Christianity might be making its way to a public school near you. Not in the way of increased student church membership, but by way of legislation. Texan legislators passed a bill that would require the ten commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. State Senator Phil King has backed the bill, using the recent Supreme Court decision that a Washington football coach should not have been fired for praying with his team as support. A previous law has required Texas public schools to display donated banners with the phrase “In God We Trust”, and several bills are being worked on to allow school staff to engage in religious speech and reinstate morning prayers. 

All this has ignited a longstanding debate about the church’s place in society, and how much involvement is too much involvement. Separation of church and state is a core concept of this country present in the Constitution. Seeing England’s instability switching between monarchs of different religions and their respective churches trading power year after year, many concluded that church and government should not mix. It had only led to corruption and inequality. Since the establishment of public schools as an extension of the government, the same principles have applied. However, with the recent bills being passed, a Christian presence in public schools is becoming stronger, with some going as far as to suggest taxpayer money be used to fund religious schools. In Oklahoma Saint Isidore’s is fighting to receive public funding to spread Catholicism to those who cannot afford private school tuition.