TX lawmaker rips 'deeply unchristian' class Ten Commandments bill as GOP rep admits vote 'is ironic'

On Sunday, May 25, the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill requiring all classrooms in public schools to display the Ten Commandments. The bill was sent back to the Texas Senate for approval, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign it into law if it reaches his desk.

One of the Texas lawmakers who voted against the bill is State Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat and the grandson of a Baptist minister. And Talarico laid out his reasons for opposing it during a Tuesday morning, May 27 appearance on CNN.

Talarico, a former middle school teacher who is studying to become a minister himself, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer, "My faith means more to me than anything, but I believe that this bill is not only unconstitutional, unamerican, but I also think it's deeply unchristian. It not only violates the separation of church and state in this country, but it also violates the core teachings of Christianity. You know, the Apostle Paul said that the Ten Commandments are summed up in one commandment: love thy neighbor as thyself."

READ MORE: Billionaire investor warns Trump policies 'remarkably like' 1930s 'hard-right' leaders

Talarico continued, "The Hindu student who is sitting in a Texas public school classroom is my neighbor. The Sikh student, the Buddhist student, the atheist student who's sitting in a Texas public school classroom is my neighbor, and I'm called to love them as myself — and forcing my religion down their throats through government action is not love."

When the bill was being debated in the Texas House of Representatives, Talarico noted that the vote was being taken on a Sunday — and that the Bible's 4th Commandment calls for "not working on the sabbath." The bill’s sponsor, Republican lawmaker Candy Noble, found that "ironic."

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is an outspoken supporter of the bill, arguing that students in Texas' public schools deserve to "receive the same foundational moral compass as our state and country's forefathers."

But Talarico considers Patrick's argument flawed, telling Blitzer, "If we wanted to post a foundational document in all of our Texas public school classrooms, I would suggest the Constitution of the United States — which includes the First Amendment, which enshrines the freedom of religion and the freedom from religion. It has the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause, which we commonly call the separation of church and state. I think we should post that in all of our classrooms, so that our students know that everyone is welcome here, regardless of your background, regardless of your faith tradition."

READ MORE: 'That's propaganda': Parents fight back against new religious MAGA curriculum in OK schools

Talarico added, "You know, it's hard to be different as a kid. I know this because when I was a middle school teacher, I had a special place in my heart for the kids who were left out — the kids who were bullied. And if you're a Hindu student or a Muslim student or a Jewish student in a Texas public school classroom, you're a little different. And that can be difficult. Now, a bunch of politicians at the state capitol are putting up a poster that says: Thou shalt not worship any gods before me. We're saying through government action that their religion is inferior, that they are not welcome in this classroom. And I can't imagine anything more unchristian than that."

READ MORE: How the 'disastrous' Supreme Court 'diminished its own power' — and is now paying the price

Watch the full video below or at this link.