Displaying the Ten Commandments in Public Schools
Is This Something Christians Should Be Pushing For?
It’s that time of year again when summer break ends and children return to school. In some places, this also means attention is being given to the question about whether the Ten Commandments should be displayed in public schools.
Opponents, of course, often cite the supposed “separation of church and state” as a reason why the Ten Commandments should not be displayed in a government-operated school. Advocates are generally those who claim to be Christians. As one parent put it, he believes that students would benefit from seeing the Ten Commandments daily in their classrooms.
But why push for the Ten Commandments? Why not push for other passages of Scripture that outline how we should conduct ourselves in our communities, like the Beatitudes or the fruit of the Spirit?
The argument could be made that the Ten Commandments have a greater historical significance in that they helped shape the thinking of those who were influential in the founding of this country. That may be true. But why not push for displaying the Magna Carta or other historically significant documents?
The Importance of the Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments were delivered to Moses for the children of Israel after they were led out of bondage in Egypt. Their forefathers entered Egypt as the family of Jacob (Genesis 46:26-27) and left as a nation. The Ten Commandments were the beginning – the foundation – of God’s law for this new nation. All of the laws God gave them were based upon the framework found in these fundamental commands.
The wise man wrote, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). In the Ten Commandments, God showed the framework for the righteousness that would exalt the nation. Even today, the extent to which a society adheres to the principles outlined in these commands determines how well that society functions.1
An understanding of the Ten Commandments – as well as the rest of the Bible – is vitally important. Learning about this will benefit children as they grow and help them be a positive influence on all those they encounter.
However, does that mean that Christian parents should be spending their time, energy, and resources to fight for the display of the Ten Commandments in the public schools? Especially since almost two-thirds of high school students are reading at a level below Proficient.
Who Is Responsible to Teach This to Children?
When the Ten Commandments were given to the people of Israel, who was responsible for teaching them to the children? The parents: “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).
In the New Testament, who is charged with the responsibility of teaching children about the ways of God? Again, it’s the parents. Fathers have the prime responsibility as the head of the household: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). However, mothers also contribute to this, as Timothy was taught by his mother and grandmother about the Scriptures (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14-15).
The problem with the impassioned push to display the Ten Commandments in the public schools is that it takes the parents’ responsibility of providing spiritual instruction to their children and passes it off onto the school, while this same government school system has proven to be woefully inept at the one task that is their primary purpose – educating students.2 Do we really expect that having a display of the Ten Commandments will repair the students’ broken homes, social media addictions, and lack of basic reading skills?
A better solution for Christian parents would be to take responsibility for their children’s education and instruct them at home. Then they can display the Ten Commandments, learn about God’s work in Creation, talk about the historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, and provide an education that is specifically tailored to each child’s needs.
Of course, I understand that not all Christian parents are in a position to be able to homeschool their children. But those who can should seriously consider doing so for the spiritual, mental, emotional, and educational well-being of their children. Sadly, though, many Christian parents do not even consider whether or not they could homeschool their children and are content to let the public schools take over, despite the lagging test scores and godless influences.
Conclusion
If a Supreme Court ruling were made that would allow public schools to display the Ten Commandments, and schools across the country were to do so, that would be great. However, as parents, we need to remember our responsibility regarding our children. Whether they attend public school, are enrolled in a private school, or we homeschool them, their education, spiritual training, character formation, and daily provisions are our responsibility. Fighting to have the Ten Commandments displayed in school is not the same thing as “bring[ing] them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). It is up to us to “teach them diligently” (Deuteronomy 6:7), and nothing done by the schools we send them to absolves us of that responsibility.
For more on the significance of the Ten Commandments as the basis for a properly functioning society, check out my article, The Foundation for a Godly Society, in which I go through each of the commandments and explain how the principles contained in them are needed for society to operate the way God has intended.
Whenever a criticism is made against the government school system, many are quick to counter the perceived attack against teachers. However, I am not necessarily criticizing teachers. (Yes, there are some bad ones, but that is true in every profession.) The behavioral, societal, and policy issues that are prevalent within the education system have placed teachers in an impossible situation, which is really unfair to them.