In a recent development, former President Donald Trump has expressed his endorsement for a newly enacted Louisiana law that necessitates the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.
This law, signed by Republican Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, stipulates that a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in a "large, easily readable font" must be installed in classrooms ranging from kindergarten to state-funded universities.
According to the Western Journal, Trump voiced his support for this initiative on Truth Social, stating, I LOVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, AND MANY OTHER PLACES, FOR THAT MATTER. READ IT HOW CAN WE, AS A NATION, GO WRONG??? He further added, THIS MAY BE, IN FACT, THE FIRST MAJOR STEP IN THE REVIVAL OF RELIGION, WHICH IS DESPERATELY NEEDED, IN OUR COUNTRY. BRING BACK TTC!!! MAGA2024. Here, TTC is an acronym for the Ten Commandments.
Advocates of this law argue that the Ten Commandments have significantly influenced the nation's laws and traditions, transcending their religious implications. The Louisiana law also necessitates the inclusion of a four-paragraph context statement with the display, clarifying that the Commandments are integral to the "foundational documents of our state and national government."
The law does not allocate state funds for the implementation of this mandate. Instead, private donations can be used to finance the posters.
However, the law has met with opposition from critics who argue that it infringes upon the Constitution, specifically the First Amendment, which prohibits Congress from making any law favoring the establishment of religion. Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation have announced their intention to challenge the law, citing the 1980 Supreme Court case Stone v. Graham. In this case, the justices ruled that a Kentucky law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms violated the First Amendment's establishment clause.
The Supreme Court, however, abandoned the Lemon test, which was used to determine whether a law established a religion, in the 2022 case Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. The court ruled that the establishment clause "must be interpreted by 'reference to historical practices and understandings. Given the prevalence of Christian beliefs in the nation's laws and history, it appears that the Louisiana Ten Commandments display could potentially be deemed constitutional under this guidance.
The Declaration of Independence's first sentence references the "Laws of Nature and of Natures God" as the basis for the colonists' actions. Blackstones "Commentaries on the Law of England," a prominent law book at the time of the founding, explains this phrase. All state constitutions reference God, often as the source of their liberties under law, according to the Pew Research Center. Furthermore, nearly every president since George Washington has placed his hand on the Bible while being sworn into office, ending the oath with "so help me God."
Trump, while addressing the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, Tennessee in February, emphasized the need to "bring back our religion" and "bring back Christianity in this country. He pledged to "protect God in our public square."
Indeed, faith in God has been a fundamental element of the American experiment in liberty. Its reestablishment is crucial for the survival of a free and prosperous nation.
Login