Liberty Counsel will do battle with the ACLU once again, defending America’s undeniable Judeo-Christian heritage and the indisputable influence of the Ten Commandments on American law and government.

Following our historic 9-0 win in Shurtleff v. City of Boston, in which our case helped overturn the 1971 “Lemon Test,” Louisiana enacted a law for all public schools to exhibit privately funded Ten Commandment displays.

The Louisiana law states the displays recognize “the historical role of the Ten Commandments” in the founding of the United States and that a “functional self-government” needs a common “civic morality” by which to govern itself.

But the ACLU is suing to try to stop Louisiana. Liberty Counsel is on the case! We need your help. — Mat

History is indisputable — the Ten Commandments are the basis of American law and government. Here’s the proof:

The First Commandment states, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” In 1610, Virginia required its leaders to give “allegiance” to God, “from whom all power and authority is derived,” and who is the “King of kings, the Commander of commanders, and Lord of hosts.”

Even today, every state constitution references God or a Supreme Being.

The Second Commandment forbids the making of idols. In 1680, the New Hampshire colony enacted an idolatry law.

The Third Commandment relates to not taking God’s name in vain. The Third Commandment was adopted by Virginia in 1610 (“That no man blaspheme God’s holy name”) and by Connecticut in 1639. Other colonies passed similar laws: Massachusetts in 1641, Connecticut in 1642, New Hampshire in 1680; Pennsylvania in 1682, 1700, 1741, and 1810, South Carolina in 1695 and 1814, North Carolina in 1741 and 1814.

The Fourth Commandment states, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” Virginia adopted the Fourth Commandment in 1610, New Haven in 1653, New Hampshire in 1680, Pennsylvania in 1682 and 1705, South Carolina in 1712, North Carolina in 1741, and Connecticut in 1751. Most states had “Blue Laws,” and some of those laws still remain — which is why certain entertainment places or liquor stores are not permitted to sell alcohol at certain times on Sundays or holidays.

The Fifth Commandment exhorts children to honor their parents. Connecticut adopted the Fifth Commandment in 1642. In 1934, the Louisiana Court of Appeals referred specifically to the Ten Commandments in Ruiz v. Clancy, stating “‘Honor thy father and thy mother,’ is as much a command of the municipal law as it is a part of the Decalogue, regarded as holy by every Christian people.” “A child,” says the code, “whatever be his age, owes honor and respect to his father and mother.”

The Sixth Commandment simply states, “Thou shalt not kill.” Every state forbids murder, and the courts over time have prolifically traced the origin to the Ten Commandments.

In the 1932 case Young v. Commonwealth, the court wrote that “all forms of governments following the promulgation of Moses at Mt. Sinai has required of every one of its citizens that ‘Thou shalt not murder.’”

In the 1998 case Wisconsin v. Schultz, a Wisconsin appeals court quoted a 1974 Indiana Supreme Court opinion that stated, “Virtually all criminal laws are in one way or another the progeny of Judeo-Christian ethics. We have no intention to overrule the Ten Commandments.”

The Seventh Commandment states, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” A 1641 Massachusetts law declared adultery illegal. Similar laws were enacted by Connecticut in 1642, Rhode Island in 1647, New Hampshire in 1680, and Pennsylvania in 1705. Loss of consortium laws are because of this commandment.

The Eighth Commandment states, “Thou shalt not steal.” Again, every colony and state adopted a ban on theft. In 1826, James Kent, who is widely considered one of the two “Fathers of American Jurisprudence,” made clear the connection between anti-theft laws and the Bible, writing, “To overturn justice by plundering others tended to destroy civil society, to violate the law of nature, and the institutions of Heaven.”

The Ninth Commandment prohibits perjury or bearing “false witness.” This commandment became the foundation for our judicial system. Connecticut enacted anti-perjury laws in 1642, Massachusetts in 1641, Rhode Island in 1647, and New Hampshire in 1680. In Watts v. Gerking, the Oregon Supreme Court specifically cited the Ten Commandments, writing, “No official is above the law. ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness’ is a command of the Decalogue, and that forbidden act is denounced by the statute as a felony.”

The Tenth Commandment prohibits coveting. John Adams, the first vice president and second president, stated, “If ‘Thou shalt not covet’ and ‘Thou shalt not steal’ were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free.” This commandment has been cited as the basis of civil laws against defamation, cattle rustling, election fraud, and white-collar crime.

The Ten Commandments played a key role in the foundation of American law. Any other conclusion would require erasing innumerable pages of American history. Displaying the Ten Commandments, either alone, or in the context of historical documents, is appropriate and consistent with our American heritage.

In 2005, I argued before the Supreme Court regarding a display of the Ten Commandments in an historical display. Since then, Liberty Counsel has never lost the case of a stand-alone or a historical display of the Ten Commandments.

As you likely know, Liberty Counsel won a historic 9-0 victory at the U.S. Supreme Court last fall defending religious freedom in Shurtleff v. City of Boston, and we filed an amicus brief in the Coach Kennedy case. These two cases destroyed the Lemon Test once and for all, making public expressions of faith LEGAL once more.

But the ACLU must not have gotten the memo, because it is suing Louisiana to force the state to hide the Ten Commandments from schoolchildren.

We must continue to defend America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and history. We intend to WIN, but WE NEED YOUR HELP to fund our work in this crucial case. Every donation made today will be DOUBLED IN IMPACT by a generous Challenge Grant.

SOURCE:

“Louisiana Classrooms to Display the Ten Commandments.” Liberty Counsel, June 20, 2024. LC.org/newsroom/details/062024-louisiana-classrooms-to-display-the-ten-commandments.