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Nov. 9, 2004 At what point do we as a nation allow religious symbols and references into our federal architecture, grounds, and ordinances? While it has been common to find the Ten Commandments within federal and state offices, capitols, and court buildings since the dawn of this nation (see the original interior drawings of the State House in Philadelphia and the US Capitol in Washington DC for just two examples), their presence has been both lauded and attacked over the years. In what many see as a surge in popularity religious groups around the country are lobbying their local, state, and even the federal governments to erect crosses, crucifixes, and other Christian monuments upon government land. In the Grand Canyon, they are now selling books that give a Creationist explanation of how the area was formed. With the recent presidential election already dividing this nation along philosophical and ideological lines with moral values seemingly invigorating a large part of the population, it is only to be expected that there is now a popular movement among evangelical Christian groups to push for a new placement of the line between church and state. Why shouldn’t we allow these Judeo-Christian symbols into our public places? What harm does a cross or other Christian symbol do to those who view it? When those questions are used in defense of putting these symbols and references in government places, those asking are missing the point entirely. Yes, this country is a majority Christian nation. Our earliest colonists were fundamental Christians ostracized and banished from their home. Religion has played a valuable role in our culture for over two centuries. As well it should since religion is one of the foundation stones of every culture that has been on this earth. But as European history showed the Founding Fathers it should be the foundation of our government. Based upon their ideas it was determined that there must be a separation between the religions of our country and the workings of the state and federal governments. To allow this line to shift or even dissolve would essentially create what some evangelicals now refer to as a “Christian State.” To this author, that sounds much the same as places like Iran (The Islamic Republic of Iran), where government policy is shaped more by religious ideals than by reasoning and handling of the situation at hand. Religious groups and their opponents have long fought over Christian symbology and references in the government. A recent event is a great example of this ever-widening rift. In 2003 the Supreme Court refused appeals to not have a monument removed from the Alabama State House after the state’s Chief Justice placed it there. Justice Roy Moore had the monument placed there two years prior, starting a firestorm of debate on whether the monument, which depicted the Biblical verses of the Ten Commandments, should reside within a state facility. Justice Moore stated that the monument not only acknowledged the role the Ten Commandments played in the forming of the United States legal system but that it also espoused the moral authority God has over society. It was this last viewpoint that the Supreme Court eventually ruled against, not the first as proponents of the monument said made the Court hypocritical. Arguments by many of Judge Moore’s supporters for the legal right to erecting Christian symbology on state and federal grounds point to various symbols that already exist. They say these show that the Founding Fathers intended that the United States be a “Christian State.” This line of argument has been summarized and restated over the years, but the core of their logic always goes back to the statements below. These are directly quoted from popular chain emails I have received over the last two weeks; I have followed up each with information pertinent to the claim: “As you walk up the steps to the Capitol Building which houses the Supreme Court you can see near the top of the building a row of the world's law givers and each one is facing one in the middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view — it is Moses and the Ten Commandments!” The first point that must be made about this statement is the fact that the US Capitol Building does not house the Supreme Court; the Court has occupied its own building since 1935. The sculpture referred to, “Justice the Guardian of Liberty” created by Hermon McNeil, adorns the Eastern pediment of the Supreme Court building; the main entrance, and the steps referred to, is on the Western side. The central figure of the work is indeed Moses, yet he is actually flanked on either side by the frontal views of Confucius and Solon. The central three figures are then flanked by allegorical figures of various legal themes. These three represent the great civilizations of the East from which the laws of United States were derived. Finally, the two tablets Moses does hold are not actually the Ten Commandments, but are blank to denote the ability of the United States to create its own legal legacy. “As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of each door. As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see the wall right above where the Supreme Court judges sit a display of the Ten Commandments!” There are indeed double tablets with the Roman numeral I-X engraved into the doors entering the Supreme Court chamber as well as depicted within the frieze above the Justices. The frieze, designed by Adolph Weinman, depicts two male figures that represent the Majesty of Law and Power of Government flanked by figures representing Wisdom on the left and Justice on the right. Between the two central figures is the tablet adorned with the Roman numerals I-X. According to Weinman the tablets, both on the door and in the frieze, do not represent the Ten Commandments but the first ten amendments, more commonly known as the Bill of Rights. Ironically this statement fails to mention another appearance of Moses actually within the Supreme Court chamber itself; he is depicted in one of the two friezes that adorn the North and South chamber walls showing eighteen figures from history that are known for their gifts of law to the world. Moses is not given any emphasis in this work, and the tablet he carries only shows Commandments six through ten, murder, adultery, theft, perjury, and covetousness, specifically because they are not inherently religious. “James Madison, the fourth president, known as "The Father of Our Constitution" made the following statement "We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." To anyone who is fairly well versed in American Presidential history, this statement immediately rings strange. James Madison is most well known for his tenure during the tumultuous War of 1812 where Washington DC was sacked and the White House itself was burned to the ground. But he is equally as well known among scholars and historians for his