BREAKING: Texas Republicans Pass Law MANDATING All Students Adopt Christianity
Texas Republicans passed a law requiring every public school classroom in the state to display the Ten Commandments. The federal courts have already ruled this unconstitutional. They signed it anyway.
This is not a mistake. It’s a strategy.
What They Did
Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 10, requiring every public school classroom in Texas to display the Ten Commandments starting in September — despite a federal court ruling that a similar Louisiana law violated the constitutionally required separation of church and state.
The bill passed the Senate 28-3. The House passed it 82-46. The state clarified in the bill’s final text that Texas — meaning taxpayers — would be on the hook for any legal fees if a school district gets sued over the policy.
So they passed a law they know is unconstitutional, and made sure Texans will pay for the lawsuits when it gets struck down. A blatant violation of the first amendment and freedom of religion.
What the Law Actually Requires
Senate Bill 10, sponsored by Republican Sen. Phil King of Weatherford, requires every classroom to visibly display a poster of the Ten Commandments at least 16 by 20 inches in size. The poster cannot include any text beyond what the bill specifies. No other similar posters from other faiths may be displayed.
One religion. One text. Every classroom. No exceptions.
They Passed It on the Jewish Sabbath
The House took its initial vote on the bill on the Jewish Sabbath — the very day the Ten Commandments forbid work. Rep. James Talarico pointed this out directly, highlighting the legislative hypocrisy on the floor.
The party that wants to plaster the Ten Commandments on every classroom wall voted to pass the bill on the day those same commandments say you’re supposed to rest. They didn’t notice. Or they didn’t care.
What Republicans Said
Rep. Candy Noble, a Republican from Lucas who carried the bill in the House, said during floor debate: “It is incumbent on all of us to follow God’s law and I think we would all be better off if we did.”
That is a sitting state lawmaker saying the government’s job is to make people follow religious law. In a public school. With children who practice every faith — and no faith at all.
This Is a Coordinated National Movement
This didn’t come out of nowhere.
Texas is one of 16 states where lawmakers have pursued Ten Commandments bills. Supporters argue that the teachings of Christianity are core to U.S. history — part of a broader national movement that considers the idea of church-state separation a myth.
Texas has been building toward this for years. In 2021, the state required schools to display “In God We Trust” signs if donated by a private foundation. In 2024, the State Board of Education approved Bible-infused curriculum materials. This session, Republicans also advanced a bill allowing a prayer or religious study period during the school day, and another requiring teachers to use “Anno Domini” and “Before Christ” — explicitly religious date designations — in all classrooms.
Piece by piece. Year by year. A public school system slowly being converted into a vehicle for Christian nationalist instruction.
The Courts Already Said No
The Supreme Court struck down a nearly identical Kentucky law in 1980. Last June, a federal court struck down Louisiana’s version of this exact law, ruling that displaying the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms is unconstitutional. Louisiana is appealing.
Robert Tuttle, a professor of religion and law at George Washington University, said the situation is clear: “The constant presence of a sacred text in the room with them is effectively telling them, ‘Hey, these are things you should read and obey.’ That’s not the state’s job — to do religious instruction.”
Texas Republicans know this. They passed the bill anyway and made taxpayers pay for the inevitable legal battle.
Who Pushed Back
Civil rights and free speech groups testified against the bill — some waiting until 4 a.m. to speak at legislative committee hearings. Opponents said the policy would send a message of exclusion to students of other faiths or no faith at all, that the commandments are irrelevant to subjects like math, and that the text could prompt questions not appropriate for young children, such as what adultery means.
The Texas teachers union opposed the bill, with spokesperson Clay Robison saying plainly: “Public schools are not supposed to be Sunday school.”
Rep. James Talarico — a Democrat who is studying to become a minister — said on the House floor: “My faith means more to me than anything, but I don’t believe the government should be forcing religion onto any American citizen, especially our children. I’m a Christian who firmly believes in the separation of church and state.”
The Bottom Line
Texas Republicans passed a law requiring Christian scripture to hang in every public school classroom in the state. They did it knowing it’s unconstitutional. They did it knowing taxpayers will foot the legal bill. They did it on the Jewish Sabbath.
This is not about faith. People of deep faith opposed this bill. A man studying for the ministry opposed this bill.
This is about power. About using public schools to impose one religion on every child in Texas — Muslim kids, Jewish kids, Hindu kids, atheist kids, and kids from every background who have every right to an education that doesn’t tell them which God to obey.
The courts will likely strike it down. Texas Republicans are counting on the fight itself to be the point.