North Dakota Bill Sparks Debate Over Displaying the Ten Commandments in Schools

(Ann Estvold – North Dakota Newspaper Association) – North Dakota’s school boards already have a state law that gives them the ability to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms, if they are accompanied by other historical documents. Now, lawmakers are debating whether to require posting the commandments in every public K-12 and college classroom.

The debate is among advocates who say the Ten Commandments provide a foundation of morals and values — and that teaching them in schools was once broadly accepted — and opponents who say the compulsory posting of them in public classrooms would violate the U.S. Constitution’s ban on establishing a state religion.

One of the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Mark Enget, R-Powers Lake, said the commandments are historically and morally important outside of their Christian religious context. “They are pure and good and build strong families which in turn build a strong society,” said Enget.

The House Judiciary Committee is reviewing House Bill 1145, which would require posting the Ten Commandments in the state’s public K-12 and college classrooms. The panel held a hearing Jan. 14 and did not make an immediate recommendation about whether the bill should be approved or defeated. Dozens of interested people have posted testimony on the Legislature’s website, with the majority being opposed to the bill. Dozens of people also attended the hearing in person, although time limits prevented many of them from testifying.