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 | 2001-JAN-2: Kentucky: Harlan County reposts the Ten Commandments: According to DayWatch: The Harlan County Board of Education reposted the Ten Commandments, as one element in a mosaic of historical documents. The displays will be posted in the school district's administrative offices, and in each of the 14 schools. 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2001-MAY-14: Oregon: Senate rejects Ten Commandments bill:
According to ReligionToday: The Oregon senate defeated a bill
by a vote of 16 to 14. They would have given public schools the option
of posting the Ten Commandments along side
the U.S. Constitution and similar documents. Both the legislative
counsel and the Attorney General had pronounced the bill
unconstitutional. Voting appears to have gone largely along party
lines. "Backers of the measure said the right to display the
commandments is an issue of religious freedom and that Christianity is
inseparable from the fabric of American history and culture."
Some comments:
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| 2001-MAY-29: Indiana: U.S. Supreme Court allows ruling against Decalogue to stand: The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from the City of Elkhart. This means that the decision by the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals stands. The granite monument must go. In the words of the American Atheists, this decision "...has unleashed a new wave of legal challenges across the country for civil liberties and separationist organizations, who now want the religious monuments taken down from government plazas, buildings and other public venues. The Commandments belong in churches, private homes ... anyplace other than the tax-supported public square." | ||||||||||||
| 2001-JUL-19: North Carolina: State Senate approved a Ten Commandments
bill: The North Carolina senate passed a bill that allows public
schools to post the Ten Commandments in the classroom, as part of a
larger cultural display. The vote was 94 to 18. An amendment to the bill added the Justinian Code,
the Magna Carta and the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence
as examples of documents that could be displayed beside the Ten
Commandments. The bill is problematic for a number of reasons: The
Mecklenburg Declaration may be a hoax; no original copy survives. Also,
by only including only one religious document, schools would be promoting
Judeo-Christianity as superior to other religions. That would be a violation
of the principle of separation of church and state. The House approved the bill
later, on JUL-26, by a wide margin.
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| 2001-AUG-1: Alabama: Chief Justice unveils 10 Commandments monument: Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court had a 5,280 pound granite monument installed in the Alabama Supreme Court building. It displays two tablets with the Decalogue (10 Commandments) engraved on them. 4 More details | ||||||||||||
| 2001-AUG-3: Arizona: ACLU seeking removal of Decalogue monument: The Arizona Civil Liberties Union is proposing a bill at the Arizona legislature that would remove the Decalogue monument in the Wesley Bolin Plaza, which is located across the street from the state Capitol building in Phoenix. If that is unsuccessful, the ACLU will initiate a lawsuit to force removal of the monument. Ann Sophy, ACLU spokesperson, said: "I would never try to predict what the courts would say. All I know is that when it comes to the Ten Commandments on state property, the majority has been in our favor." 5 | ||||||||||||
| 2001-AUG-3: Colorado: City officials posting disclaimer: City officials in Grand Junction, CO added a disclaimer to a Decalogue monument outside the City Hall. It informs people that the display "is not meant to endorse any particular style of religious belief." They hope that this may ward off any attempts in the court to have the monument removed. Monty Gaither of American Atheists feels that the disclaimer is insufficient. He wants the 6-foot high granite marker removed. It was donated by the Fraternal Order of Eagles in 1964. 5 | ||||||||||||
| 2001-AUG-23: USA: House bill to legalize display of Ten Commandments: Representative Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL) is allegedly planning to re-introduce a bill "Ten Commandments Defense Act" in early September. It would allow the posting of the Ten Commandments in all public buildings. It would also bar citizens from raising lawsuits to challenge the religious displays. The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United said: "I've got a commandment for Bob Aderholt: Thou shalt not play politics with religion. The Ten Commandments have done pretty well for themselves for centuries; they don't need help from members of Congress. Perhaps if politicians started following the Commandments, and stopped using them for crass political purposes, we'd be better off....The Aderholt scheme is indefensible. It should be quickly rejected by anyone who takes the Constitution seriously." Aderholt had unsuccessfully tried to pass an earlier version of this bill in 1998. 6 | ||||||||||||
| 2001-SEP-25: Georgia: Municipal government in Ringgold posts Decalogue: In a move that is bound to offend non-Judeo-Christians, the town of Ringgold has posted the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer and an empty picture frame. Councilman Bill McMillon explained that the blank frame "is for those who believe in nothing." He hopes that the display will bring back "good Christian values.'' He is not concerned about offending non-Christians "because we don't have any of them here.'' The measure passed the town council unanimously. 7 | ||||||||||||
| 2001-NOV-8: Kentucky: ACLU is suing three Kentucky counties: The American Civil Liberties Union is suing three counties in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The counties have placed historical displays on their courthouse walls. They consist of the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, the Mayflower Compact, and the national motto "In God We Trust." Liberty Counsel is defending the counties. The courts have already declared the displays unconstitutional. 8 | ||||||||||||
| 2001-NOV-20: Tennessee: County rejects display of Ten Commandments: After Williamson County Attorney Jeff Moseley said "There is no doubt in my mind that the posting of the Ten Commandments in a school or public courthouse is unconstitutional," county commissioners voted against the proposal 16 to 3; four abstained. Commissioner Peggy Romano had proposed a motion that called on ''the God in Heaven to preserve the peace ... extended to us by our ancient acknowledgment of the Ten Commandments.'' She said: "I don't think it's promoting one religion or another, but there are no better morals for anybody other than the Ten Commandments." She said she would continue to push for the measure. |
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Continue with events from the year 2002
References:
- "Kentucky school board reposts Ten Commandments" at: http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00b/20010102b.htm
- Laurence Cruz, "Commandments bill defeated: Schools will not be allowed to display the biblical doctrine," Statesman Journal, at: http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=24194
- Rachel Kovner, "Ten Commandments in schools OK's in Senate," The Charlotte Observer, 2001-JUL-18.
- Mark Niesse, "Chief Justice unveils Ten Commandments in [Alabama] Supreme Court building," Associated Press, at: http://news.findlaw.com/ap_stories/l
- American Atheists, newsletter, 2001-AUG-3
- "Alabama congressman prepares to introduce patently unconstitutional 'Ten Commandments Defense Act," Americans United news release, 2001-AUG-23
- "Ga. Town Posts Ten Commandments," Assocaited Press, 2001-SEP-25, at: http://news.findlaw.com/ap_stories/other/
- Charles R. MiVille, "Counties Sued Over Commandments," at: http://family.org/cforum/fnif/news
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Site navigation: Home page > Religious Laws > Ten Commandments > here |
Copyright © 200, 2001 & 2004, by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 2000-JUL
Latest update: 2004-AUG-08
Author: B.A. Robinson
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