In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, 40 Days Life President and CEO Shawn Carney praised Texas legislators for passing a law requiring classrooms at all public schools in the state to display 10 commandments.
The bill is approved by both rooms in the state legislature and awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature obligation, which features 10 commandments posters or framed copies of at least 16 inches and 20 inches tall, waiting to be readable from anywhere in the room.
If signed, the law will come into effect between 2025 and 26.
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Sean Carney is the father of eight and is the president and CEO of 40 Days, a life support organization. (Courtesy of a lifetime of 40 days)
“This is great,” Carney said. “The ten commandments are good. It’s basically a moral norm for most people who have lived in the past. Regardless of their belief system, most people don’t believe we should steal, kill or commit adultery.
“It’s beautiful,” he added. “I’m proud that they’re Texans who support this, and that’s what you need in the classroom.”
Heading what he describes as the world’s largest pro-life organization operating in 64 countries, Carney has linked the law to a wider cultural change. On its website, the group describes it as “an internationally coordinated 40-day campaign aimed at ending abortion locally through prayer and fasting, community outreach and peaceful all-day vigils in front of abortion projects.”
“These are good things – allowing a baby to live is a good thing,” Carney said. “The Ten Commandments are good.”
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The Ten Commandments are posted on the walls of the church. Texas lawmakers have passed a law that requires copies of 10 commandments posted to state classrooms. (Geographical Photography/Universal Image Group via Getty Images)
Addressing constitutional concerns, Carney pushed back the argument that the law violated the First Amendment establishment provision.
“We have Moses at the Capitol. No one stinks about it,” he said. “It’s not a big deal to have people in school that have been celebrated through the generation of Americans who have gone before us, that has ten commandments.”
Carney also emphasized that the historical intent behind the separation of churches and states was to protect religious freedom, not to remove religious references from public institutions.
“Jefferson wanted a separation between the church and the nation in order to protect the church,” he said. He said he sees recent federal actions as violating religious freedom. “The Biden administration has seen Catholic doctors try to force them to either give abortion or prescribe birth control. The church needs to be protected.”
The child sees the Ten Commandments memorial outside the Texas Capitol building in Austin. (Jana Birchum/Getty Images, file)
He framed the bill as part of a broader backlash against what he described as a secular “awakened mentality.”
“Our schools are violent. They are places where they need 10 commandments,” Carney said. “Even if you don’t believe in God, you should be able to learn about him.
“There was this push that believing in God is archaic,” he continued. “This bill is another step in the right direction.”
The Supreme Court is Stonev. Although he broke similar laws in Graham (1980), Carney believes that Texas efforts will withstand legal challenges.
“I think I’ll survive a legal battle,” he said. “It’s very wise and something we need to do to revisit this in the new Supreme Court.”
Texas State Capitol in Austin. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Kearney also views the law as a potential model for other states.
“Texas set the bars high,” he said. “This sets precedent. Most atheists believe in the Ten Commandments. They are the foundation of Western civilization.”
Looking to the future, Carney hopes the bill will promote moral formation nationwide.
“The ideal outcome is for more states to do this over the next five or ten years,” he said. “I need guidance. I don’t get much better on my own.
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“The Ten Commandments refer to us to good. It refers to discipline. Truth. Love. And mercy,” he added. “They help us to know what is right from what is wrong. We all grow in virtue by learning and following the Ten Commandments, regardless of our religious background.”
Texas joined Louisiana and Arkansas and has already passed similar laws.
Legislative supporters warn that while the commandments represent a basic code of conduct, critics could face constitutional scrutiny in federal courts, Fox 4 reported.
Jasmine is a writer for Fox News Digital and is a New Orleans-based military spouse. Stories can be sent to jasmine.baehr@fox.com
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