Post by AuntieSocial on Nov 20, 2003 19:04:35 GMT -5
Texas Ten Commandments Monument Constitutional
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Published: November 17, 2003
Publication: Maranatha Christian News Service
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion last week holding that a stand-alone Ten Commandments monument on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, is constitutional. The Fifth Circuit covers the states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
The 42 year-old monument was originally donated to the State by the Fraternal Order of Eagles in 1961. The granite monolith is more than six feet high and three feet wide. It is one of 17 monuments and memorials on the grounds of the State Capitol.
The donation of the Ten Commandments was part of a youth guidance project to give the youth of the nation a code of conduct by which to govern their actions. The monument sat in a small park- like subsection between the Supreme Court building and the Capitol building.
Thomas Van Orden filed a suit to have the monument removed because he claimed the sight of the Ten Commandments disturbed him.
The Court began its decision by noting that “The Ten Commandments have both a religious and secular message.” Given that message, the Court held that the State of Texas had a secular purpose for displaying the monument.
The Court also noted that, “Even those who would see the Decalogue as wise counsel born of man’s experience rather than as divinely inspired religious teaching cannot deny its influence upon the civil and criminal laws of this country. That extraordinary influence has been repeatedly acknowledged by the Supreme Court and detailed by scholars. Equally so is its influence upon ethics and the ideal of a just society.”
The Court concluded its opinion by noting the Ten Commandments influence on American law and stating, “There is no constitutional right to be free of government endorsement of its own laws.”
Mathew Staver, President and General Counsel of Liberty Counsel which filed an Amicus Brief in support of the state of Texas, stated, “This decision begins to turn the tide against the historical revisionism of groups like the ACLU who seek to remove all references to the Ten Commandments from our public life.”
“We are excited that the Court issued such a ringing endorsement of the Ten Commandments and their effect on our laws. This opinion energizes us to take our fight to preserve our history, including the Ten Commandments, to the highest levels.
The Ten Commandments have both a secular and religious aspect. To ignore the influence of the Ten Commandments in the founding and shaping of American law and government would require significant historical revisionism.”
Liberty Counsel is currently defending 10 separate Ten Commandment displays throughout the country. In the past 14 months, two federal courts of appeals and three federal district courts have found such displays to be constitutional.
© 2003 Maranatha Christian News Service
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Click here to see the article on the original page
Published: November 17, 2003
Publication: Maranatha Christian News Service
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion last week holding that a stand-alone Ten Commandments monument on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, is constitutional. The Fifth Circuit covers the states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
The 42 year-old monument was originally donated to the State by the Fraternal Order of Eagles in 1961. The granite monolith is more than six feet high and three feet wide. It is one of 17 monuments and memorials on the grounds of the State Capitol.
The donation of the Ten Commandments was part of a youth guidance project to give the youth of the nation a code of conduct by which to govern their actions. The monument sat in a small park- like subsection between the Supreme Court building and the Capitol building.
Thomas Van Orden filed a suit to have the monument removed because he claimed the sight of the Ten Commandments disturbed him.
The Court began its decision by noting that “The Ten Commandments have both a religious and secular message.” Given that message, the Court held that the State of Texas had a secular purpose for displaying the monument.
The Court also noted that, “Even those who would see the Decalogue as wise counsel born of man’s experience rather than as divinely inspired religious teaching cannot deny its influence upon the civil and criminal laws of this country. That extraordinary influence has been repeatedly acknowledged by the Supreme Court and detailed by scholars. Equally so is its influence upon ethics and the ideal of a just society.”
The Court concluded its opinion by noting the Ten Commandments influence on American law and stating, “There is no constitutional right to be free of government endorsement of its own laws.”
Mathew Staver, President and General Counsel of Liberty Counsel which filed an Amicus Brief in support of the state of Texas, stated, “This decision begins to turn the tide against the historical revisionism of groups like the ACLU who seek to remove all references to the Ten Commandments from our public life.”
“We are excited that the Court issued such a ringing endorsement of the Ten Commandments and their effect on our laws. This opinion energizes us to take our fight to preserve our history, including the Ten Commandments, to the highest levels.
The Ten Commandments have both a secular and religious aspect. To ignore the influence of the Ten Commandments in the founding and shaping of American law and government would require significant historical revisionism.”
Liberty Counsel is currently defending 10 separate Ten Commandment displays throughout the country. In the past 14 months, two federal courts of appeals and three federal district courts have found such displays to be constitutional.
© 2003 Maranatha Christian News Service
Maverick: Added to the news page. Message icon updated.