staunch support of the separation between church and state. The above quote was actually published nationwide in the US News and World Report in a full-page ad taken by Pat Robertson’s Regent University. It comes from literature of the revisionist historian David Barton, who throughout the 1990’s wrote and lectured that the United States was founded as a “Christian Nation.” But after being confronted in 1996 for references for this and several other quotes he used, he admitted it could not be substantiated. Curators of the Madison Papers at the University of Virginia, despite funding from several religious groups, have never found this quote in the extensive library of Madison’s personal and formal letters. “Patrick Henry, that patriot and Founding Father of our country said, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians...not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” This quote has its origins not in the fiery speeches or writings of Patrick Henry but again in the writings of David Barton. While it is easy to acknowledge Henry’s passion in his faith, the same could be said of everything he did in his life. This quote though is not one of them. While Henry lend his support for “incorporating” the Episcopal Church in Virginia, where it could have benefited financially from taxes, his writings exemplified his ideal of a country that embraced a wide variety of religions that had little to no place in government. Along with the above- mentioned Madison quote, David Barton also admitted there being no foundation for this quote of Patrick Henry. “Every session of Congress begins with a prayer by a paid preacher...whose salary has been paid by the taxpayer since 1777.” Congress has had a paid chaplain available to open sessions with a prayer and to offer guidance to members of Congress and their staff, though not since 1777 but 1789. While this practice has met resistance since its inception most notably from James Madison to 2002, in a lawsuit filed by the same man who won a case to have “under God” stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance, it has been held all this time. In comparatively relative terms, the military, state legislatures, governors, and Presidents have also upheld the tradition of paid chaplains throughout United States history. While to some it shows a mix of church and state, it should be looked upon more as an employer (in this case the government) supplying counseling services to their employees. In this vein it should also be noted that while Congress employs a single chaplain for both the Senate and the House, they also employ at least five clinical therapists. “Fifty-two of the 55 founders of the Constitution were members of the established orthodox churches in the colonies.” This statement found its origins once again in the writings of David Barton. In his taped presentation called “America’s Godly Heritage,” in which he espouses the legal and historical reasons that the United States is a “Christian Nation,” he states the above as well as saying that many were “evangelical Christians.” Many have criticized this statement, but most notably the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs published a line-by-line critique of Barton’s work in 1996. It was this critique that brought about many of Barton’s admissions on the wrongly attributed quotes that same year. In their critique, they summarize their point on this particular statement thusly: “While there can be little doubt that Christian values shaped the thinking of the Founders, it is wrong to jump to the conclusion that the Founders were almost all orthodox evangelicals Christians. Even though many of the Founders applauded religion for its utility- believing religion was good for the country- they also argued vigorously for voluntary religion and complete religious freedom. Thus, even if Barton's point were true, it does not compel the conclusion that we should privilege Christianity in any legal or constitutional sense.” History shows that the Founding Fathers were indeed a diverse and complicated group of men. Their views on politics, religion, and every other subject under the sun has been hashed and rehashed for over two hundred years. The only fact in regards to this statement is that it’s worded as vaguely as a gypsy’s fortune. “Thomas Jefferson worried about that the Courts would overstep their authority and instead of interpreting the law would begin making law...an oligarchy...the rule of few over many...” This statement is actual fact. Thomas Jefferson, as well as many others over the history of our nation, worried that the Judicial branch of the United States would overstep their authority and begin making law instead of interpreting it. While it is a troubling issue that experts have debated for decades, it has absolutely nothing to do with the subject at hand. It is used by religious groups to show their displeasure with a Judiciary that has time and time again struck down the placement of religious symbology and references in federal and state government buildings. While contentious, the courts have over the years followed the letter and intent of the laws passed down over the years of our nation. Judeo-Christian symbology has been a part of our culture since the day we became the United States of America. While the basic symbology is there, with references to Moses and the Commandments and the use of “under God” in our Pledge, outright references to the Bible such as the Alabama monument and Judeo-Christian symbols such as the crucifix have never been allowed in government buildings or facilities, just as the Founding Fathers meant it to be. They foresaw a country that would grow and multiply and take in many from around the world; they knew this would bring peoples of different religions and beliefs that simply wanted to live a life of freedom and happiness. It would be a grave mistake for the government of the country that holds the freedom of religion amongst its highest ideals to in turn allow obvious Christian symbology to take center stage in our government institutions. Such a policy would give the perception of freedom for Christians only and not for all. The practice of religious freedom for only one religion was in place in Afghanistan, and is still practiced in places throughout the globe. In those places Christianity is not the one religion. So should we then do what we say is wrong elsewhere here in our own country? The United States cannot afford to make that mistake when it is already misperceived in so many of the other things we do. ------------ About the author: Michael Austin is a 33 year old student at NC State University whose interests go from researching and writing on foreign affairs and history to writing fiction and poetry. He also collects wine and books, and lives with his lovely wife and neurotic dog and cat. Email: MLAustin1@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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