Ten Commandments?

Question

Should the Ten Commandments be displayed in courthouses? If so, what kind of controversies would be produced?

Answer 1

One of the most common arguments for posting the Ten Commandments in courthouses is that they are a basis for our legal system. People who make this argument 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

There was a big ta do about a courthouse in Alabama where they had a statue carving of them and it was ruled they had to take it away.

I think in that case precedent should have ruled.It had already been there for years and could have been viewed as an artistic piece.

There are people who are against religion and just don't want any symbols of it around but then again denial of it's influence in the life of this country is false.

To me if there is a religious display and you are not into it then view it as art and everybody go their way.

Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to believe in it and those who do don't have power over you to make you.

I would be willing to bet modern buildings will be omitting the Ten Commandments just to avoid the hassle.Consider the others grandfathered in.

Answer 3

No. The government has no business spending time and money on installing and displaying religious texts or icons. The display of such items "establishes" them.

Let’s look at the idea that the Ten Commandments are the "basis" of our legal system:
ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.' - Not a law. Any law that would satisfy this commandment would CLEARLY violate the establishment clause.

TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.' - Not a law. Any law that would satisfy this commandment would CLEARLY violate the establishment clause.

THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.' - Not a law. Any law that would satisfy this commandment would CLEARLY violate the establishment clause.

FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.' - Not a law. Any law that would satisfy this commandment would CLEARLY violate the establishment clause.

FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.' - Not a law.

SIX: 'You shall not murder.' - This IS a law. Count is 1 out of 10.

SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.' - This is a law in SOME states, but not in others. I'll give this one a .5. Current count 1.5 out of 10

EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.' This IS a law. Count is 2.5 out of 10.

NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.' - Depends on how "bear false witness" is defined. If I say something bad but untrue about my neighbor but don't make a charge that he violated the law, I can be sued in civil court for damages. What I say does not vilate law, it just makes me responsible. However, if I make a false police report or lie in court, I can be charged with a crime (false police report or perjury. Again, I'll give this one .5. Current count 3 of 10

TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.' - Again, not against the law to WANT his stuff, only to take his stuff. Taking was covered in Eight, so no points here.

So, 2 real laws, 2 sort of laws. The Ten Commandments are more about a relationship with a specific god than about our laws. The first four are CLEARLY religious edicts, not laws of man.

Answer 4

I think there should be since this country was founded on the christian principal. In Houston, there was a display of the bible in front of the courthouse that was donated back in the 50's and just recently some idiot made them remove it. The county did not do the up-keep the donar's charity was doing the up keep. I think it needs to be returned. I think that the good lord should be back into the schools too. Maybe this nation wouldn't be so screwed up if the kids had that teaching again.

Answer 5

It wouldn't be just liberals throwing a fit, it would be anyone that understands the Constitution, as such a display violates the establishment clause of the 1st Amendment.

Answer 6

They have been displayed in courthouses. If you want to know what kind of controvery it produced just do a google search.

Answer 7

Yes, if " in God we trust" is there, why not the ten commandments? And there should not be a controversy. If Atheists or whoever else doesn't like it, don't look. I am sick of the vast minorities ruling the rest of us.

Answer 8

Yes.
it allows people in the community to be able to express themselves. Just because a monument is an acknowledgment of religion doesn't mean it is an establishment of religion.

the Ten Commandments are the foundation of the U.S. legal system and forbidding the acknowledgment of the Judeo-Christian God violates the First Amendment's guarantee of free exercise of religion.

Answer 9

If our laws were exclusive to the 10 commandments then yes. But they aren't. There would be no logical reason to do this

Answer 10

No. Two reasons, seperation of church and state, not all the commandments are laws.