Writing for the North Texas Daily, editor JC Ramirez explains that Louisiana has, indeed, violated the First Amendment with its rule to place the Ten Commandments in every classroom.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” are the first words written in the First Amendment. Alongside it is the establishment clause, which prohibits the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.”
Louisiana has essentially just declared Christianity as its official state religion by mandating the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school’s classrooms. This deliberate violation of the First Amendment not only removes the freedom of religion students have by forcing a specific belief onto them, but it also highlights the hypocritical nature of republican claims made regarding indoctrination — typically about critical race theory and LGBTQ+ topics. Less than 40 percent of Republicans approve of the teaching of current and historical racism and LGBTQ+ topics to high schoolers, according to a survey by the University of Southern California.
Louisiana House Bill 71 was signed into law on June 19 by Gov. Jeff Landry, requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom, from elementary to university level. While similar efforts have been attempted in states such as Utah, Oklahoma and Texas, Louisiana is the first state to have the bill passed into law successfully.
Support for the law comes from the idea the Ten Commandments are not purely religious but carry historical significance, having been named as a foundational document of the state and national government in the law’s text. Additionally, a four paragraph context statement will be paired with the Ten Commandments, explaining it was a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries. While it may be an important part of American history, legal developments make it difficult to justify the incorporation of this document into public education considering how the text is primarily used as a religious form of moral guidelines.
Indoctrination is, by definition, the process of repeating an idea or belief to someone until they accept it without criticism or question. By having the Ten Commandments in every classroom, it is repeating these Christian ideologies to students, making them accept it as norm and isolating students who have differing religious beliefs.
