The Ten Commandments in Post-Christian America, by David G Bonagura, Jr.

By David G Bonagura, Jr., The Catholic Thing, July 20, 2024

David G. Bonagura Jr. an adjunct professor at St. Joseph’s Seminary and is the 2023-2024 Cardinal Newman Society Fellow for Eucharistic Education. He is the author of Steadfast in Faith: Catholicism and the Challenges of Secularism and Staying with the Catholic Church, and the translator of Jerome’s Tears: Letters to Friends in Mourning.

What sin hath Louisiana committed in mandating the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school? According to the plaintiff in the newly minted suit Roake v. Brumley, Louisiana is harming children by making them think about God.

The plaintiff stated, “The Ten Commandments displays required under state law will create an unwelcoming and oppressive school environment for children, like ours, who don’t believe in the state’s official version of scripture. We believe that no child should feel excluded in public school because of their family’s faith tradition.”

If looking at the Ten Commandments in school is unwelcoming and oppressive, then does seeing an adult or peer wearing a crucifix, in school or on a team, cause a nervous breakdown? What about the presence of a church or house of worship? …