Thou shalt not establish a state religion

A Ten Commandments poster will be displayed in every public school (and university) classroom in Louisiana under a new state law.

The U.S. Supreme Court threw out a similar Kentucky law in 1980, ruling that it violated the U.S. Constitution's ban on "an establishment of religion.”

Proponents hope to get around that by pairing the Commandments posters with a “context statement” describing the historic significance of the Ten Commandments as “foundational documents of our state and national government.”

The law's constitutionality will be challenged in court. I don't think it will hold up.

I remember discussing the Ten Commandments in religious school: We all had a good giggle about ass coveting, learned the meaning of "adultery" and had a meaningful discussion about killing vs. murder. However, I don't think we were better behaved as a result. If you don't already know that it's not OK to lie, cheat, steal and murder -- or disrespect your family and your faith -- then the Ten Commandments won't be a game-changer.

Louisiana is the first state to pass a Ten Commandments law.