Texas State Democratic Representative James Talarico is earning praise after he reposted a powerful speech he gave in which he opposed a proposed bill that would require the display of the Ten Commandments in every classroom.
Since the spring, Talarico has been spearheading the opposition to the proposed Senate Bill 1515, accusing Texas Republicans of "trying to force public schools" to display the scripture. A Christian himself, Talarico has called such displays "idolatrous."
The bill, which failed to pass through the Texas Senate, aimed to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in a "conspicuous place" in every classroom of public or charter schools.
In the video, Talarico directs his remarks toward Republican Candy Noble, who'd sponsored the legislation and could not adequately defend it, as demonstrated in the video.
You can hear what Talarico said in the video below.
@jamestalarico Texas Republicans are trying to force public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. I told the bill author: “This bill is not only un-constitutional and un-American, it’s deeply in-Christian.” #txlege
He said:
“This bill to me is not only unconstitutional, it’s not only un-American — I think it is also deeply un-Christian. And I say that because I believe this bill is idolatrous, I believe it is exclusionary and I believe it is arrogant. And those three things in my reading of the Gospel are diametrically opposed to the teachings of Jesus.”
He quoted a version of Matthew 6:5, stating that public displays of faith to show off were hypocritical and emphasizing the importance of personal and sincere religious practice:
“Don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners,” Jesus says in the verse. “When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret.”
“A religion that has to force people to put up a poster to prove its legitimacy is a dead religion. And it’s not one that I want to be a part of.”
Talarico also raised concerns about the bill's focus on religious matters over other important issues, highlighting the need to address topics such as hunger, clothing, and healthcare:
"You know that in Scripture, it says faith without works is what? Is dead. My concern is instead of bringing a bill that will feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, we instead mandate that people put up a poster.”
"And we both follow a teacher, a rabbi who said, 'Don't let the law get in the way of loving your neighbor.'" Loving your neighbor is the most important law. It is the summation of all the law and all the prophets."
"I would submit it to you that our neighborhood also includes the Hindu student who sits in a classroom, the Buddhist student who sits in a classroom, and the atheist student who sits in a classroom. And my question to [Noble] is, 'Does this bill truly love those students?'"
Noble countered that Texas schools were done "a great wrong" after the 1980 Supreme Court decision in Stone v. Graham, which the Free Speech Center notes ruled that a Kentucky statute that required the Ten Commandments to be posted in school classrooms violated the First Amendment's establishment clause.
Talarico had a response to that, too:
"Every time on this committee that we try to teach students values like empathy or kindness, we're told we can't because that's the parent's role. Every time on this committee that we try to teach basic sex education to keep our kids safe, we're told that's the parent's role."
"But now you're putting religious commandments, literal commandments in our classrooms and you're saying that's the state's role. Why is that not the parent's role?
Noble could not answer that nor did she have a response to Talarico's point asking why "having a rainbow in a classroom considered indoctrination, and not having the Ten Commandments in a classroom."
Many have praised him for speaking out.
Talarico has made a name for himself speaking out against GOP attacks on public education.
In March, Talarico and his fellow Democratic Representative Gina Hinojosa were the sole two lawmakers on the House Public Education Committee who voted against House Bill 900, also known as the "READER Act."
This bill seeks to ban "sexually explicit materials" in schools and requires parental consent for their children to access any "sexually relevant material" within the classroom.
