The Ten Commandments & Unalienable Rights

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It is vital that students learn how their world is a better place because of Christianity's influence.

The controversy over laws in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas that require the Ten Commandments to be posted in public school classrooms is often described as a constitutional clash between religion and government. Critics argue that these displays violate the Establishment Clause by encouraging religious belief in public schools.

There is another way to look at the issue. The Ten Commandments played an important role in shaping the American understanding of unalienable rights.

Unalienable Rights from the Commandments

Instead of viewing the Ten Commandments only as religious, they can be taught as a civics lesson that helps  explain where America’s idea of freedom came from. The Declaration of Independence states that all people are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” That idea did not appear out of nowhere. Christians during the Reformation, writing two hundred years before America’s founding, believed the Commandments implied basic human rights. Put simply, every “Thou shalt not” also suggested a corresponding “Thou shalt have the freedom to...”.

John Witte, Jr., Professor of Law at Emory University, points out in his essay, "Calvinist Contributions to Freedom in Early Modern Europe," that Reformers saw the Ten Commandments (also referred to as the Decalogue) as more than merely laws about what not to do. The commandments logically assumed certain rights from the Creator. Witte states:

"While the First Table of the Decalogue anchored each person's religious rights...the Second Table anchored each person's natural social rights and correlative duties."

For example, Reformation leaders argued that obeying the first two commandments, “You shall have no other gods before me” and “You shall not make for yourself a graven image,” requires freedom of conscience. If individuals are personally responsible to God for what they believe and how they worship, then the government has no right to force belief or worship. Genuine faith cannot be forced. This reasoning led America’s founders to conclude that even people in religions they believed were wrong must be protected from government pressure, because people are only accountable to God.

From Europe to America

Martin Luther taught that civil authorities go beyond their proper role when they try to control belief. Quoting Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:28 that human power can harm the body but not the soul, Luther argued that using force in matters of faith is both wrong and ineffective. Belief, by its very nature, must be free.

Classroom Poster: We have created an 11x17 Ten Commandments poster that shows the relationship between each commandment and the freedom required for people to live by it.

Ten Commandments & Constitutional Parallels.

This idea crossed the Atlantic and strongly influenced America’s founders. Thomas Jefferson reflected this Reformation thinking in the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, writing that “Almighty God hath created the mind free”  and warning that coercion leads to hypocrisy instead of true belief. Three years later, the ideas behind that statute shaped the First Amendment, which prevents the government from establishing religion or interfering with its free exercise.

Reformers applied the same logic to the rest of the commandments. “You shall not murder” implies a right not to be murdered. In other words, the right to self-defense. “You shall not steal” supports the right to own things. And in order to own things, people have the right to be paid for their work. “You shall not bear false witness” protects reputation and truth-telling, especially in legal settings. The commands against coveting safeguard the family and household, ideas later reflected in the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.

Johannes Althusius (pronounced alt-housus) was a lawyer, a Calvinist, and a leader in the new Dutch legal system developed in the late 1560s and 1570s. Witte comments that Althusisus expanded on other Calvinist thinkers' ideas and more fully developed...

"the ideas that the republic is formed by a covenant between the rulers and the people before God; that the foundation of this covenant is the law of God and nature; that the Decalogue is the best expression of this higher law...that violations of these rights and liberties or of the divine and natural laws that inform and empower them, are instances of tyranny that must trigger organized constitutional resistance."

After reviewing many Reformation thinkers who came after theologian John Calvin, Witte wrote that “early modern Calvinism [was] one of the driving engines of Western constitutionalism.”

America’s founders did not try to copy the Ten Commandments directly into the Constitution, but their views on liberty and government were deeply influenced by them. From John Calvin to John Locke, philosophers connected God’s moral law to natural law, and natural law shaped the Declaration of Independence and influenced the structure of the Constitution.

The Ten Commandments can help students understand the reasoning behind America’s freedoms and why limited government is important when our rights come from a higher authority. Regardless of how the courts rule on the legal status of displaying the Ten Commandments, it is important for educators to teach students about their historical significance and connection to the freedoms Americans have today.

Symbolism has its place. But symbolism is only valuable when those who see it understand the substance behind it.

