State's Ten Commandments law a 'threat' to democracy — and faith: lawsuit

Faith leaders in Texas are pushing back against a new state law that requires a copy of the Ten Commandments to be posted in every public school classroom, The Associated Press reported.

The group includes faith leaders from the Christian and the Nation of Islam churches from the Dallas area. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the group argued that Texas's Senate Bill 10, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed Saturday, violates the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

“The government should govern; the Church should minister,” the lawsuit said. “Anything else is a threat to the soul of both our democracy and our faith.”

Other civil liberties groups like the Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation also plan to challenge Senate Bill 10.

Rachel Laser, CEO of the civil liberties group, told Houston Public Media that her organization's challenge to the law is about "protecting the free exercise of religion, and the second part is about preventing the establishment of religion."

"The Free Exercise clause allows you to practice your religious beliefs to your fill, until your fist swings into someone else's nose," Laser told the outlet. "And at that point, the government won't prefer your religion to that other person's religion, and that's where the Establishment Clause comes in."

The Ten Commandments have become a political focal point among conservative groups who want to insert religion into public education. Supporters argue that the Ten Commandments are the philosophical foundation of America's system of jurisprudence, while opponents say including them in public schools is unconstitutional.

Earlier this month, a court in Louisiana struck down a state law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments. The court called the law "facially unconstitutional."