A bill filed in the Georgia legislature last week would require public schools in Georgia to display the Ten Commandments.
House Bill 313 was filed Thursday with the support of State Representatives Emory Dunahoo, Charlice Byrd, Noelle Kahaian, Steve Tarvin, Mike Cameron, and Martin Momtahan. All six lawmakers are Republicans.
HB 313 would classify the Ten Commandments with ‘historically significant documents’ already outlined under Georgia law, including The Preamble to the Georgia Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, The Mayflower Compact, the national motto, the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag, the Pledge of Allegiance to the Georgia Flag, the National Anthem, “the writings, speeches, documents, and proclamations of the Founding Fathers and Presidents of the United States, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, Decisions of the United States Supreme Court, and Acts of the Congress of the United States, including the published text of the Congressional Record.
By July 1, 2025, elementary schools and secondary schools across Georgia would be required to display ‘a durable poster or a framed copy’ of the Ten Commandments which can be easily read by students and adults in locations in the school facility. The document would be required to be posted at the main entrance of the building, the main entrance of the library or media center, and the main entrance of the cafeteria.
Specifically, the text would be required to include:
‘The Ten Commandments’
I AM the LORD thy God.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven images.
Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.’
Followed by a statement which reads:
‘The history of the Ten Commandments in American public education. The Ten Commandments were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries. Around the year 1688, The New England Primer became the first published American textbook and was the equivalent of a first grade reader. The New England Primer was used in public schools throughout the United States for more than 150 years to teach Americans to read and contained more than 40 questions about the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were also included in public school textbooks published by educator William McGuffey, a noted university president and professor. A version of his famous McGuffey Readers was written in the early 1800s and became one of the most popular textbooks in the history of American education, selling more than 100 million copies. Copies of the McGuffey Readers are still available today. The Ten Commandments also appeared in a textbook published by Noah Webster which was widely used in American public schools along with America’s first comprehensive dictionary that Webster also published. His textbook, The American Spelling Book, contained the Ten Commandments and sold more than 100 million copies for use by public school children all across the nation and was still available for use in American public schools in the year 1975.’
The legislation cites case law which would presumably support the placement of the Ten Commandments on government property, including:
- Van Orton v. Perry, 545 U.S. 677 (2005), in which the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that it is permissible to display the Ten Commandments on government property
- Pleasant Grove City, Utah v. Summan, 555 U.S. 460 (2006), in which the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for the placement of the Ten Commandments on government property when a private donation is made for the purchase of the historical monument.
- American Legion v. American Humanist Association, 588 U.S. 29 (2019), in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled again, referencing that displaying the Ten Commandments on public property may reflect “historical significance” and represent “common cultural heritage”
The legislation also cites President James Madison, a founder, who said, “We have staked the whole future of our new nation … upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves, according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments.”
The bill has not yet been assigned to a committee in the House. Lawmakers return to the Gold Dome February 10.
But this DOES matter. What this would say if passed is that the government is pro-Christian indoctrination utilizing public funds. That is a direct violation of the separation of Church and State unless the commandments/tenets of ALL religions are installed. I’m all for people being able to peacefully practice their religion, but once you start forcing it on other people, there is no longer freedom. It’s bad enough that the federal government only recognized Christian holidays for days off and forces those who celebrate other religious holidays to use PTO to take those days off. This bill is a hard pass from me.
Freedom of religion can only exist with a government free from religion.
Additionally, I’m sick and tired of paying for a religion I do not entertain so that the falsely superior can rewrite history to somehow make it all about them.
We were not founded on Christianity. Washington never led a prayer. In fact, he adamantly refused to have a religious leader at this death bed.
The founding fathers were children of the enlightenment era. They believed that morality could only be achieved through genius, knowledge, and education. These were things that the average American had no hope to access. So, they reasoned that religion would have to be a substitute for morality. If people couldn’t learn to make reasoned decisions, at least a good number would be too terrified of smiting to make bad ones.