It is interesting that defense of government-funded Ten Commandments monuments comes almost entirely form conservative Christians. This is, after all, text from the Jewish scriptures. Why don't Christians argue for monuments with text from their own scriptures? What are they hoping to accomplish... or not accomplish?

John Sutton offers a Christian perspective on what's wrong with these monuments:

In the first place, for far too many people, the Ten Commandments represent a "Dummy's Guide to Christianity." These people would rather not grapple with the contextual complexities present in both Old and New Testament narratives. Instead, they just want it all boiled down to ten "Thou Shalt Nots." ... [W]hen stripped of their context, the Ten Commandments seem self-explanatory and almost self-executing -- all that they lack is an appendix with a sentencing guideline grid (though I'm sure there are many who would be happy to supply one). And that's a fairly compelling reason not to post them in such a fashion.

[W]hat makes me angry at those who want to post the Commandments on every government-owned wall is that they are being disingenuous about the reasons they want them posted. As much as anything, they merely want to post the Commandments as a testament to their own piety. Jesus quotes a Pharisee as praying, "I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like everyone else, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here," (Luke 18:11); apparently one modern day version of this prayer is, "Thank you God that I'm not like the godless secular humanist heathen -- see, I even have the 10 Commandments hanging on my wall to prove it."

These two passages don't entirely do justice to the original. It's not very long, so follow the above link and read the whole thing. Sutton offers a very compelling, insightful, and thought-provoking explanation about how and why Ten Commandments monuments are wrong theologically and morally, regardless of their status under the principle of church/state separation. He makes it clear that Christians shouldn't want them to be erected and, if they do, they are making a serious error from within their own religious system that they need to address.

Read More:

• Separation of Church and State 101
• Church and State News
• Ten Commandments
• Secularism 101