Letters to the Editor: Hey, Louisiana, put the Golden Rule instead of the Ten Commandments in the classroom

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·2 min read
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GARDEN GROVE, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: The sun and a bronze statue of Moses putting the ten commandments of two tables in the air are partially obscured with ash from Southland wildfires at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. With so many fires burning, millions of people in the Bay Area, Central Valley and parts of Southern California are breathing dangerous levels of particle pollution. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A statue of Moses with the Ten Commandments is seen at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove in 2020. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Decades ago, I attended public elementary school in the segregated, very Christian deep South. I still remember the horizontal sign in giant letters posted above the chalkboard: "Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." ("The Ten Commandments must be displayed in Louisiana classrooms under new GOP law," June 19)

If this sign had a Christian or religious intent, I was too young at the time to know that. There was no mention of a god or a religion. Although the saying appears in the Christian Bible, its history (with slight variations) is much broader and longer. It goes back to ancient times and is reflected in the teachings of many religions throughout the world and in secular humanist thought.

This message applies to all of us. If there is any sign that should be posted in classrooms, it is this one.

Carla St. Romain, Pasadena

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To the editor: Ah, but which set of Ten Commandments will have to go up in Louisiana classrooms?

There is the set used by Catholics, and there is another set used by most Protestants. The Louisiana law requires the latter, and that state has a lot of Catholics who may be upset that their children will be taught the Protestant Big Ten.

The Protestant set includes as its Second Commandment: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them." Catholics can make all the graven images they want.

I have yet to see a politician demand that the Catholic set be displayed. So, at least in Louisiana, no more graven images will be made in art classes.

Bob Wicks, Brea

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To the editor: After the Ten Commandments are posted in every Louisiana school classroom, I’m wondering how a teacher of, say, a third-grade class will answer the inevitable question from some bright, interested, student:

"Ms. Jones, will you explain to us what adultery is, and how we can make sure not to commit it?"

Brian Bland, Santa Monica

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To the editor: First Amendment issues aside, how wonderful in this age of antisemitism that the state of Louisiana has chosen to highlight a portion of the Torah ("the Jewish Bible") to teach ethics to its students.

I do hope it is setting a good example and using the original source of the Ten Commandments, since both Catholics and Protestants have made minor changes over the years.

Victor Dorff, Agoura Hills

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.