CHRISTIAN BREAKING NEWS: Unconstitutional? Faith Vs Freedom? ACLU Opposes Bills Mandating Public Schools to Display Ten Commandments and “In God We Trust”
CHRISTIAN BREAKING NEWS: Unconstitutional? Faith Vs Freedom? ACLU Opposes Bills Mandating Public Schools to Display Ten Commandments and “In God We Trust”
Hi everyone,
The ACLU of Virginia recently issued a statement opposing two upcoming bills that would mandate public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments and the national motto “In God We Trust.”
One bill requires that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom in Virginia.
Another bill requires the display of the national motto, “In God We Trust.”
These proposals are part of a wave of similar laws coming in at least 15 additional states this year.
The ACLU argues that these bills violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by promoting a specific religious viewpoint in taxpayer-funded institutions.
Historically, the Supreme Court knocked down the mandatory posting of the Ten Commandments in Stone v. Graham (1980).
Federal courts successfully blocked a similar recent proposal in Louisiana (H.B. 71), which was considered as coercive and unconstitutional
The ACLU emphasizes maintaining a neutral state stance on religion and urges legislators to respect religious freedom without coercion.
Supporters of the bills, the Republican lawmakers, have defended the initiatives as attempts to merely reflect traditional American values.
Hundreds of bills have been introduced nationwide this year, pushing for Ten Commandment displays or school prayer provisions.
Faith-based displays are sometimes justified as educational or historical; nonetheless, expanding them nationwide throughout classrooms—particularly without proper context—may go beyond constitutional bounds.
The ACLU warns that if passed, these bills could undermine religious freedom and constitutional neutrality echoing past Supreme Court decisions like Stone v. Graham (1980), which struck down similar mandates. With federal precedents and recent court decisions opposing mandatory religious displays, their position appears to be strongly grounded in both legal and constitutional principles.
QUESTIONS:
Should religious texts be displayed in public classrooms? Do these laws promote religion—or merely tradition? What does the Constitution really say?
Full ACLU Press Release:
https://www.acluva.org/press-releases/aclu-opposes-bills-calling-posting-ten-commandments-and-god-we-trust-public-schools/
UNCONSTITUTIONAL? ACLU OPPOSES BILLS | PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO DISPLAY 10 COMMANDMENTS, “IN GOD WE TRUST” | Christian News and Views!
UNCONSTITUTIONAL? ACLU OPPOSES BILLS | PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO DISPLAY 10 COMMANDMENTS, “IN GOD WE TRUST” | Christian News and Views!