The Louisiana Ten Commandments Law Will Harm Children
The Real-Life Consequences of Religion in Schools
Louisiana has recently passed a law requiring that the Ten Commandments hang in every classroom. This will likely go all the way to the Supreme Court, at which point we will learn just what manner of judiciary we have.
It sounds like such a small thing. Like a trial balloon for bigger things, larger violations of religious freedom. This is true in a general sense, but the law will not be a small thing for some of the children in Louisiana’s school system. I should know. I experienced first-hand what happens when religion enters the classroom, if you happen to not share that religion.
When I was nine years old my mother transferred me out of our local elementary school, where I was bored out of my mind, into a charter school with better academics. Nearly all the students and faculty belonged to the rabidly evangelical New Life Church. My family was atheist, which means I was atheist. At nine years old, you are whatever your parents are.
The first thing that happened when my teachers and classmates found out I was an atheist was a concerted effort to convert me to Christianity. This mostly consisted of getting me to listen to Odyssey tapes during lunch — if you know, you know. When half-hour…
