Earlier this summer, the Republican governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, signed a bill into law that would require all classrooms K-12 as well as public universities to display the Ten Commandments.
The backpack against the forced inclusion of Christianity in state-funded institutions was swift and aggressive. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State fought to dismantle the law.
The Law
Gov. Landy was quickly lambasted by upset parents who wanted to maintain a clear separation of Church and State within their kid’s schools.
Rep. Jim Olsen (R-Roland), a sponsor of the bill, stated that the reason for the bill was that “The Ten Commandments is one of the foundations of our nation,” and that “Publicly and proudly displaying them in public school classrooms will serve as a reminder of the ethics of our state and country.”
The ACLU’s Position
The ACLU and other groups fighting against the inclusion of the Ten Commandments in schools note that the First Amendment states that Congress will “make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”
Attorneys also argue that the inclusion of Christian values in schools, and no other religion, is blatantly discriminatory against non-Christian students.
Not All Opposition From Liberals
Although heavy criticism was lobbied against the law by Liberals and progressives, not all of those against the inclusion of Christian values were from the left.
Some right-wing libertarians and non-Christian nationalist conservatives have been critical of the rule as well.
History of Ring-Wingers Against Similar Laws
In the early 1980s, the late Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) was a major figure in the conservative movement in the United States.
He was also vehemently against the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr. and the Moral Majority – a group that intended to mobilize conservative Americans to become politically active on views that they saw as important, these were often intended to increase conservative and Christian values in public institutions.
Republicans Are Pushing Christianity in Schools
Several deep red states have pushed their efforts to include Christian propaganda and teachings in schools, despite massive push back across the country.
Andrew Atterbury and Juan Perez Jr, journalists at Politico explain that, “Florida now allows chaplains in public schools. Oklahoma and Texas are looking to infuse Bible lessons into curricula. And Louisiana wants to set up Ten Commandments displays in classrooms. But these efforts to push Christianity into public schools are hitting a wall of hostility in conservative-led states, including lawsuits, protests and resistance from local officials.”
Conservative Leaders Want to Change Education Policy
“The clash of religion, politics and local control represents an unusual challenge for a spreading education policy model led by influential conservative leaders.”
And it’s sparking a legal fight over the separation of church and state that could end up before the conservative-controlled Supreme Court,” Atterbury and Perez add.
Superintendents in Favor of New Policies
State School Superintendent out of Oklahoma, Ryan Walters, is a defender of the state’s pro-Christian nationalist policy.
The Oklahoman newspaper has speculated that Walters as being corrupted by power and influence to bring about anti-student and harmful rules in classrooms.
Many Schools Are Defying Orders
Rob Miller, the superintendent of Bixby Public School district near Tusla is “defying orders from Walters to incorporate the Bible and Ten Commandments into school curriculum.”
Miller told Politico, “What we’re trying to do, honestly, is protect the religious freedoms of all of our students.… from being improperly indoctrinated by teachers or by schools. There’s enough court precedent and historical evidence to show that the separation of church and state has worked well for quite a long time.”
Total Control
One of the reasons for Republican party leaders to push Christian nationalism in schools is to gain total control of education and information.
When kids learn and absorb information at a young age, they’re more likely to believe that specific information is true about the world. If Republicans inundate kids from an early age that Christianity is the only worthy religion, they have a higher change of swaying those people over to their voter base.
Christians Often Vote Republican
Despite people of all faiths voting for people that they genuinely believe in, one of the biggest voter bases for Republicans is Evangelical Christians.
People in these groups often cite the family values that the Right espouses, although former President Donald Trump has shows a wide range of values and many of them fly in the face of Christianity.
Schools May Not Comply
Although the rules in Louisiana and Oklahoma require teachers to display the Ten Commandments, this rule will be increasingly difficult to enforce.
So far, there are no reports of teachers putting up the commandments or obeying the law.
