Why Having The Ten Commandments in Schools is More Complicated Than You Think

By Easton Martin

     For the last few decades, the fight for The Ten Commandments to be posted in public schools has been a controversial topic. With states such as Louisiana and Texas recently introducing legislation in support of this, the discussion is once again entering the forefront of the public's mind. Other states, such as North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Tennessee have also proposed legislation in support of posting The Ten Commandments in schools. It seems posting The Ten Commandments in our schools would be a great win for Christian religious freedom, but is the issue as cut and dry as we might think? As a Christian, I am always in support of laws that will promote the free expression of Christianity; However, posting The Ten Commandments in public schools seemingly presents more issues than it solves.  

     Let's take a look at the bill that recently passed in the Texas Senate, SB 10. The bill specifies that The Ten Commandments posted in schools must be the King James Version. The problem with this is two-fold: first, having a state-sponsored version of a part of Scripture means that the government inherently takes a position on the theological discussion regarding Bible translation and thereby allows the government a level of religious authority. 

     Additionally, the King James Version of The Ten Commandments has some translation differences that are fairly important. The KJV translates the Hebrew verb "ratzah" as kill; however, translators now recognize “murder”, or “unjust killing” as more precise renderings. If a translation is going to be the official state-sponsored version, then having controversial translation choices is something to be avoided, especially since public school teachers are unlikely to be able to properly explain these nuances.

    Despite the significance of these issues, I do not see them as the most troubling. There have been debates over the years in specific bills proposed that outline the purpose of The Ten Commandments being posted in public schools. It has been argued to be a historic document that was key to the moral law-making of our country, and on the other end of the spectrum, a moral law code to live by. While the former avoids some of the issues regarding the government's promotion of religion, it falls into the same ditch. So too would making it a generic moral law code, which causes us to lose sight of the true meaning of The Ten Commandments. 

     The Ten Commandments are not simply a list of generic commandments which are generally good principles of morality- they are far more than that. The Ten Commandments were the laws given to the Israelites after God delivered them from slavery in Egypt, and were meant to serve as their basic guidelines for living, outlining their relationship with God and one another. While The Ten Commandments are still just as true today as they were when they were given, there is far more to know than these rules alone. If lawmakers want to put The Ten Commandments in schools for the purpose of students turn to Christ, then they are sorely missing the point. The Gospel is not The Ten commandments. If kids see The Ten Commandments only and associate an isolated set of laws with the gospel, then are we not just teaching them moralism? 

     This is the point: Moralism is not the gospel. Good behavior and rule-following do not save us. The message of the Gospel is that Jesus has already done what we can never accomplish. We attain righteousness not by our strength in obeying his commandments well enough, but by believing that he has obeyed perfectly, thus trusting that he suffered the penalty of our sins. Let me be perfectly clear- The Ten Commandments are solid. and still need to be followed. To miss their true meaning is to lose sight of why God has given them to his people.