Ten Commandments are important for children to learn from, not just see
Earlier this summer, Republican Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed into law a requirement that all public classrooms display the Ten Commandments. Broadly similar laws are moving through legislatures and courts in a variety of other states – as they have at various points over the past 75 years. Especially as the school year begins, it is worth considering: Should the Ten Commandments be placed in every classroom?
A potential problem that some have raised concerns the "separation of church and state." First, that expression (or idea) is not used anywhere in the Constitution – which guarantees the right of everyone to practice the faith of their choosing, and forbids the state establishment of a particular faith.
It would be hard to seriously argue that the posting of the Ten Commandments is an expression of the state establishing Judaism (from whose sacred text, the Torah, they derive) as its official religion. Second, numerous Supreme Court decisions are very clear that a religiously derived symbol or teaching is permissible in a state function if it also serves a secular purpose.
The problem with just posting the Ten Commandments is that they are not self explanatory like a banner, flag, cross or Star of David might be. A school which only posts the Ten Commandments risks one of two outcomes.
First, they might be reduced to a mere symbol of a victory in a culture war. Second, they might be tokenized or trivialized – considered alongside other classroom posters such as: "Every Learner is a Masterpiece in Progress," "We Value Diversity, Tolerance, Love, Respect, Equality," and "Every Student, All Day, Every Day #Attendance."
This would be unfortunate, and even tragic, as the Ten Commandments – in around 250 words – contain life-transforming potential. When learned, the Ten Commandments are revealed to be the most concise, interesting, wise, instructive and universal moral guidance and ethical teaching ever issued, accessible to and relevant for people of all faiths and in all eras.
Therefore, the Ten Commandments should not just be posted in schools. They should be taught in every public school system. Fortunately, the Ten Commandments very much do exist – and are tailored-made for educating, deepening, growing and uplifting every student who is taught them.
A teacher’s guide for teaching the Ten Commandments could easily be constructed by educators and scholars, regardless of their faith. Indeed, a guide constructed by people with different perspectives and from different traditions would make it even richer and more fulfilling.
I am quite sure this would happen because I, as a devout Jew, teach Torah every week to evangelicals (through the parachurch ministry Eagles Wings in their Torah Tuesday program). I often learn new, true and even brilliant insights into the text from my Christian brethren who approach our shared love of the Torah from a different tradition and perspective.
A well-constructed teacher’s guide would yield life lessons and existential questions, unavailable elsewhere, that would invigorate all seekers and make seekers out of all of our children. Here are just a few examples:
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It is completely remarkable that such a short text – one that is less than one-fourth the size of this (very incomplete!) commentary – can be so comprehensive, practical and wise. In just 250 words, the Ten Commandments offers its students deep access into the three universal and always relevant domains of life: personal character, social relationships and societal systems.
And the Ten Commandments are not even done there. A study of the Ten Commandments also becomes an education into education itself – specifically how to probe, question and learn. The only thing they don’t do is explain or teach themselves. That’s fine; neither do math, science, history, literature or languages.
Thankfully, we have teachers and schools. By all means – post the Ten Commandments, but only after teaching them … when, almost surely, students and teachers of all faiths will deeply appreciate the great questions they inspire, revere the deep truths they reveal and want the constant reminder that a classroom posting will provide.