God Is Not Confined by Legislation: Why Faith Thrives Beyond the Walls of the State

As a man of deep personal faith, I’ve heard a concern again and again: “Things started going wrong when we took God out of schools.”

I hear that, and I feel the weight of that worry. I agree—when we take God out of our daily lives, when we stop living with love, integrity, humility, and reverence for something greater than ourselves, the consequences show up in our communities.

But here’s the truth we cannot ignore: You cannot legislate the presence of God. And when we try, we don’t elevate His power—because we have no authority over it. What we do is shrink our understanding of who He is.

You Can’t Legislate What’s Meant to Be Lived

The recent passage of Act 573, requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in every public school classroom in Arkansas, has sparked passionate debate. I understand why many people of faith see this as a long-overdue return to moral values. I, too, hold the Ten Commandments close as a guide for life and conscience.

But let’s pause and ask a deeper question—not about what the Commandments say, but about who gets to speak for God in the public square.

God doesn’t need a government mandate to be present in our lives. He is already present—in every classroom, every family, every moment—whether there’s a plaque on the wall or not.

What we need are homes and hearts that live His truth, not hallways filled with symbolic laws that risk politicizing the sacred.

When we try to legislate God, we cross a dangerous line—not just politically, but spiritually. We shift from a living, breathing relationship with our Creator to a government-sponsored display that may check a political box but does nothing to cultivate faith.

The Danger of State-Mandated Faith

Let’s be honest: when the state starts determining how faith is represented, it’s no longer God leading—it’s government.And no government, no matter how well-intentioned, should ever be in the business of deciding how God is taught, honored, or understood.

This isn’t about being anti-faith. It’s about protecting the purity of faith from political entanglement.

When we force religion into government spaces through mandates, we don’t strengthen it—we cheapen it.We make it a tool of law, rather than a matter of love.

Faith Must Begin in the Heart—and in the Home

The real crisis today isn’t a lack of religious text on the wall. It’s a lack of spiritual grounding in our daily choices, our families, and our culture.

We should be less concerned with posting the Ten Commandments, and more concerned with living them—teaching our children by example what it means to love God and love others.

The state can’t do that for us. And it shouldn’t try.

True Power, True Freedom

God is not limited to a display. And He certainly isn’t dependent on legislation.

When we believe we must “put God back” in schools through law, we forget:He never left.

But our willingness to honor Him through our actions, our families, and our communities—that’s what’s been fading.

That’s where the work is.

So let’s be a people who live out our faith—not because the law requires it, but because our hearts are transformed by it.

Let’s raise our children to understand God’s word not through mandated signs, but through daily love, discipline, and truth.

And let’s remember that freedom of religion means just that—freedom. Not forced displays. Not one-size-fits-all policies. But the freedom to seek, to wrestle, to believe.

That’s a freedom I’ll fight to protect—not in opposition to faith, but in honor of it.

With respect for all Arkansans,

Joshua Irby

Paid for by Joshua Irby