FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2023
CONTACT
Jonny Levenfeld, West End Strategy Team
jlevenfeld@westendstrategy.com; 202-704-4535
National Interfaith Leader: “10 Commandments” Bill in Texas An Affront to American Values
WASHINGTON—Interfaith advocates are strongly condemning the Texas State Senate’s vote to advance a bill mandating the display of the 10 Commandments. The Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, issued the following statement:
“This bill represents a clear abrogation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. By advancing this legislation, Texas legislators have declared war on the Constitution and the most American of ideas that every person should be able to believe as they choose.
“Placing the 10 Commandments in school is not only detrimental to the young people from diverse religious backgrounds as well as from secular backgrounds, but also to the faith of Christians and Jews. As a Baptist minister and as a parent, I want my kids’ religious education to be done in the church and the home – not outsourced to the public school.
“This legislation flies in the face of our nation’s proud legacy of religious freedom for all and undercuts the vast majority of faithful Americans who are devoted to church-state separation. How we respond now will determine whether Texas is where religious freedom goes to die in this country. I’m confident that Texans of faith and conscience will not stand for this.”
If you are interested in speaking further with Interfaith Alliance, please contact Jonny Levenfeld at 202-704-4535 or jlevenfeld@westendstrategy.com.
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Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, Interfaith Alliance brings together members from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition to protect faith and freedom. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.