Vice President JD Vance defended a Texas law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments during a wide-ranging interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, arguing that the measure is not an attempt to force Christianity on students.
The discussion came during Wednesday’s episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, where the two spent hours covering a variety of topics, including religion in public schools, the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and other political issues.
Rogan introduced the topic by referencing a recent interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, a Democrat challenging Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a closely watched race.
While acknowledging that both Vance and Talarico are Christians, Rogan said he found Talarico’s argument against the law persuasive.
“One of the things that I think he has a really good point about,” Rogan said, “even though I know you’re Catholic and you’re very religious, putting the Ten Commandments in schools, I don’t think is the right way to do.”
Rogan explained that Talarico believes displaying only the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms sends the wrong message by elevating one faith over others. According to Rogan, Talarico argues that such policies could ultimately discourage people from embracing Christianity rather than encouraging them.
Vance rejected that characterization, saying he does not believe displaying the Ten Commandments amounts to forcing religion on anyone.
“I don’t think putting the Ten Commandments up in school is like forcing things on anybody,” the vice president said.
Rogan responded by emphasizing that the law applies to public schools and questioned why other religious traditions would not receive similar treatment.
“If you’re going to do that,” Rogan said, “why not put Buddhist scripture? Why not put, you know, your Muslim’s stuff? You could make an argument why you should have a bunch of different religious tenets in schools.”
Vance argued that the legal and historical traditions recognized in American institutions have long included a variety of cultural and religious influences. He pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court as an example, saying it features numerous historical, cultural and legal references, including imagery associated with Moses.
He added that the broader tradition of Western law has been shaped by more than just Christianity, saying Jewish contributions are significant and noting that the Muslim world also made important contributions to legal thought.
Because of that history, Vance said he does not view displaying the Ten Commandments as excluding other faiths.
The vice president also argued that America’s founders were deeply influenced by Christian culture, regardless of whether every founder personally identified as a Christian, and said that influence helped shape the nation’s legal system.
Vance then posed what he described as a different way of looking at the issue.
He asked whether simply seeing the Ten Commandments on display forces religion upon a non-Christian child, arguing that it does not. He added that there are many ways someone could genuinely attempt to impose religion on children, suggesting that displaying the text alone does not rise to that level.
Rogan acknowledged that displaying the Ten Commandments was not the most forceful way to impose religion but maintained that presenting only one religious tradition in public school classrooms raises concerns.
He also returned to Talarico’s broader argument, saying the Texas Democrat believes wealthy Christian nationalists are working to fund Christian schools while weakening public schools and other religious schools. Rogan said Talarico opposes the classroom requirement because he believes it could alienate people from Christianity instead of drawing them toward it.
Vance said he understood the concern but remained unconvinced.
“I mean, I understand the argument,” Vance said. “I just don’t see it that way.”
Rogan closed the exchange by saying he found Talarico’s position persuasive, telling the vice president, “I kind of agree with him.”
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