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"Calvinist Contributions to Freedom in Early Modern Europe," Chapter eight in Christianity and Freedom, Volume 1: Historical Perspectives, Edited by Timothy Samuel Shah and Allen D. Hertzke; Cambridge University Press, 2016, NY, NY

Resources:

Teaching without Fear, Part 2: Talking About the Separation of Church and State

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You’re sitting in the teacher’s lounge and the topic of “church/state separation” comes up. What should you say?

I have found that when teachers and administrators raise the issue of the separation of church and state, they usually think it is a conversation-stopper – as in, “Oh that can’t be done in class—separation of church and state. End of discussion.”

The first thing I recommend you do is let them know that you also believe in a separation of church and state. Just say “Well I believe in the separation of church and state. I don’t want to see an official ‘Church of America’ like the Church of England. And, I don’t want to see clergy having any kind of legislative authority over our elected officials. Nor do I want to see the government having any kind of ecclesiastical authority over churches. I believe in the separation of church and state.”

But then, in a friendly tone, ask your colleagues some other questions that will cause them to think a little deeper about the issue:

  1. What do you do if a church is on fire? Would a fire department violate the separation of church and state if it put out the fire? It would be the state aiding a church. Correct? Or, what about a synagogue that gets vandalized. Do you not call the police because, again, that would be a violation of the separation of church and state? Should religious institutions have their own police and fire departments?

  1. How do we handle the fact that our state’s academic standards expect us to teach about religion, and expect students to understand something about the Bible? Is our Department of Education wanting us to violate the separation of church and state?

  1. What about freedom of speech? Are you against your students’ freedom of expression just because they might express an opinion based on their religious thinking?

  1. What about censorship? Should we censor parts of our history that show religion in a positive light?

Most likely your colleagues will agree that they don’t mean that kind of separation of church and state. You can agree about academic freedom to teach about religion even when it shows religion in a positive light. And you can agree that, while teachers need to be careful, students have tremendous freedom to express their faith at school. And, yes, police and fire departments should protect religious institutions.

You might, then, want to refer to what the Supreme Court said about the phrase “separation of church and state.” In the case of Lynch versus Donnelly having to do with the public display of a Nativity Scene, the Court made this comment:

“The concept of a ‘wall’ of separation between church and state is a useful metaphor but is not an accurate description of the practical aspects of the relationship that in fact exists. The Constitution does not require complete separation of church and state; it affirmatively mandates accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility toward any. Anything less would require the ‘callous indifference,’ that was never intended by the Establishment Clause.” (emphasis added)

By having a conversation about the misused phrase “separation of church and state” you just may help your school become a more faith-friendly environment for students and teachers.

Reformation Day - October 31

Teach a Civics Lesson about Martin Luther - Teaching without Fear

Students know all about Halloween but they should learn about something else that is celebrated on October 31 that has had a MUCH bigger impact on the world.

October 31 is also Reformation Day. On that day in 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 objections to the Roman Catholic Church on a church door in Germany. As a civics lesson, students of all faiths and no faith should understand the freedom of religion they enjoy because of what Luther started.

CIVICS CONNECTION

Understanding the benefits of America's religious heritage to our civic life is important. Part of the American value system, rooted in Christian thinking, is that people not only have the freedom to hold to their religious beliefs, but can live by them and publicly express them as well.

In 1517, Luther had no intention of leaving the Catholic Church. But holding fast to his conviction against certain church practices and doctrines got him expelled.

At the time, governments in Europe enforced religious conformity for the Church. Luther wrote about why government authority should not be used to coerce belief. He argued, from Scripture, that people are responsible only to God for their religious beliefs.

To make his case, he quoted Jesus' statement in Matthew 10:28, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

He then wrote:

"Surely that [Matt. 10:28] is clear enough: the soul is taken out of the hands of any human being whatsoever, and is placed exclusively under the power of God. Now tell me this: would anyone in his right mind give orders where he has no authority?...It is impossible and futile to command or coerce someone to believe this or that."

Luther's revolutionary thinking about religious freedom spread throughout Europe and came to America with the Pilgrims, the Puritans, and eventually, America's Founders.

