Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is encouraging public school students to recite the Lord's Prayer during time set aside under a new state law on religion in schools, marking the latest move by Republican leaders to test the boundaries of church-state separation in education.
"With Senate Bill 11, Texas classrooms have the opportunity to bring back prayer and reflection," Paxton said in a statement, The Texas Tribune reported Tuesday. "I encourage students to use this time to pray the Lord's Prayer, as taught by Jesus Christ."
The state law, adopted this year, enables public schools to offer voluntary daily periods for prayer or reading religious texts.
The recently signed legislation permits school boards to adopt a policy through a formal record vote that would require campuses to provide a non-instructional period each school day to allow students and staff to pray or read religious works. Participation is voluntary, and the period cannot replace instructional time.
Paxton's endorsement of the Lord's Prayer comes weeks after a federal judge struck down a separate Texas law that required the Ten Commandments to be posted in public school classrooms.
His office did not respond to questions from reporters about whether his remarks could conflict with constitutional limits on government promotion of religion.
"In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up," Paxton wrote in his statement. "Twisted, radical liberals want to erase Truth, dismantle the solid foundation that America's success and strength were built upon, and erode the moral fabric of our society."
Paxton is campaigning against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, with a campaign that has leaned heavily on religious and cultural issues.
His call for the Lord's Prayer aligns with Republican-led efforts in the Legislature this year to integrate more religion into public education.
In addition to the prayer period and Ten Commandments measure, lawmakers approved a law creating a voucher program that lets families use public funds for private and religious schooling and authorized an optional Bible-based curriculum for elementary schools.
Supporters of the measures argue that Christianity is central to the nation's history and values. Critics and legal experts say the laws defy longstanding constitutional rulings that prohibit public schools from endorsing religion.
Under SB 11, Paxton's office is tasked with defending school districts that adopt prayer policies against legal challenges. It can also issue recommendations for how districts should implement the daily period for prayer or religious reading.
Whether courts will uphold Texas's new policies remains uncertain, but Paxton has made clear that his office will push schools to embrace Christianity within the framework of the law.
"Our nation was founded on the rock of Biblical Truth," Paxton said, "and I will not stand by while the far-left attempts to push our country into the sinking sand."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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