Saying Yes and Saying No!

When the Supreme Court ruled on two Ten Commandment issues, the ruling on the Kentucky case should have been no surprise to church-state separation proponents. But the ruling on the Texas case should trouble anyone who really cares about the sanctity of scripture. Following is a portion of an article written by James Evans, pastor of First Baptist Church in Auburn, Alabama:

" ...In the case of Van Orden vs. Perry, the high court ruled that a Ten Commandment display on the grounds of the state capitol building in Austin, Texas was not a violation of the Establishment Clause. The 6-foot-high granite monument was among nearly 40 monuments and historical markers spread across 22 aces in front of the capitol. In another 5-4 decision the court held that the monument was acceptable because it accomplished a secular rather than religious purpose.
So, this is where we have come. If you want to have a Ten Commandments display that will pass muster with the court, simply design a visual presentation that promotes some secular or historical purpose. In other words, construct a setting that empties Scripture of the very thing that makes it unique. And rest assured that just such a design is on a drawing board somewhere right now. Of course we could always just change the composition of the court—a plan that is also on the drawing board right now. A new court with right thinking judges would allow promoters to decorate court houses and school houses with all the Scripture they can carve onto granite.
At the end of the day, however, it is Scripture that suffers from all this. The Bible is not a magic good luck charm that brings good fortune because it’s on display. The Bible is not a footnote to American history, something that merely contributed the establishment of our legal system. And a statue of the Bible is not the way to acknowledge God. If we would take time to read the book rather than trying to build monuments to it we would find that the way to honor God is by loving kindness, doing justice, and walking humbly with God. But I guess a monument is easier."