Texas Democrat slams Ten Commandments in schools after giving pass to sexually explicit books

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A Democrat state lawmaker in Texas who voted against a bill that would prohibit sexually explicit books in public schools is now opposing legislation that would place the Ten Commandments in classrooms, describing the proposal as "deeply un-Christian."

State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, is spearheading the opposition to Senate Bill 1515, which would amend state law to mandate a display of the Ten Commandments in Texas elementary and secondary schools, as noted by noted by the Christian Post.

Talarico, whose Twitter profile quotes 1 John 4:8 and describes himself as a "Texas State Representative, former middle school teacher, proud progressive, and eighth generation Texan," has accused Texas Republicans of "trying to force public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom."

During a Public Education Committee hearing on May 2, Talarico grilled state Rep. Candy Noble, R-Plano, and suggested her bill is "idolatrous."

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State Rep. James Talarico described a bill that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms as "idolatrous" and "deeply un-Christian." (YouTube screenshot)

"I know you're a devout Christian, and so am I," Talarico said to Noble. "This bill to me is not only unconstitutional, it's not only un-American, I think it is also deeply un-Christian."

"And I say that because I believe this bill is idolatrous, I believe it is exclusionary, and I believe it is arrogant," he said. "And those three things, in my reading of the Gospel, are diametrically opposed to the teachings of Jesus."

Talarico also quoted the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:5 in which he says, "Don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners. When you pray, go into your room and shut the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret."

"A religion that has to force people to put up a poster to prove its legitimacy is a dead religion," Talarico said. "And it's not one that I want to be a part of, it's not one that I think I am a part of."

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Citing the Ten Commandments, Talarico asked Noble if a display of them would violate the Second Commandment that prohibits the worship of graven images.

"The idea is that some people would try to make an object – maybe two tablets – to worship rather than worshiping the God behind those two tablets. Are you worried that this bill is idolatrous?" he asked, to which Nobel replied, "Absolutely not."

Talarico also suggested that a Ten Commandments display in classrooms would go against Jesus' command to love one's neighbor.

"I would submit to you that our neighbor also includes the Hindu student who sits in a classroom, the Buddhist student who sits in a classroom, and an atheist student who sits in a classroom," he said. "And my question to you is, does this bill truly love those students?"

Fox News Digital has reached out to Talarico's office for comment.

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Greg Abbott attends a press conference following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed a Ten Commandments monument to stand outside the Texas State Capitol on June 27, 2005, in Austin, Texas. (Jana Birchum / Getty Images)

In March, Talarico and state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, were the only two lawmakers on the House Public Education Committee to vote against House Bill 900, or "READER Act," which would prohibit "sexually explicit materials" in schools and require parents to opt in their child before they can have access to "sexually relevant material" in the classroom.

The bill, which was introduced by state Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, would also require vendors to keep a rating system of the content in the books they supply, according to The Texan. The READER Act passed the committee, 10-2, and is in the Senate Education Committee with a public hearing scheduled on Thursday.

During a committee hearing on the bill, Talarico asked Patterson if his legislation would prohibit books like "Catcher in the Rye" or even the Bible, which Patterson denied.

Talarico retweeted a user who described the bill as an example of "Christian nationalist purity culture."

Talarico retweeted a user who described the bill as an example of "Christian nationalist purity culture." (Twitter screenshot)

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Talarico was torched on social media in 2021 when he was among the Texas House Democrats who fled the state on a chartered jet to block the legislature from voting on two election reform bills put forward by Republicans.