Tag: religious liberty

May 17,  Mark Chancey, professor of religious studies at SMU Dallas along with co-author Marc Zvi Brettler of Duke University, for a piece critical of Texas legislation that would require public schools to display the Ten Commandments. Published in the Austin American-Statesman under the heading The Ten Commandments Bill: Thou shalt not play favorites: https://tinyurl.com/u9c545mn

​The Ten Commandments bill passed through the Texas State Senate last month faster than the Hebrews through the Red Sea. The bill, which requires public schools to display the commandments, is now under consideration in the House. Its journey thus far has revealed considerable confusion about the commandments, the Constitution, and the “Thou shalts” and “Thou shalt nots” of religious freedom.

That confusion was evident from the moment Sen. Phil King (R-Weatherford) introduced it. The commandments are a foundational “American tradition,” King argued. “If you go to the U.S. Supreme Court you’ll also notice when you walk in, as an establishment of its role in law and liberty, the Ten Commandments is posted above the Justices and in the doors.”