselves as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Rhode Island has the most Catholics at 42 percent and both Minnesota and North Dakota have Lutheran pluralities, but not majorities.

The U.S. Constitution, which has been with us for 235 years now, is clear on the issue of church and state.

Says the first line of the First Amendment, sometimes referred to as the First Freedom by religious folks, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Furthermore, Article 6 states that "No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any office or public Trust under the United States," although Senator Dianne Feinstein came awfully close to crossing that line during her questioning of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts in 2005.

For my money, if we're going to insist on putting a religious text on the walls and chalkboards of our public schools, I'd prefer the words of Jesus in Matthew 25.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me."

If I may ask, Governor Landry, when's the last time you visited someone in prison or welcomed a stranger in your great and beautiful state of Louisiana?

You can reach me at bobdunning@thewaryone.com.