Making US public schools display the Ten Commandments isn’t harmless or neutral | Judith Levine

I was 10 when the US supreme court ruled against school prayer. Now Louisiana and Texas want to turn back the clock

I was 10 in 1962, when the supreme court ruled, in Engel v Vitale, that the officially sanctioned recitation of prayer in public schools violated the constitution's first amendment, which prohibits the establishment of a state religion.

Before that, my school day started with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by an appeal to God. We rose and pushed our chairs under our desks. Then we stood erect, gazed at the flag sticking out at an angle above the blackboard, and placed our right hands over our hearts. After the pledge, we bowed our heads and said a prayer composed by the New York state board of regents, which held authority over the schools: Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country."

Judith Levine is a Brooklyn journalist and essayist, a contributing writer to the Intercept and the author of five books