State Question 790 failed on the ballot Nov. 8, leaving Oklahoma's relationship between church and state unchanged.
The proposal, created in response to the removal of the Ten Commandments monument from the grounds of the Oklahoma Capitol, would have repealed article 2, section 5 of the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma if it had passed. Article 2, section 5 prevents religious monuments from being placed on public grounds and precludes religious organizations from taking part in public programs to the same degree as non-religious organizations.
Opponents of SQ 790 say it would have resulted in too close a relationship between religion and government, creating and strengthening sectarian lines along faith among Oklahomans. In addition to faith-based societal strain, there were fears that educational funding, already in short supply, would be distributed to religious teaching organizations as well, leaving less for public schools.
Opponents of SQ 790 are also quick to point out, that even if the question did pass, it is likely that federal lawsuits would follow. The federal government draws a hard line between church and state, and any law made on a local level is superseded by it.
