The Fight Against the Notion of the Separation of Church and State
Texas is the latest state to pass a law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in its public schools. The new Texas law will take effect in September. Two other states, Louisiana and Arkansas, passed similar laws, both with the intent of having the Ten Commandments displayed for the upcoming school year.
Not surprisingly, lawsuits have been filed against each state, claiming the new state laws are unconstitutional and violate the “separation between church and state.” Even the least informed person has a rudimentary sense of this separation, believing there can be no religious elements in public or governmental proceedings. The three states that passed the Ten Commandment laws defy and challenge the common notion.
Texas has already set a precedent in another Ten Commandments case. Folks who do not live in the Lone Star State may be unaware that a granite monument with the Ten Commandments is on the grounds of the State Capitol in Austin. The monument was erected in 1961 and given to Texas by donors. The placement of the monument on government grounds produced a legal objection. The ensuing lawsuit made its way up to the Supreme Court. The high court voted 5-4 in favor of Texas, citing that the Ten Commandments are part of the Nation’s history and their display is not unconstitutional. Interestingly, Texas Governor Abbott, who had just signed the law in Texas, argued on behalf of Texas in front of the Supreme Court in 2005.
A similar lawsuit was filed only four days after Abbott signed the new law. Texas Values president and attorney Jonathan Saenz replied comically to the lawsuit. He said, “This amateur hour lawsuit, by some organization that seems to focus a lot on chasing headlines, has no chance of success in Texas. He concluded, “I’m wondering if even the ACLU was aware of this lawsuit and how they feel about some other group stealing their thunder.”
Those behind the stolen thunder are not the typical ACLU types; they are a group of Christians and Nation of Islam faith leaders and families. Their joint statement read: “The government should govern; the Church should minister,” the lawsuit said. “Anything else is a threat to the soul of both our democracy and our faith.”
The Nation of Islam’s objection is understandable, but why would Christian parents and ministers oppose the new Texas Law? The contention that the display of the Ten Commandments is a threat to democracy and religion is nothing more than poppycock. The Ten Commandments are not a threat to either faith or democracy.
The Ten Commandments are a guide for proper human living. Obedience to the commandment to love God and neighbor has never threatened faith; it enhances it. Faithfully honoring the Sabbath and one’s parents enliven the soul, not destroy it.
Not killing your brother or sister, stealing from your neighbor, or breaking up a marriage by infidelity does more for democracy than does the woke and ill-informed modern rhetoric of equity.
Every Christian should applaud the states that dare to bring back into the public square some of our National history, which is based on Judeo-Christian principles with its foundation in the Ten Commandments. The fight over the separation between church and state needs to be continually fought, and these lawsuits will shape the country’s future and redefine what separation of church and state means.