Old topic: 10 Commandments at old court houses. Is it wrong to try and have them removed?

Question

From a historical stand-point. Even if you don't believe in the Bible and fully support the seperation of church and state (that is where I side, by the way), isn't it the same thing as censoring history to remove a part of an historical building that was there with its initial construction?

Simple solution should be to just not put them in any new court houses that are constructed, in my opinion.

Answer 1

I'm not sure I agree, but you make a good point - keeping them as a historical relic.

The problem is, people who argue that the U.S. legal system is based, even in part, on the Ten Commandments need to read them again (or for the first time). This is like saying the rules of Trivial Pursuit are based on the rules of Monopoly, simply because they have a few common elements.

The first five commandments are particularly divisive, pertain only to those of the Christian and Jewish faiths, and have NOTHING to do with U.S. law:

- I am the Lord thy God
- Thou shalt have no other gods before me
- Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol
- Thou shalt not make wrongful use of the name of thy God
- Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy

While the rest of the commandments are certainly worthy rules to live by, most of them (no lying, coveting, or adultery, and honor thy mother & father) are not laws in and of themselves.

Actually, of the ten commandments, only TWO (stealing and murder) are currently laws (at least in the States), and if you think about it, EVERY religion (and legal system) forbids these crimes.

As for the crusading Christians, I would direct them to Matthew 6:6 which (in effect) says, "keep thy religion to thyself."

Answer 2

I do think it should stay there as part of the history... I don't think people should be offended because it is just part of the story of our growth. Like some people have been saying, swearing on the bible does seem odd since there are plenty of non-Christians. Hmm.

I do value things like that as pieces of history. But if people cannot handle it being there for one reason or another, I would sadly let it go.

Answer 3

Finally, someone from the left who is honest in the debate. I wish more on the left were like you: intellectually honest. People don't need to be deceived into supporting your position, like so many on the left think they do. It's obvious what the history of this country shows as being the intentions of our founding fathers, but so many on the left want to leave out that history, and claim the opposite is true.

I think, as the constitution reads now, it is unconstitutional to force the removal of the 10 Commandments from courthouses. You cannot deny the basis of the law of our land is the 10 Commandments. To be able to remove them, you need to rewrite the constitution. (It doesn't matter what Thomas Jefferson said in some PRIVATE letter to the Danbury Baptist Association. A private letter is irrelevant, and unusable evidence. We must be willing to look at the actual history of this nation's official policies, and the official policies historically promoted christianity as the preferred religion, while being tolerant of people's right to choose another religion.) The bottom line is, if people on the left want to remove christianity from the forefront, they must support a constitutional ammendment, because as it reads now, it prohibits such removal.

Answer 4

Being an Atheist i do not choose some twit interior the Goat Herders' preparation guide to the Galaxy telling me now to not kill human beings cos i will flow to hell. i do not kill human beings cos society is a lot safer position for me to stay in if human beings do not flow round killing one yet another. i understand this can be a extremely unusual concept for a god-botherer to attraction to close yet notwithstanding it really is extremely easy. If we extremely lived in accordance to the examples laid out interior the Goat Herders' preparation guide we'd want to all be obtainable raping and pillaging cos that is what they did decrease back then - it really is WHY the twit had to flow get some rules from a mountain; even mountains had extra brains. a persons' positive to imagine that an Invisible Sky guy gave the twit the rules yet all of us keep in mind that myth is not any better than a shiny mind's eye.

Answer 5

Well, maybe.

From an archictectural point of view, I say let them stay.

But unfortunately by leaving them there you are providing those who try to perpetuate the myth that the US was founded as a "Christian Nation" tangible "evidence" in using that myth to argue that their religious preference trumps the Constitution.

So sadly, it's best to remove them.

Answer 6

The big ten should not be allowed in our courthouses!
It would turn our justice system from a democratic one to a Christian one, where Christians could ultimately deny non-Christians the right to a fair trial, bail, and other rights available for everyone now.
People have their religion in their hearts, minds, home and in their church. Isn't that enough?
The only reason I can think of as to why some Christians want their religion in out courthouses and schools, is to control other people's lives.
Enjoy your freedom of religion and I'll enjoy my freedom from religion.

Answer 7

and why do they insist on making witnesses put their hand on the bible? does anybody really think that buddhists or muslims are gonna give a $#!T about some book that doesnt belong to their religion and say the truth? I mean even if you put the holy book from the religion the witness belongs to, they could still lie.

I mean what are they gonna be like "I swear I will totally tell the truth cause I have my hand on my sacred book". Bull$#!T, people can look in someone's eyes and STILL lie. Putting some book under somebody's hand isnt gonna force them to tell the truth. Making them take a lie detector test is.

Answer 8

Follow what happens in the OT every time they walk apart from God and do their own thing.They go into captivity like America is going to unless we turn from forn,porn,abortion,divorce,ludeness,filthinessEtc......

Answer 9

It isn't as though they are hard to find posted elsewhere, though.

I simply say remove them, and if someone asks, give them directions to the nearest church.

Answer 10

10 commandments says what it says but doesn't have the body to impose it.

It is just like a famous roman citizen who says " do what I say, but don't do what I do." and drinks the poison in the cup. I just forgot his name but he is famous.