Commandments brought down!

[Acriku]

This is awesome news for anybody who agrees with the separation of church and state! Read further:

Ala. Judge Loses Ten Commandments Appeal

Tuesday July 1, 2003 8:49 PM

ATLANTA (AP) - A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that a Ten Commandments monument the size of a washing machine must be removed from the Alabama Supreme Court building.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed a ruling by a federal judge who said that the 2-ton granite monument, placed there by Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, violates the constitutional separation of church and state.

``If we adopted his position, the chief justice would be free to adorn the walls of the Alabama Supreme Court's courtroom with sectarian religious murals and have decidedly religious quotations painted above the bench,'' the three-judge panel said.

``Every government building could be topped with a cross, or a menorah, or a statue of Buddha, depending upon the views of the officials with authority over the premises.''

Moore put the monument in the rotunda of the courthouse in the middle of the night two summers ago. The monument features tablets bearing the Ten Commandments and historical quotations about the place of God in law.

He was sued by several attorneys who said the monument infringed on their religious freedom. In November, a federal judge ordered the monument removed but then decided it could stay pending appeal.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-2857359,00.html

So far so good!

Now this brings up a very personal issue. Are the 10 Commandments a sign of morality for everyone, that should be put up at public schools and offices?

I say no for many reasons, which I will explain. The 10 Commandments are not a sign of morality, in fact they are unconstitutional and against everything we as Americans believe in. Take a look at the first commandment:

You shall have no other gods before Me.

This goes against the very first amendment - freedom of religion. Take a look-see at the second commandment:

You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

This once again goes against the first amendment - freedom of religion. Now take a look at the third commandment:

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

This goes against the very first amendment, as well - freedom of speech.

Now other commandments are pretty good ones:

Honor your father and your mother.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

But do we really need to be reminded of these? It's common sense to us already that we should not steal, murder, and that we should honor our fathers and mothers. There's no need to remind us of these.

Now look further into the punishments for disobeying the commandments, such as those in Exodus, "shall surely be put to death." Is this what we want to tell our children? Obey these commandments or ye shall surely be put to death? Certainly not I.

So this is why I think they should stay out of everything except churches and private buildings and schools. What are your reasons for or against the placement of the 10 commandments in our public schools and offices?

[Phage]

I think its very good news too. It's ok to have morals and rules but the ten commandments is more then morals/rules and its not necessary.