The Texas Senate approved a bill Thursday that would force public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. It will now move to the state House of Representatives for consideration.

Religious hardliners welcomed the victory, but it sparked immediate criticism that it was an unconstitutional move to end the separation of church and state. The bill was introduced by Sen. Phil King, and would require schools to prominently display the Christian text. He said it was simply a part of American heritage.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick welcomed passage of the bill.  ‘Allowing the Ten Commandments and prayer back into our public schools is one step we can take to make sure that all Texans have the right to freely express their sincerely held religious beliefs,’ he said.

‘I believe that you cannot change the culture of the country until you change the culture of mankind. Bringing the Ten Commandments and prayer back to our public schools will enable our students to become better Texans.’