OMG—Not in Louisiana!
To: Gov. Jeff Landry
900 N. Third St.
Baton Rouge, LA 7080
Dear Gov Landry:
You recently signed a law requiring every public K–12 and college classroom to display a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments. At your press conference, you stated, “You’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses.” The law also allows, although does not require, schools make available three other documents “foundational” to our structure of government: the Mayflower Compact, the Northwest Ordinance, and the Declaration of Independence. There are more than 10 problems with this legislation.
Let’s start with the obvious. The view that the Protestant, or really, any, version of the Ten Commandments is the basis of our laws requires a willful ignorance of our actual statutory scheme. The first four commandments (using the Protestant list in Exodus 20) are not the basis of any laws anywhere in this country, not even Louisiana. We, at least so far, do not prohibit the observation of other religions (no other gods before me), nor do we prohibit making idols (Confederate statues all over Louisiana and in the Deep South; Catholic churches). We do not have laws prohibiting taking the name of the Lord in vain (No. 3)—unless you will be outlawing the headline on this column.
It is true that Louisiana (along with several other states) once had so-called “blue laws” that restricted certain activities on Sundays. Over time, most of these laws, and particularly the laws restricting alcohol sales, were repealed. Trying now to enforce a fourth commandment restriction on Mardi Gras revelers would make you a highly unpopular governor. Louisiana did adopt a law in 2015 that children honor their parents. Before that, parents were on their own.
In the Protestant version, No. 6 simply says that “You shall not murder.” Of course, that is not always the law in Louisiana, because the state has capital punishment. Louisiana, along with several other states, also has “stand your ground” laws, which grant any person the legal right to use deadly force under certain conditions. Lastly, Louisiana has adopted a robust “castle doctrine,” which permits the use of deadly force in self-defense in one’s home, business, or vehicle without the duty to retreat. At a minimum, there seem to be a lot of exceptions to this sixth commandment in Louisiana law.
Teenage boys will have a lot of questions about the seventh commandment (adultery) and that discussion will probably inform a number of comedic routines. Adultery is not illegal in Louisiana. While Gov. Landry would become very unpopular if he tried to impose Sunday closing laws, we’re willing to bet that impeachment would likely happen if he tried to make adultery a criminal offense.
Commandment No. 8 prohibits stealing. Here, we finally come to a commandment that does find its expression in some criminal statutes, but this prohibition is widely shared across a number of religious and moral codes. The Quran expressly prohibits stealing, and in Hinduism, stealing is specifically prohibited. Likewise, the ninth commandment (against bearing false witness) is a legal requirement throughout our entire legal structure. This prohibition is found in Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism (one of the Five Precepts), Confucianism, and a number of secular philosophies.
Adolescents will also enjoy discussing the tenth commandment (prohibiting coveting your neighbor’s wife). Notice that this commandment does not prohibit coveting your neighbor’s husband, but even if it did, neither are prohibited by Louisiana state law.
So as a factual matter, the Ten Commandments do not form the basis or foundation of either our government or series of laws. The U.S. Constitution does, but it is not listed as a foundational document required to be in educational classrooms.
Slavery is not prohibited by the Ten Commandments, and the Bible was used frequently to support the institution of slavery in the pre-Civil War south. Slavery was not abolished in the South by the intonation of these—or any—Ten Commandments; slavery was abolished in the South by the bayonets of Union soldiers. Posting the Emancipation Proclamation in Louisiana classrooms would be a true educational experience. There are other vile behaviors not prohibited by the Ten Commandments: rape, political corruption (think Huey Long), environmental pollution (fossil fuels). The list is lengthy.
Hardly any of this is the true reason why you, Gov. Landry, posed in front of TV cameras to sign the law establishing Protestant religion in all of your public schools. Such action clearly violates the history of this country and our U.S. Constitution. The Ten Commandments are not the basis of our legal system in Louisiana or anywhere else. Instead, you wish to be seen as a leader and defender of right-wing Christian nationalism for your own political gain.
We expect additional public signings when you establish as the official Louisiana state song “Onward, Christian Soldiers.”
Sincerely yours,
Vance K. Opperman
Open to All Theories of Creation
