Religious entities Archives

Ten Commandments tablet dating back more than 1,500 years to be sold

December 11, 2024
The oldest known Ten Commandments tablet is going up for sale at the auction house Sotheby’s in New York City. The BBC showcased it on Monday, Dec. 9, and it is set to be bid on this month.

Sotheby’s International senior specialist Sharon Liberman Mintz told the BBC, “We have one of the most important treasures that I have ever handled. It dates back to the late Roman-Byzantine period from over 1,500 years ago, and it is inscribed in Paleo-Hebrew script with the words of the Ten Commandments.”

The ancient marble slab will go up for auction on Wednesday, Dec. 18. It’s on track to fetch between $1 million to $2 million.

Archaeologists uncovered the artifact during railroad excavations in 1913 along Israel’s southern coast. The relic remained in a home as a paving stone until a scholar with a keen eye bought it in 1943, revealing its historical significance.

According to Sotheby’s, the tablet is over 150 pounds and nearly 2 feet tall.

Liberman Mintz told the BBC, “In fact, this is exactly the same measurements that the rabbis from the early centuries agreed was the measurements of the original Ten Commandments that Moses carried down from the mountain.”

Sotheby’s said the inscriptions carved into the slab include all but the third verse. That verse is the commandment against taking the Lord’s name in vain. Instead, this portion consists of an order to worship Mount Gerizim, an ancient holy site.
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Appeals court rules barring pregame prayer does not violate First Amendment

October 29, 2024
A federal appeals court ruled that the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) did not violate First Amendment rights when it blocked a Tampa Christian school’s request to broadcast a pregame prayer over the loudspeaker at a 2015 football championship. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a previous ruling, finding that announcements over the stadium PA system were “government speech” and not subject to free speech protections.

Cambridge Christian School argued that the ban infringed on its religious freedom and free speech rights, but the court maintained that the FHSAA was regulating its own communication. Since the announcements were scripted and controlled by the FHSAA, blocking the prayer did not violate the school’s rights, the ruling concluded.

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The lawsuit arose from a championship game between Cambridge Christian and University Christian School at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium. While players prayed on the field before the game, the loudspeaker remained off for spectators, which led to the lengthy legal battle.

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The case also prompted legislative action. In 2023, Florida lawmakers passed a law allowing high schools to deliver “brief opening remarks” before state championships — including prayers, if they wish — with restrictions on length and derogatory content. Under the law, the FHSAA cannot control or monitor what is said in these opening remarks.

While the court upheld the ban, Cambridge Christian also sought an injunction to prevent similar restrictions in the future. However, the panel ruled the school lacked standing, as the team hasn’t returned to a championship game since 2015, making a repeat scenario unlikely. The court’s decision and the new law effectively render the FHSAA’s earlier prayer ban moot.
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Why some school districts won’t comply with Oklahoma’s Bible mandate

July 25, 2024
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters released guidelines on the state’s mandate that all schools teach the Bible on Wednesday, July 24. Walter’s memo included instructions on how to incorporate the Bible into classroom discussions and said that teachers will emphasize the Bible’s historical, literary and secular benefits.

However, more than a handful of Oklahoma school districts said that they will not implement the mandate and will instead keep their current curriculum. Some schools also argue that their studies already include discussions on the impact of religion on society.

The Oklahoma attorney general has said that state law allows for the Bible to be taught in schools but also noted that doing so is a district-by-district decision. Most districts refusing the superintendent’s directive are using the attorney general’s statement as grounds for their decisions.

Meanwhile, the Center for Education Law said that Walters’ mandate is not legally enforceable. The firm previously won a case against Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education that challenged the board’s authority to restrict certain content from school libraries. The judge in that case ruled that decision is to be made by a local school board — not the state Board of Education.

However, Walters maintained that he would enforce the Bible mandate by using “every means to make sure of it.”

“The radical leftist mob has tried to rewrite history in Oklahoma,” Walters. “It stops today, and Oklahoma schools will refocus our kids’ education, so they know the value of the Bible in its historical context.”

The directive by Walters told teachers to present the Bible in a “neutral way.” However, how to present it in that manner is not explicitly outlined in the guidelines and which version or translation of the Bible to be used has not been specified. Additionally, how schools are supposed to pay for the extra books is still unclear.

The mandate is likely to be challenged in court as opponents have argued that the mandate in Oklahoma is a clear constitutional violation of the separation of church and state.

