Where the Ten Commandments belong
Who has the right to put religious monuments on public land?
Old commandments, new debate
(AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Life would be simpler if the Supreme Court would ban all religious texts from government property, said the Los Angeles Times in an editorial. But the court has already ruled that it's okay to commemorate the Ten Commandments' "influence in history" and "secular moral message." Now a religious group called Summum says its Seven Aphorisms are as deserving as the commandments of a spot in a Utah park. "Our message to the court: Thou shalt not turn public parks into churches."
There are plenty of churches and synagogues where the commandments can be displayed, said The New York Times in an editorial. So the court should tell the town of Pleasant Grove City, Utah, to remove a Ten Commandments memorial from its Pioneer Park, or stop denying Summum the right to put it's own monument there. Public land "must be open to all religions on an equal basis—or open to none at all."
Not exactly, said The Washington Post in an editorial. If someone wanted to erect the Ten Commandments monument today it would be okay to stop them, but the display in Pioneer Park has been there for nearly four decades. The Supreme Court has ruled that the Constitution doesn't require "that all religiously tinged monuments" on public land be torn down. So "the mere existence of such monuments" shouldn't "require governments to erect new ones."
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7 Comments
Posted by Bette, Monday, November 17, 2008, 1:53 pm There is only one religion, though there are hundreds of versions of it. George Bernard Shaw Actually there probably are many more than that, each person could be considered to have their own version. Lots of monuments, I don't see it. We could instead be walking reminders of how to live, by are actions, by being nice to each other. I'd like to see that. Love Bette
Posted by Eric iverson , Monday, November 17, 2008, 2:27 pm Is there anyway we could at least post a few of the ten commandments on public property Such as thou shalt not kill , thou shalt not steal , Thou shall respect a higher authority . Thou shall not bear false wittness against your neihbor . I know the goverment does not want to be constrained . But without some of these basic princibles . I dont think life will be play ed in a very favorable way for most people
Posted by Doug Pierson, Monday, November 17, 2008, 5:29 pm How about having freedom of religions because not one is favored above the other and not posted in parks and city halls and the like.
Posted by Grabo, Monday, November 17, 2008, 6:14 pm Each religion's monuments, statues, commandments, etc., should be kept in their own Churches, Synagogues, Temples, etc. Why should any one religion have the right to impose their beliefs on the rest of us in a public setting? Freedom of Religion is just that. You have the freedom to practice and believe in any religion you want, while I have the freedom to not believe in any religion at all.
Posted by David, Monday, November 17, 2008, 6:58 pm Here are a couple commandments EVERYBODY should get behind: Thou shalt keep thy religious ideologies to thyself and Thou shalt mind thine own business. I believe that would solve a great many of America's problems.
Posted by revbarky, Monday, November 17, 2008, 7:06 pm It's silly to think that you can grandfather in all these things - times change. If the message doesn't suit the community any longer, it has to go. Luddites aren't cool.
Posted by Gene, Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 4:15 pm The Bible, The Quran, and The Book of Mormon are NOT preambles to The Constitution.
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