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EXCERPT:
A federal appeals court has narrowly upheld a Texas law requiring public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments, delivering a closely divided ruling that reverses earlier lower-court decisions.
In a 9–8 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit concluded that the policy does not violate constitutional limits on government involvement in religion. The court also found that the requirement does not interfere with parents’ authority over their children’s religious upbringing.
The majority opinion stressed that the law does not mandate religious instruction or compel students to adopt any beliefs. According to the ruling, the displays are passive in nature, and educators are not directed to promote or defend the content of the Ten Commandments in classroom discussions.
“Students are neither catechized on the Commandments nor taught to adopt them,” the ruling said. “Nor are teachers commanded to proselytize students who ask about the displays or contradict students who disagree with them.”