TEXAS – Texas State Senator Phil King says Senate Bill 1515, which he wrote, would require the Ten Commandments to be prominently displayed in every single classroom, in every public school in the state.
The bill passed the Senate on Thursday, March 20 with a 17 to 12 vote along party lines and is now headed to the House.
For Brett Harper, a devout Christian from Meyerland, who has eight children who are either attending or have attended public schools, news of this new, proposed bill is, as she puts it, a God-send at a time when religion seems to be being pushed out of every part of our lives.
“I think we as a society have fallen away from God and we are now, there is evidence that people are wanting to bring him back into our culture, into our everyday lives,” Brett said.
Senate Bill 1515 would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed, in a conspicuous place, in every classroom, in a size and typeface that is legible from anywhere in the classroom.
But, Rocio Fiero Perez with the Texas Freedom Network, says if passed into law, SB 1515 would discriminate against every non-Christian religion, of which there are so many, in a state that prides itself on diversity.
“If you have the Ten Commandments up in a classroom, think about what message that is sending to people of different types of faith. If you have the 10 Commandments up and someone is not practicing Christianity and reading the Bible, then that tells them that their faith is not welcome in that classroom,” Perez said.
As for Brett, she feels that bringing the Ten Commandments into classrooms could be a blessing for everyone who reads them, regardless of their religion.
“I think whether you are Muslim or Buddhist or Jewish or Christian, I think we would all agree that these are all good things for all of us to live by,” Brett said.
This senate bill has already passed the Texas State Senate, now it goes to the House for approval.