On Thursday night, Louisiana’s Attorney General Jeff Landry spoke to a group of conservative Christians at a private event for the Louisiana Family Forum, a Religious Right group. And he told them it was his goal to bring prayer back to public schools.

As if it ever left.

The Times-Picayune reports:

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is vowing to fight for prayer in public schools, telling a friendly audience of several hundred people: “With your prayers, and an offense, we will get prayer back in public schools.” … Landry said he was encouraged recently by a court ruling that a Michigan county board may open its meetings with a Christian prayer and invite audience members to join. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati rejected assertions that the prayers violated the Constitution. … “I just want you to know that we are winning, and we will get God back into this country,” Landry said.

Does anyone want to tell the state’s top attorney that he doesn’t understand the law he’s sworn to uphold?

Prayer is perfectly legal in public schools. Teachers can pray. Administrators can pray. Students can pray. They can bring their bibles to school, too. What’s not permitted is forced or coercive prayer. That means no proselytizing in the classroom and no prayers over the loudspeakers at a football game. These things have been litigated in the past and the legal precedent is very clear.

And while an appeals court recently said that board members of a local government could lead prayers to Jesus at meetings, it was a controversial ruling, it may be appealed to the Supreme Court, and it doesn’t apply to public schools.

Landry later bragged to the group about his efforts to block LGBTQ rights and anti-discrimination measures.

Because that’s what Christianity means these days: Bigotry and oppression in the name of God.

Last year, Landry was in the news for saying being transgender is a mental illness and that “the good Lord doesn’t build us in that particular way.”

He’s not an anomaly. There are plenty of attorneys general and other elected officials who have every intention of putting their religious beliefs into action. It would be unpatriotic and heretical if anyone else ever tried to do that — imagine the reaction if a Muslim tried it — but when Christians do it, they expect to be treated like saviors. It’s disgusting. It’s cruel. And it’s perfectly in line with the kinds of Christians who put Donald Trump and his evangelical friends in positions of power.

(Screenshot via YouTube. Thanks to Brian for the link)

