Why the Ten Commandments Don't Belong in Schools

The discussion about putting the Ten Commandments in public schools is back. Some folks argue that the First Amendment only stops the federal government, not the states. This idea is old and doesn't make sense anymore. After the Civil War, the Supreme Court made it clear. The Bill of Rights applies to states too. This means states can't just pick and choose which religious ideas to push in schools. That includes the Ten Commandments. Here's another issue. The Ten Commandments aren't the same everywhere. Different religions and even different groups within the same religion have different versions. So, which one should schools display? The Jewish version? A Christian one? And which Christian version? There are many to choose from.Some people point to the Supreme Court building. It has a statue of Moses holding the Ten Commandments. But the tablets are blank. So, it's not really promoting any specific religion. The founders of the United States didn't want the government to support any one religion. James Madison, one of the key founders, was against it. He believed it would corrupt both the church and the state. There's no evidence that he or the other founders wanted the First Amendment to allow states to establish their own religions. The idea that the U. S. was founded on biblical principles is also a stretch. Neither the Declaration of Independence nor the Constitution mentions this. The Ten Commandments also don't cover things like democracy, freedom, or human rights. These are all important parts of Western morality, but they don't come from the Ten Commandments.