A federal judge will hear arguments on whether he should temporarily block a new Louisiana law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom by Jan. 1.
A federal judge on Monday will hear arguments on whether he should temporarily block a new Louisiana law requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom by Jan. 1.
The hearing on that and other issues in a pending lawsuit challenging the new law is expected to last all day. It’s unclear when U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles will rule.
Opponents say the law is an unconstitutional violation of separation of church and state and that the display will isolate students, especially those who are not Christian. Proponents argue the measure is not solely religious, but has historical significance to the foundation of U.S. law. Louisiana, a reliably Republican state that is ensconced in the Bible Belt, is the only state with such a requirement.
In June, parents of Louisiana public school children, with various religious backgrounds, filed the lawsuit arguing that the legislation violates First Amendment language forbidding government establishment of religion and guaranteeing religious liberty.
I went to private religious schools until my second year of college. None had the 10 commandments posted anywhere. I know we're all in agreement that this is a severe violation of the first amendment. As a Christian I hate that these idiots are using my faith as a cudgel (as has happened far too often).
If they can pass a law to stroke off their "God-fearing" idiots while embezzling every dollar of federal funding they can, that's what they're going to do.
Waiting for the state law that says all federal highway funding has to be used for abortion prevention, specifically at the marketing firm run by the Governor's idiot brother.
In Texas two years ago it was a ballot question weather or not to put a wheelchair ramp on a federal court building, which is explicitly required by the ADA, an over 30 year old law, and they voted no. Laws don't matter if no ones gonna bring consequences.
"The phrase "separation of church and state" does not appear in the Constitution. However, the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment prohibits the government from establishing a religion or interfering with the free exercise of religion."
Jefferson letter:" I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American
people which declared that their legislature should “make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."
If you read the law as written and voted on in Louisiana, it lists 11 Commandments, because there isn't one list of Commandments that these people can agree on. But they can agree that everyone should be forced to look at them in school?
Also many Christian groups seem to have a very liberal understanding of the first two commandments.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me - The whole trinity stuff is considered to be contradictory to the singularity of God by Jews and Muslims.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image - There is plenty Christian iconography and paintings, depicting God, Angels, Jesus, who by the logic of the trinity is part of God, hence a clear violation of that commandment to depict him.