Arkansas has become the latest state to require Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms as debate about the historic document’s presence in schools continues.
Arkansas’ Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed Senate Bill 433 into law Monday, one of several measures she approved. Sanders’ approval of the legislation follows its passage by the Republican-controlled Arkansas Senate in a 27-4 vote and the Republican-controlled Arkansas House of Representatives in a 71-20 vote.
The vote in the Senate fell along party lines, with all support for the measure coming from Republicans and all opposition coming from Democrats. In the House, two Republicans sided with Democrats in opposing the legislation.
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The bill requires all classrooms and libraries in all public elementary, secondary and postsecondary schools, as well as all buildings in the state maintained by taxpayer funds, to display a poster or framed copy of the U.S. national motto “In God We Trust” and a poster or framed copy of The Ten Commandments. Additional requirements for classrooms and libraries at public schools and colleges, in addition to public buildings, include displays of the U.S. and Arkansas flags.
Sanders’ approval of Senate Bill 433 comes less than a week after she signed House Bill 1705, which was passed by the House in a 76-19 vote and the Senate in a 28-5 vote. The votes on House Bill 1705 in both chambers fell along party lines, with all support coming from Republicans and all opposition coming from Democrats.
House Bill 1705 requires the Arkansas Board of Education to incorporate “information that addresses the founding of the United States, including the founding fathers and their religious and moral beliefs and how their religious and moral beliefs influenced the founding documents of the United States,” into social studies curriculum for public school students in grades six through 12.
The curriculum will focus on the quotation in the Declaration of Independence stating, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
It will also examine “the identity of the ‘Creator’ as viewed by the Founding Fathers” and the degree to which the Founding Fathers relied on The Ten Commandments, Mosaic Law and the New Testament when formulating American law and public policy.
In a statement provided to The Christian Post on Thursday, Liberty Counsel founder and Chairman Mat Staver reacted to Sanders’ approval of both bills. “We commend Arkansas legislators for taking steps to display the Ten Commandments and give students a proper education on the Founders’ religious and moral convictions,” he said. “The Founders knew our inalienable rights come from God, not government, and that the role of government is to protect those rights.”
“In addition, the Ten Commandments have indelibly shaped American law and government. Understanding the historical context in which the nation was founded and the foundational principles of our laws is a key to preserving our nation,” he added.
Former talk show host Phil McGraw discussed the debate about the placement of the Ten Commandments in schools on Friday’s episode of his podcast “The Real Story,” which coincided with Good Friday. He shared his opinion that Ten Commandments displays were needed to counteract what he described as the “false gods of social media, money, celebrities” and “politicians.”
Arkansas isn’t the first state to pass legislation requiring public school classrooms to display The Ten Commandments. Last year, Louisiana became the first state to institute such a requirement.
While a federal judge issued a ruling blocking the law from taking effect last November in response to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a federal appellate court limited the ruling to only apply to school districts where parents were challenging the measure.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
