Oklahoma Republicans Advance Bill To Put Ten Commandments Displays in Public Schools

By Hemant Mehta

What is it with Oklahoma legislators and their obsession with the Ten Commandments?

After a years-long battle — which they lost — over a monument outside the Capitol building, State Rep. John Bennett has now proposed House Bill 2177, which would allow the posting of the Commandments in all public buildings including courthouses and public schools.

While the bill talks broadly about posting “historically significant documents,” there’s no doubt that’s just a cover for the Decalogue.

In presenting the bill… Bennett made it clear his primary interest is the Ten Commandments, saying they have “impacted American law and culture with a force similar only to that of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.”

I’m not sure how rules about worshiping only one specific God, false idols, keeping the Sabbath Day holy, and taking the Lord’s name in vain have anything to do with our law… but maybe that’s because I’ve actually read the First Amendment. It’s also legal (even if it’s not ethical) to commit adultery, lie, and covet. So it’s just not true that we based our laws on the Ten Commandments.

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