Louisiana to Require Ten Commandments' Display in Public Classrooms
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Facts
- Louisiana has become the first US state to make the Ten Commandments display mandatory in every public school classroom.1
- Gov. Jeff Landry signed the bill — which requires a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments 'printed in a large, easily readable font' — on Wednesday.2
- In addition to requiring the displays to be at least 11 by 14 inches, the legislation necessitates there be a four-paragraph statement on the Ten Commandments historical role in American education.3
- House Bill 71, passed by Louisiana's lawmakers in May, will come into effect in 2025. The displays will not be state-funded but instead will be implemented through donations.4
- Four civil rights groups have announced plans to challenge the new law, pointing to a 1980 decision by the Supreme Court that saw a similar mandate in Kentucky overturned.5
Sources: 1Washington Post, 2National Review, 3Forbes, 4New York Post and 5BBC News.
Narratives
- Conservative narrative, as provided by Newsweek. This law is a significant move to reinforce America's ethical foundations and cultural heritage. Historically, the Ten Commandments have shaped American laws and morality, and displaying them acknowledges this legacy. Critics' arguments on church-state separation are moot as the Constitution doesn't explicitly mandate such separation. Louisiana's initiative reflects and strengthens a broader trend of emphasizing the US' foundational educational values.
- Progressive narrative, as provided by CNN. This legislation undermines the separation of church and state by misrepresenting a sacred religious text as a secular historical document. It disregards constitutional protections and, while proponents argue it acknowledges the commandments' influence on Western legal principles, the law mostly promotes a specific religious doctrine. The mandatory display of the Protestant version of the commandments further exacerbates the issue.