The guidance from Walters comes after Oklahoma tried to implement the country’s first religious charter school. However, the implementation was struck down in court. The move also comes as Louisiana has required that the Ten Commandments be place in every classroom, which has been delayed until at least November while it faces challenges from Louisiana parents in court.
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Ten Commandments law in Louisiana schools put on hold amid legal challenge

July 22, 2024
A judge approved an agreement by Louisiana to delay a law requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in all of the state’s public-school classrooms on Friday, July 19. The judge’s decision to delay the requirement until at least November came as a lawsuit brought against the state plays out in court.

In June, parents of students in Louisiana public schools filed a lawsuit that argued the law violates the First Amendment, which prevents the government establishment of religions and guarantees the right to religious liberty.

However, proponents of the law contend that the Ten Commandments belong in public schools because they are historical and part of the foundation of United State law.

Meanwhile, Gov. Jeff Landry, R-La., defended the use of taxpayer money to fight against lawsuit brought against the law.

“I think that the benefit of what we’re trying to do certainly outweighs any expenditures,” Landry said in an interview with Nexstar Media.

Landry also used the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump to further push his defense of the law.

“Maybe, if the Ten Commandments were hanging on Crooks [sic] wall of the school that he was in, maybe, he wouldn’t have took [sic] a shot at the president,” Landry added.

The United States Supreme Court struck down a similar law to Louisiana’s Ten Commandments in 1980 on the grounds that it violated the establishment clause in the U.S. Constitution. The clause states that Congress “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

The court found that the law clearly served a religious purpose and not a secular one.
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Oklahoma Supreme Court rules Catholic charter school unconstitutional

June 26, 2024
St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which was set to open this fall as the nation’s first religious public charter school, faced a setback when the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional on June 25. The court concluded that the creation of a religious charter school in Oklahoma violates state statutes, the Oklahoma Constitution and the First Amendment’s establishment clause.

When the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City proposed the Catholic charter school, it emphasized its mission to evangelize and required teachers to uphold the church’s values both professionally and personally.

However, Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general, Gentner Drummond, filed a lawsuit in 2023, claiming that the religious charter school violated state and federal law.

Charter schools, although funded by public money and subject to government performance standards, operate independently from public school districts and have the flexibility to choose their own curriculum.

Under Oklahoma state law, the use of public funds for establishing a religious institution is prohibited.

The high court’s ruling clarified that St. Isidore does not dispute its status as a religious institution. Its purpose is explicitly stated as “to create, establish and operate” the school as a Catholic educational institution.

One judge on the state’s Supreme Court, Justice James Winchester, emphasized that the state would directly fund a religious school, requiring students at St. Isidore to participate in the religious curriculum. That would be in violation of the establishment clause in the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from making laws “respecting an establishment of religion.”

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City expressed disappointment on behalf of hundreds of families who were eagerly anticipating sending their children to the charter school this fall. Despite the legal setback, they believe that “St. Isidore could still be a valuable asset to students, regardless of socioeconomic background, race or faith.”
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Gallup poll: Belief in religious entities continues downward trend

July 21, 2023
After reporting that U.S. church attendance has been falling in recent years, a new Gallup poll found belief in five of the religious entities associated with church are following a similar trend. The entities Gallup asked respondents about include God, angels, heaven hell and the devil.

“The percentages of Americans who believe in each of five religious entities — God, angels, heaven, hell and the devil — have edged downward by three to five percentage points since 2016,” Gallup wrote in a report on the poll results. “As the percentage of believers has dropped over the past two decades, the corresponding increases have occurred mostly in nonbelief, with much smaller increases in uncertainty. This is true for all but belief in God, which has seen nearly equal increases in uncertainty and nonbelief.”

The 3-5% drop since 2016 continued a larger trend of decreasing religious belief since Gallup first conducted this poll.

Here’s how the results between then and the most recent poll breakdown:
- God: 74% in 2023, 90% in 2001.
- Angels: 69% in 2023, 79% in 2001.
- Heaven: 67% in 2023, 83% in 2001.
- Hell: 59% in 2023, 71% in 2001.
- The devil: 58% in 2023, 68% in 2001.
The link between decreased church attendance and decreased belief in religious entities appears to be represented in the poll results. Less than half of respondents who rarely attend or never attend church said they believe in heaven, hell or the devil.

The poll also found Protestants are more likely than Catholics to believe in each of the five entities. The same is the case with Republicans vs. Democrats.

“The Protestant-Catholic differences are smaller on belief in God and angels than on heaven, hell and the devil. In both religious groups, the minority of people who do not express belief in God are more likely to say they are unsure than express nonbelief,” Gallup concluded. “Between 78% and 87% of Republicans believe in the five entities, while 51% to 68% of independents do. From 56% to 66% of Democrats believe in God, angels and heaven, while less than half say they believe in hell and the devil.”