Texas schools may soon display the Ten Commandments and allow prayer, thanks to bold legislative moves. The Texas House passed SB 10 and SB 11, sending them to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk, as Just the News reports. These bills, rooted in faith and tradition, are stirring debate in Austin.
SB 10 mandates the posting of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom starting in 2025-2026, while SB 11 permits optional prayer and Bible reading during school hours with parental consent. Both bills, already approved by the Senate, reflect a push to restore religious values in education. Critics, mostly Democrats, are predictably clutching their pearls.
The Senate passed SB 10 by a 20-11 vote and SB 11 by 23-7, with the House following suit at 88-49 and 88-48, respectively. SB 10, authored by Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, faced strict party-line opposition, while SB 11, from Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, garnered some bipartisan Senate support. This shows even a few liberals see the light occasionally.
House Democrats, led by Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, opposed SB 10, whining about biblical terms like “manservant” and “maidservant.” Collier claimed that these terms mean “male slave” or “female slave,” arguing they evoke a painful history. Her amendment to scrub these words failed, proving not every complaint gets a trophy.
“Manservant and maidservant … means male slave or female slave,” Collier said. She argued that displaying the Commandments would “perpetuate hurt” by referencing slavery. Sounds like someone’s more interested in rewriting history than teaching it.
The Ten Commandments, from the Bible’s book of Exodus, recount Moses presenting them after freeing the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. “Maidservant” and “manservant” appear in the Fourth and Tenth Commandments, referring to household servants or laborers per Strong’s translation. Context matters, but don’t tell the woke crowd that.
SB 11, pushed by Middleton, lets students and teachers opt into prayer or religious text reading during school hours. “Our schools are not God-free zones,” Middleton declared. His bill slams the door on atheists dictating what kids can believe.
Middleton also said, “There is no ‘separation of church and state’ in our Constitution.” Recent Supreme Court rulings back him up, freeing schools from secular overreach. The progressive mantra of a Godless classroom is crumbling fast.
“Litigious atheists are no longer going to decide for everyone else,” Middleton added. His bill ensures religious liberty where kids spend most of their time -- in school. It’s a refreshing jab at the left’s obsession with sanitizing faith from public life.
Both bills now await Abbott’s signature, and he’s no stranger to this fight. As state attorney general, Abbott defended a Ten Commandments monument at the Texas Capitol 20 years ago, winning at the U.S. Supreme Court. That monument still stands, a testament to his resolve.
Louisiana led the way, becoming the first state to mandate the Ten Commandments in schools, though its law faces legal challenges. Texas could join them, with Abbott likely to sign SB 10 and SB 11 into law. The left’s inevitable lawsuits will only prove their allergy to tradition.
Rep. Candy Noble, R-Murphy, SB 10’s House sponsor, dismissed Collier’s slavery claims. She said a quick Google search showed “maidservant” didn’t mean what Collier claimed. Noble’s no-nonsense approach cuts through the left’s manufactured outrage.
Noble, a former kindergarten teacher, opposed letting parents opt kids out of classes if Mosaic law was taught. Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, called this hypocritical, given Republicans’ push for parental rights. Talarico’s shock seems more like a performance than a principle.
“Students are unlikely to understand ‘thy neighbor’s wife’ or ‘maidservant,’” Collier said. Her argument assumes kids are too dumb to learn historical context. Underestimating young minds is a classic progressive misstep.
With Abbott’s pen poised, Texas stands at a crossroads. These bills champion faith and freedom, pushing back against a woke agenda that’s allergic to both. The left can cry foul, but the will of the people and the law may soon speak even louder.
