Louisiana has become the first US state to require the Ten Commandments of Christianity to be displayed in every public classroom. The new law states that the Ten Commandments must be displayed in “large, easy-to-read font” in classrooms from preschools to state-funded universities.
In the United States, the law has received harsh criticism from several organizations.
According to Dag Blanck, professor of North American studies at Uppsala University, it is not the first time that laws to strengthen the position of religion have been passed in the United States.
– In other states, people have wanted to display the Ten Commandments in public places. It has to do with the role of religion in American society and in some states conservative groups want it to take a bigger place in society.
The ten Commandments. Part of the Bible text, the new Bible translation. Photo: Claudio Bresciani / TT
“Very likely to be challenged”
At the same time, there is a strict separation between state and religion in the United States – that is an important part of the constitution. Dag Blanck therefore believes that it may be difficult to get the law through.
– It will very likely be challenged in the courts where it will probably be established that it is against the constitution. But it shows the strong position that religion still has, especially sometimes politically conservative groups such as the Republicans.
“The position of religion in the United States has declined”
But that the influence of Christianity would have increased in the United States is not a completely accurate description, according to Dag Blanck.
– An interesting observation is that the position of religion in general, on the contrary, has declined in recent decades. Not least the traditional churches are losing young members. In contrast, the southern states stand out, where religion has a stronger position.
Louisiana is located in the part of the United States that is sometimes called the “Bible Belt”. Last year, conservative Jeff Landry (R) was elected as the new governor of the state that was previously led by a Democrat.
At the beginning of 2025, the commandments will begin to appear in classrooms.