Louisiana just did a "shout-out" to Moses. Governor Jeff Landry signed a first-in-the-nation bill requiring schools to display the Ten Commandments. Under the new law, all classrooms, kindergarten through state-funded universities, will be required to have a poster-size display of the Commandments.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom From Religion Foundation are having a meltdown and promising to immediately sue the state. These same organizations are aggressively fighting to put graphic sex education into elementary schools. "Thou shall not kill" is more troubling to them than a seven-year-old participating in a drag queen reading hour.
Louisiana's attorney general responded to the lawsuit threats with "Bring it on."1 While drafting the bill, state legislators sought advice from religious freedom groups, including Alliance Defending Freedom.
Private donations will support the cost, not state funding. Each poster will include a "content statement"2 explaining how the Commandments "were a prominent part of American public education"3 for most of our history.
The law allows but does not require schools to exhibit other documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Mayflower Compact. Permitting the Ten Commandments to be posted in public schools strengthens the state's argument that a secular justification is behind the new law.
In addition, the Supreme Court is more favorable to religious freedom now than in the last fifty years. Religious freedom stalwarts, such as Justices Alito and Thomas, were joined by the three Trump appointees—Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett.
Once again, we are reminded why elections are essential and why Christians must vote. Elected presidents nominate Supreme Court justices, and elected senators confirm those recommendations. Our upcoming president may have two opportunities to fill Supreme Court vacancies. Furthermore, allies of President Biden have threatened to expand the size of the court from nine to twelve or more, essentially turning the court into a "rubber-stamp" for anti-family, anti-life, and anti-religious freedom policies.
1. Shreya Ranganathan, “CNN Anchor Spars with GOP Lawmaker on Louisiana Ten Commandments Bill: ‘Answer the Question’ | CNN Politics,” CNN, June 20, 2024, Web.
2. Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Fox News, “Trump Endorses Ten Commandments in Louisiana Schools: ‘Revival of Religion,’” Fox News, June 22, 2024, Web.
3. Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Fox News, June 22, 2024.