Texas Senate approves putting Ten Commandments in public schools

The Texas Senate has approved a measure to display the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.

After the upper chamber advanced the plan in a Thursday party line, 17-12 vote, it now heads to the state House for consideration, The Hill reported.

The Ten Commandments are a series of dictates said to have been revealed to the prophet Moses while at the top of Mount Sinai in modern Egypt. Many Christian and Jewish schools of thought view them as foundational to moral law.

The tenets themselves appear in chapter 20 of the Book of Exodus.

"I think this would be a good healthy step for Texas to bring back this tradition of recognizing America’s religious heritage," said Sen. Phil King, R, who sponsored the bill.

The proposal has the support of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, R, who has said that "[b]ringing the Ten Commandments and prayer back to our public schools will enable our students to become better Texans," per the outlet.

The upper chamber also on Thursday passed a bill empowering school districts to require that public schools provide time for students to pray or read a religious text.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.