Ten Commandments Monument,
Alabama Judicial Building,
October 22, 2004
Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
In Louisiana, the state House of Representatives has unanimously passed legislation for putting the Ten Commandments on a monument on the State Capitol grounds. Supports of this Ten Commandments law admit openly the voted to memorialize a religious statement, but they also insist that it's part of historic law -- and somehow, that makes it OK.
Not a single state legislator spoke out against or voted against this measure. Not a single state legislator in Louisiana supports secularism, secular government or church/state separation. Every single one is, deep down, a theocrat just looking for an excuse to overturn secular democracy.
Rep. Patrick Williams, D-Shreveport, who is the author of HB277, said the Legislature every day opens its sessions in the House and Senate with a prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, so religion plays a part in government. "All denominations are allowed to pray."
Asked about separation of church and state, he answered, when prayer is a part of everyday operations, "how do you determine what separation is?"
Although a devout Christian, Williams said he sees the proposed monument as more of an historic marker than a religious one. He said it's the role the Ten Commandments plays in shaping society and laws that's being recognized. He said his decision to push the legislation was influenced by his visit to the Middle East, where he "climbed Mount Sinai, where Moses got the Ten Commandments." ...
"I don't see a problem having the Ten Commandments out in front of the Capitol," said Rep. Page Cortez, R-Lafayette. "The Ten Commandments is the basis of Judeo-Christian principles." A monument would be "a reflection of what we stand for," Cortez said.
Source: The News Star
Ten Commandments Monument
Texas State Capitol
October 15, 2004
Photo: Jana Birchum/Getty Images
Notice how Patrick Williams says that "all denominations are allowed to pray" -- "denomination" is a reference to sects of Christianity. It almost inherently excludes non-Christian religions and is an expression, I think, of the way in which so many conservative Christians don't see religious liberties as entirely applying to non-Christians.
For example, it often occurs that when things are set up to "accommodate" religious expression or practice, they only really "accommodate" Christian ways of doing things. The accommodation of "prayer" usually only accommodates the sorts of prayers common to western religious traditions rather than, say, chanting that you can find in other religions.
Here's what the act says:
"Some documents stand out as pivotal in the religious history of America and Louisiana's legal system, among which are the Mayflower Compact, The Declaration of Independence as a legal foundation for the United States Constitution, the Ten Commandments as one of the foundations of our legal system, and the Northwest Ordinance, which was a primary document affirming faith and the first congressional act legally prohibiting slavery.
"American law, constitutionalism and political theory have deep roots in religion," the act continues. "American ideals about liberty, freedom, equality, legal responsibility and codes of law, to mention a few, have roots and underpinnings in religion and biblical literacy. The Ten Commandments, which are found in the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament of the Bible, was one of the earliest written expressions of law to be incorporated in American legal systems. The Ten Commandments, or the law of nature, also impacted the Declaration of Independence which refers to the 'laws of nature and of Nature's God.'"
It is difficult to make any sort of case for the idea that the Ten Commandments, taken as a whole, really does constitute the basis for American law. It's obvious that some of the Commandments forbid actions that are also forbidden in American law, but then again the same parallels can be found in laws throughout the world. Are the Ten Commandments the basis for Chinese law, merely because murder and theft are against the law in China?
The truth of the matter is that much, if not most, of our legal system is derived from common law; that, in turn, is largely based upon Anglo-Saxon tradition and, to a lesser degree, Roman civil law. Neither of those can be said to be based upon the Ten Commandments. I'm not quite sure why people persist in trying to spread the fiction that American law is derived from the Ten Commandments in some fashion, especially since this argument really wouldn't justify the government endorsement or promotion of them anyway.
It may be valid to argue that the Ten Commandments were an important stage in the development of human law, but probably no more so than all the other commandments in the Old Testament -- not to mention many other documents in human history which somehow get ignored in this legislative acts. In many ways, the "Ten Commandments" are a modern, Christian invention; Orthodox Jews, after all, don't acknowledge the existence of a special set of ten commandments that are separate from all the other laws of God.
Installing Ten Commandments monuments and displays in public buildings has become a key issue for the Christian Right. The purpose is to unambiguously link the Ten Commandments with American law, government, and politics. Of course, linking American government with the Ten Commandments necessarily entails linking it with the Bible and, in the minds of Christian Nationalists, with Christianity itself -- even though Christianity isn't based on the Ten Commandments, either.
Does this mean that slavery, child abuse, rape and sale of daughters are all to be allowed in Louisiana since none of them are forbidden by the 10 Commandments?
I’m not so sure that because 100% of LA legislators signed it that 100% of them think of it as a good idea. They just know that NOT signing it will have turned out to be a bad idea come election day. This kind of legislation is like setting out sticky flypaper for secularists. It’s a trap.Everyone knows it’s a trap. And the sponsors know it will be passed, even if it fails in court, but it doesn’t matter if it passes the court’s smell test, the only thing that matters is being able to tell your constituents you voted for it. In a 90% Christian district, which virtually all LA districts are, it pays to pander.
Let’s face it. ALL politicians appear to pander!
Louisiana has a large Catholic population, but it’s usually evangelical Protestants who push for these displays. So whose version of the Ten Commandments are they going to use? Do the Catholic house members know which set of commandments they voted for?
Then again, it seems to me that many, if not most Christians don’t know the Ten Commandments. I recall a big Ten Commandments proponent being interviewed a while back. He could not name more than 2 or 3 of the commandments! If this thing is signed into law, it will probably take a priest to notice that the Catholic legislators had been hoodwinked.
FYI, Rep. Patrick Williams is Baptist, so that probably settles the question of which graven image is intended by the legislation. Unless, of course, the lawmakers are unaware of the issue.
Don’t these dolts remember what happened to their Suprement Court Judge who tried this? What was his name Roy Moore? Now, Judge Moore is holding Court on the park bench on skid row.
Hopefully this legislature will end up holding their sessions in the same place.