“Thou shalt not commit adultery” is one of the 10 Commandments that your children will be able to read in their classrooms everyday.
On Jan. 10, a bill to display the 10 Commandments in every classroom in Montana was introduced by Bob Phalen, first elected as a Republican member of the Montana House of Representatives from Lindsay. Our newspaper staff had a lot to say about this bill.
The bill to display the 10 Commandments states it to be displayed on a poster or framed, sized a minimum 11 inches by 14 inches with readable font. It must say all 10 of the Judao-Christian Commandments. The idea of requiring the 10 Commandments has also been brought up in several states including Texas, Oklahoma, and Utah. The state of Louisiana is the only state that has passed the bill and requires all classrooms to display the text. In 2005 Kentucky’s legislature revisited having the bill in classrooms and decided on a vote 5-4 to stop displaying the Commandments in schools.
Many students and teachers agree that having the 10 Commandments in classrooms is unnecessary. Everyone is raised differently, and we live in a world where all people live by different religions or no religion at all. Having the 10 Commandments in near constant view can pressure students into thinking they need to commit to Christianity- – especially younger students who are unaware of what a religion is. Being taught to celebrate only Christianity can lead young students to believe there is only one religion not allowing students to worship different things or cause students to feel different or out of the ordinary because they come from a different background. This can lead to young students feeling excluded because of their differences.
Another downside of having the 10 Commandments is that it is a total infringement on our first amendment rights, not allowing freedom of religion. Forcing Christianity upon students and teachers who may not practice the religion.
We’ve worked hard so students of all ages and differences can feel included in our community and in our schools. Hanging up the 10 Commandments is a step in the wrong direction for our schools. Confining beliefs isn’t right and several others in the House of Representatives agree because the bill was killed by a vote of 29-19 on Feb. 15.
