Why Ten Commandments Don’t Belong in Public Schools

Church-state separation is on the retreat at the Supreme Court—and with good reason. The once-dominant “wall of separation” metaphor never quite fit the nation’s constitutional tradition or historical practice. From Founding-era practices like legislative prayer and military chaplains to later traditions such as “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and “In God We Trust” as the national motto, religious expression has long been woven into American public life.