THOMAS JEFFERSON AGREED

Thomas Jefferson echoed Luther's thinking when he wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. With the help of James Madison, it became law in 1786. Before this, Virginia taxed people to support churches.

Jefferson began the legislation with this theological assertion:

"Whereas Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens [burdens], or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the Holy author of our religion, who being Lord both of body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as it was in his Almighty power to do."

After making his argument for freedom of religion, Jefferson's legislation stated:

"Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever...nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities." (Emphasis added)

CONNECTION TO THE BILL OF RIGHTS

The Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom was an important influence on the drafters of the First Amendment three years later:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

As an example of how relevant Luther's and Jefferson's words are for today, we should all be concerned about religious tests expressed in Senate hearings (no matter what our political leanings are). (Here, and Here)

Every student in America needs to understand the Christian roots of the freedom of religious expression they might take for granted. Students will not seek to preserve what they do not cherish, and they will not cherish what they do not understand. October 31 - Reformation Day - is an excellent opportunity to teach a civics lesson about the connection between Martin Luther, religious freedom, the Bill of Rights, and their everyday lives.

Resources:

Video - A Fun, Animated History of the Reformation (National Geographic)

Parents - FREE Reformation Coloring Book for Children (PDF)

Book - Never Before In History: America's Inspired Birth

Library of Congress - Religion and the Founding of the American Republic

Videos - Provided by the Orange County Dept. of Education explaining Students’ Religious Freedom

Teaching without Fear, Part 1: The Supreme Court Supports Bible Reading

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Many people think that the Supreme Court has thrown the Bible out of public schools. They are surprised when they actually look at what the Supreme Court has said. 

The 1963 case that dealt with Bible reading in school is called Abington School District vs. Schempp. The Abington School District is north of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. At the time, Pennsylvania had a law requiring Bible reading at the beginning of each day. A man named Edward Schempp challenged the law and the Court agreed that the state cannot require somebody to read the Bible even if they are Christians - the state should not be in the business of requiring students to be devoted to a particular religious faith.

Since the Pennsylvania Bible reading law wasn't connected to academics but merely an exercise done every morning, the Court decided in an 8-1 decision in favor of respondent, Edward Schempp. It declared this type of Bible reading in the public schools to be unconstitutional. However, it didn't declare all Bible reading unconstitutional.

To clarify that it wasn't ruling out all Bible reading, the Court went on to write:

"...the State may not establish a 'religion of secularism' in the sense of affirmatively opposing or showing hostility to religion, thus 'preferring those who believe in no religion over those who do believe."

Fast forward to today, all these years later, and many teachers and administrators are acting exactly as the court warned against. They are, in a sense, establishing a religion of secularism.

The Supreme Court went on to say:

"[I]t might well be said that one's education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization. It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities."

Now, that's not just allowing it, that's encouraging it! That's saying it's worthy of study.

Practical Application

Teachers should not fear using the Bible as an academic reference in the classroom. When relevant to the academic topic I recommend educators cut and paste the appropriate Biblical passage from an online Bible. Put it into a Word document and include two other items: (1) a brief explanation tying the Scripture to the academic topic being addressed, and (2) a quote from their state's academic standard or law that supports the use of the Bible. If the educators' state has no specific reference, I recommend they quote the Supreme Court's supportive statement in Abington School District vs. Schempp.

34 States Allow for Opening the School Day in Prayer

Millions of public school students can begin their day with an opening prayer in the classroom. Shocking, isn't it? It's called a moment of silence, and thirty-four states allow it (and some mandate it).

Gateways to Better Education is now encouraging and equipping students to ACTUALLY PRAY during that moment of silence. We've created a School Prayer Card that students can keep in their pockets or backpacks. During the moment of silence, they can pull out the prayer card and silently pray the prayer. Imagine millions of students silently reading the prayer on our School Prayer Card.

You can download the School Prayer Card for free. CLICK HERE.

Visit our School Prayer Card webpage to find out if YOUR STATE mandates a moment of silence and what to do if your school doesn't observe it. Tell your friends about the School Prayer Card and download the free card today!