A foreshadowing of a 2026 South Dakota public school classroom lesson and the Ten Commandments
Reports tell us a South Dakota legislator intends to introduce a bill this year which would require the Ten Commandments be posted and actually taught in public school classrooms. What follows is a look ahead to a hypothetical fourth-grade classroom in 2026.
(The scene)
Mrs. Smith welcomes her fourth-graders to start the day.
“Good morning class. Your assignment for today told you to read the Ten Commandments and be ready to ask any questions you have. Who has a question?”
Tommy: “What does adultery mean?”
“Well, Tommy, if a man leaves his pregnant wife at home and goes to a golf tournament and is seduced by a pretty lady at a hotel there, that’s adultery,” Mrs. Smith replied.
Linda: “What does it mean to bear false witness?”
“OK, that covers all types of lying,” the teacher said. “It could mean a little fib you tell your parents, or it also applies to a person lying thousands of times on social media.”
Linda follows up: “Does anybody ever tell that many lies?”
“Yes they do, Linda, thousands and thousands,” Mrs. Smith said.
Tommy interrupts: “About adultery, what does seduced mean?”
“You had your turn, Tommy,” the wise old teacher said. “Who else has a question?”
Kathy: “What’s the deal about a graven image?”
“Good question, Kathy,” Mrs. Smith replied. “It’s hard to define that, but it kinda means you shouldn’t worship things you are told to not worship. Actually, don’t worship any thing.”
Isaiah: “What does not coveting mean?”
“Another good question,” she said. “That means don’t want things you aren’t supposed to want, even if you sorta really want them.”
Tommy, again: “I’d really like to know what you meant when you used the word seduced.”
“Tommy, we’re moving on,” an exasperated Mrs. Smith said. “Ask your parents.”
Tommy: “They won’t talk to me about this stuff.”
“OK, Tommy, we are done,” she said. “Just Google it, will you?
“No more questions today — let’s switch to spelling.”
(End scene)
Seems unlikely our South Dakota Legislature will require classroom lessons based on Christian doctrine. They’ll surely hear from teachers who would hate being pushed into this potential classroom quicksand and drop the lesson requirement.
When will religious folks understand they are acting contrary to their own intent when they try to force people to agree with them? Crusading efforts like this are part of the reason church attendance and religious affiliation continues to decline.
Without questioning the motives behind this proposal, here’s hoping this legislator gets some advice and moves on to more appropriate subjects like what bathroom people use.
Mike Levsen is a former Aberdeen mayor and a regular contributor to The South Dakota Standard.
Photo: Raphael’s depiction of Moses presenting the Ten Commandments, now displayed at the Vatican, public domain, wikimedia commons
