How a latest order creates row over religious freedom in US
A two-minute read on Louisiana’s order to display Ten Commandments in public schools
Louisiana has become the first US state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom, starting from 2025.
The why: New Republican Governor Jeff Landry signed the bill into a law as part of a conservative agenda.
- Proponents describe the commandments as "the foundational documents of our state and national government".
- Earlier in May Louisiana became the first US state to designate two commonly used abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances.
What will the posters include: Rather than state funds, the posters would be paid for through donations.
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- The poster should be 11 inches by 14 inches with the Ten Commandments written in "large, easily readable font".
- It must include a four-paragraph "context statement" describing how the Ten Commandments "were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries".
What's Ten Commandments: When Moses had prayed to God for help, God gave him the Ten Commandments that includes:
- "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
- "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image."
- "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."
Repercussions: Opponents questioned the law's constitutionality and vowed to challenge it in court.
- Right bodies say the law prevents students from getting an equal education and will keep children having different beliefs from feeling safe at school.
- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, they say.
What's about other US states: Some other US states vying for the same law.
- Similar bills have been proposed in states including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah.
- However, there had been numerous legal battles over the display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings.
Previous hearings: USA earlier had witnessed legal battles on displaying Ten Commandments in public places like schools, courthouses and police stations.
- In 1980, the US Supreme Court ruled that a similar Kentucky law was unconstitutional and violated the establishment clause of the US Constitution.
- The constitution says Congress can "make no law respecting an establishment of religion".
