By Aaron Weaver
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship joined Interfaith Alliance, BJC and National Council of Jewish Women in organizing a joint letter in which 70 faith leaders across Tennessee are calling on lawmakers to vote against SB 303, HB 47, and similar bills that would encourage public schools to display the Ten Commandments.
In the letter, clergy and faith leaders emphasized that the legislation threatens the religious freedom of all Tennesseans by inserting government into the role of religious authority.
“Our public schools need leadership from our elected officials to address educational concerns like improving literacy rates and preparing students for college and career,” said Jennifer Hawks, director of advocacy for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a graduate of Tennessee public schools. “With far more churches in Tennessee than public schools, the state legislature would be wise to leave religious instruction to families and faith communities instead of waging a religious freedom battle that diminishes a parent’s right to direct their child’s religious upbringing.”
Rick Bennett, field coordinator for Tennessee Cooperative Baptist Fellowship added:
“As a religious leader and Tennessean, I want families to encounter the Ten Commandments in their homes, their synagogues, their churches where they carry weight and meaning,” Bennett said. “ Would we trust the state to preach our sermons? Then why would we trust it to blaspheme our Scripture? When the state can explain to me precisely how it is ‘trusting in God,’ I’ll be glad to reconsider.”
The open letter, signed by leaders representing diverse faiths, highlights that no single version of the Ten Commandments is universal. Different traditions translate and interpret the text in varying ways, meaning a state-mandated display would inevitably favor one interpretation over others.
Faith leaders argue that public schools should be spaces of inclusion and learning, not religious instruction. The letter highlights that responsibility for religious education lies with families, houses of worship and other faith institutions, not the government.
The Tennessee legislative proposals follow on similar efforts in other states, which have faced widespread opposition from religious and civil rights groups concerned about preserving the First Amendment’s guarantees of freedom of and from religion.
Other organizers also underscored the constitutional and spiritual concerns raised by the legislation.
“Holy Scripture is not a set of general civic guidelines. When the state attempts to use the Ten Commandments to seek conformity in the classroom, it doesn’t just violate the Constitution, it cheapens faith itself,” said Holly Hollman, chief legal officer at BJC. “This bill, and other bills like it, seeks to impose a religious viewpoint on behalf of the state, effectively violating the religious freedom of all students.”
“True religious freedom means every family — and not their government — has the right to decide for themselves how and whether sacred texts shape their lives,” said Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, vice president of programs and strategy at Interfaith Alliance. “When the government explicitly promotes one version of a religious text, it undermines the deeply personal and diverse ways that Tennesseans practice their faiths.”
Faith leaders concluded their letter with a call to Tennessee legislators: “We should not turn public schools into Sunday schools. We remain steadfast and united in affirming the values of religious freedom that are foundational to our democracy and will continue to push back against attempts to impose a singular religious viewpoint into our public institutions.”
About Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Led by the love of Christ, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship invites churches and individuals to partner in transforming God’s world, working together as a global community to spread good news, justice and hope through impactful ministries, missions and resources.