Texas House Approves GOP Bill To Require Ten Commandments Be Posted In Every Classroom

On Saturday, a Republican proposal to display the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom in Texas cleared the state House by a vote of 88-49. It now goes to the state Senate, which is likely to approve it.

Democrats tried to amend the bill to incorporate other religious texts or multiple translations of the commandments. However, none of these amendments were added to the bill.

The proposal requires all schools to have a copy of a specific English translation of the commandments posted in every classroom. Texas lawmakers have also been able to advance a proposal to allow schools to have daily prayer time or time allotted to read religious texts during the school day.

The surge of interest in promoting religious texts in school settings is not unique to Texas. Louisiana and Arkansas have similar legislation. However, Louisiana’s bill is temporarily paused following a blockage by a federal judge who has declared the act to be unconstitutional.

In the Supreme Court, there was a 4-4 tie on Thursday on a proposal for a publicly funded Catholic charter school in Oklahoma.

Although the bill is expected to become law, it is likely to face constitutional opposition, similar to that in Louisiana.

Supporters of the new Texas bill believe that the Ten Commandments are fundamental to the country’s judicial and educational systems. Opposition to the bill, which includes leaders of faiths including Christianity, believes that imposing the Ten Commandments and prayer time would restrict the religious freedoms of people.

The final vote on the bill will be held in the following days in the Republican-controlled House before proceeding to Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas).

Abbott is expected to sign the bill. In 2005, when he was the Texas attorney general, he successfully argued in the Supreme Court that Texas should be allowed to maintain a monument at the Capitol that displays the Ten Commandments.

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Article by Sherry Chen