Campaign Aims to Put 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' in Schools

A Wisconsin Ministry believes God's 'powerful' Word would deter teen violence

Dave Daubenmire believes he knows the answer to prevent school violence -- post "Thou Shalt Not Kill," one of the Ten Commandments, on campus.

The former football coach in London, Wis., says it is the commandment schools most urgently need right now, so his ministry, "Pass the Salt," has started a petition drive that could put the fifth commandment in Ohio schools and elsewhere if it succeeds.

"For nearly 40 years the Word of God has been outlawed in our schools, and the results are obvious and profound," Daubenmire said on his ministry's Web site. "Pass the Salt believes that it is time for the church to go on the offensive and once again allow the Word to have a place of honor in the schools. Just as this cultural battle was not lost with an atom bomb, it will not be won with one either. It will be won only by storming the gates of hell, one hill at a time, one battle at a time, one day at a time."

The battle line has been drawn concerning public posting of all of the Ten Commandments in several communities across the country. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court delayed announcing whether it will hear the case of the 6-foot-by-3-foot slab of the Ten Commandments on the Elkhart, Ind., City Hall lawn. If the court refuses the case, a lower court ruling that found the display unconstitutional would remain. A Supreme Court decision could affect challenges to displays in as many as 12 other states, Gannett News Service reported.

Daubenmire, however, is concentrating his efforts on just the one command against murder because it will impact young people. "It's powerful because it is the Word of God," Daubenmire told the "The Madison (Wisconsin) Press. "I'm not going to sit around and wait until they come to my local school and shoot my kids," he said. "The standard needs to be lifted up to our kids as to what will not be accepted."

Several local evangelical groups, including the American Family Association Ohio, Mission America and the Christian Coalition of Ohio so far support the grassroots effort, which started a couple of months ago.

"We hope to gather a bunch of signatures, organize in local school districts, go to the school boards with a plaque that says 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' and say, 'please place this in schools,'" said Daubenmire, noting that the group has already received thousands of signatures.

But Ray Vasvari of the Ohio American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU ) calls Daubenmire's efforts "misguided," the "Press" reported. Vasvari doesn't see how posting the commandment will help reduce school violence. He added that "who's behind it...this is a thinly veiled attempt to use the recent tragedies to shoehorn religion back into the schools."

Daubenmire said: "The problem will be getting the school boards to stand up to the ACLU." "The ACLU is not a government agency," Daubenmire added. "The same values most people teach in their homes are not being reinforced in school, and that's all we're asking."

Daubenmire's group plans to approach school boards in August, but they are currently looking to get the legal support in place, the "Press" reported.