Texas lawmakers have filed bills for this legislative session that would require the display of the Ten Commandments and the inclusion of time to read religious texts in Texas public schools.
Senator Phil King from Weatherford filed Senate Bill 10 relating to every public school in Texas to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Representative Mitch Little filed House Bill 1348, also addressing the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Senate Bill 11, filed by Mayes Middleton from Galveston, would institute prayer time and a reading of the Bible or other religious texts in Texas public schools. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who sets senate legislative priorities, has said that he will push the bills forward.
“I will never stop fighting for religious liberty in Texas.” Patrick said. “Allowing the Ten Commandments and prayer back into our public schools is one step we can take to make sure that all Texans have the right to freely express their sincerely held religious beliefs. I believe that you cannot change the culture of the country until you change the culture of mankind. Bringing the Ten Commandments and prayer back to our public schools will enable our students to become better Texans.”
President Donald Trump also voiced his opinion on the subject, announcing his support for the bills in an all-caps post to Truth Social.
“I LOVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS,” Trump said. “PRIVATE SCHOOLS, AND MANY OTHER PLACES, FOR THAT MATTER.”
Several Texas Democrats have openly opposed the bills. Representative James Talarico used quotes from the Bible to argue against their passage, calling the bills “arrogant” and “exclusionary”.
“Texas Republicans are trying to force public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom.” Talarico said in a post on X. “I told the bill author: ‘This bill is not only un-constitutional and un-American, it’s deeply un-Christian.’”
The most outspoken supporters of the bills are from the Republican party, which currently holds majorities in the Texas Senate and House of Representatives.
“The Ten Commandments are part of our Texas and American story,” King argues on his website. “They are ingrained into who we are as a people and as a nation. Today, our students cry out for the moral clarity, for the statement of right and wrong that they represent. If our students don’t know the Ten Commandments, they will never understand the foundation for much of American history and law.”
