Texas’ Ten Commandments bill has deadline for passage
- A Texas bill would require public schools to display the Ten Commandments
- Supporters of the bill say the text is integral to U.S. history
- Opponents say it is exclusionary and goes against religious freedom
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(NewsNation) — Texas lawmakers could vote on whether displaying copies of the Ten Commandments will be mandatory in classrooms. But if the bill is not voted on Tuesday by midnight, it is dead.
This is one of several religious bills the Texas Senate has approved for the session, legislative initiatives that call into question the separation of church and state.
If voted for by the House, the bill would require public-school classrooms across the state to display the religious text of the Ten Commandments.
Supporters of the bill insist the Ten Commandments inspired many of the country’s founding documents, arguing that these kinds of bills are part of the fight for religious liberties in Texas.
Opponents of the bill are concerned the move would exclude other religions, and infringe on the right to free religious expression.
Lawmakers on the Senate floor went back and forth on the issue, discussing important impacts of the proposed legislation.
“I think this would be a good healthy step for Texas to bring back this tradition of recognizing America’s religious heritage. Senate Bill 1515 restores a little bit of those liberties that were lost,” Texas state Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, who introduced the bill, said.
“I should have the right to introduce my daughter to the concepts of adultery and coveting one’s spouse,” responded John Litzler, general counsel for Texas Baptists and director of public policy for the Christian Life Commision. “It shouldn’t be one of the first things she learns to read in her kindergarten classroom.”
The Texas House is scheduled to vote on the bill late on Tuesday, but the session is already quite packed.
The novel legislation would require displaying the exact same text as what is found on a statue just outside the Texas State Capitol. The statue, which has been there since 1961, was challenged in front of the Supreme Court. The court ruled the statue could stay because it has been there for a long time, and is more passive and historical than religious.
King says the bill is in direct response to the Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton last summer. In that case, the court sided with a high school football coach who wanted to pray with his players before and after games, as long as he wasn’t coercing religious practices from his students.
This story has been updated to correct the deadline for the bill’s passage.
