Yesterday was a sad day in America. Another anti-religious ruling was handed down by authoritarians in black robes. This time the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the 10 Commandments displays in two Kentucky courthouses are an unconstitutional promotion of religion. The reason this ruling is so troubling is because it’s another indication of the secularization of our society. I realize that our government is “secular” in that it can’t endorse or encourage a particular religion. But there's a difference between endorsing religion and acknowledging a Creator God, as was done in our Declaration of Independence. Yesterday’s ruling signifies that our nation is on a course to remove all references to God or religious morality from public life - even when they are historically significant. And I don’t think we can afford to do that as a nation.
Whether the ACLU likes it or not, our nation was founded on the principle that we have “inalienable rights” given to us by God and that these rights, because they are endowed by our Creator, cannot be taken away by mere human governments. When we fail to acknowledge God in public life (vs. a particular religion, which is distinguishable), what is the basis for our rights? I believe our inalienable rights are threatened when we take God out of public life. If there is no acknowledgment of God, then our rights presumably come from men and can be taken away by men. That’s a scary thought.
I don’t think that we can say America is a “Christian nation” any longer. I think we live in a post-Christian world and I think that Christians need to shape up and start acting like a minority if we are to continue to keep our religious freedoms. Too much is taken for granted by the church. Too many of our religious freedoms are eroding and sometimes I wonder if the church is even paying attention.
Lastly, I wonder what kind of world I’m going to have to raise my kids in if all the insanity continues at such an accelerated speed. I’m alarmed. And I’m sad. My only consolation is that God is longsuffering and patient. He is also gracious and gives us so much more than we deserve.
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4 comments:
So true! Not only are we no longer a Christian nation but it seems to be speeding up faster and faster the other direction! Best thing we can do is tighten our seatbelt, get spiritually prepared for what will come. Judgement is coming and some say very very soon! Remember though that a remnant has always been taken through fires, floods, dangers, toils and snares!
Elizabeth
The 10 Commandments cases also nicely illustrate the fundamental problem with the Supreme Court's "now you see it, now you don't" approach to looking to international sources for guidance on interpreting the U.S. Constitution. If the Court is going to engage in a free-range analysis of policy, history, psychology, etc., about the accommodation of religion in society and the public sphere, wouldn't the development and experience of Europe be at least as relevant here as in the other cases where the Court has looked to those sources for guidance? I can't see of any reason why world experience on interpreting the Establishment Clause would be any less relevant than for interpreting, say, the Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause in the context of the juvenile death penalty. Furthermore, my impression is that public displays of religion are much more permissible in Europe, for instance, than what would be permitted here (not to mention Israel and Islamic societies). Maybe someone can explain to me why it would be relevant in interpreting one clause and not the other because I can't see the difference.
Leaving aside all of the intellectual arguments for whether the Court should or should not rely on international law for constitutional guidance, it is hard to escape the conclusion that the Court's periodic reliance on world legal opinion is purely strategic rather than sincere, perhaps to dress up the Court's personal predilections in the guise of legal authority. I am not aware of any principle that the Court has articulated which would permit litigants or the public to predict when international law or practice would be relevant to the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Nor am I aware of any scholar who has defended reliance on international sources who has tried to distinguish when international law is relevant to constitutional interpretation versus when it is not. Idiots!
A 70 percent majority
Seventy percent of Americans would have no objection to posting the Ten Commandments in government buildings, and 85 percent would approve if the Commandments are included as "one document among many historical documents" when displayed in public buildings, according to a survey conducted for the First Amendment Center. The State of the First Amendment survey, conducted since 1997, samples the American public's opinion each year on a variety of First Amendment issues. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday on two cases, from Kentucky and Texas, concerning Ten Commandments displays. In a case involving Kentucky courthouse displays, it said county officials crossed a constitutional line and were, in effect, endorsing religion even though other documents were added. But in the Texas case, the court approved an outdoor display where the commandments are part of a larger exhibit on the grounds of the Statehouse that recognized the history of the nation's legal system and religious heritage.
Full survey here: http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/PDF/SOFA.05.final.web.6.27.PDF
I think you're wildly overestimating the effect of the SCOTUS decision on the 10 Commandments. First of all, by way of background, I'm an every week churchgoer, a Sunday School teacher and student, and former president of my church's Congregation Council. I'm also an absolute believer in the separation of church and state, which exists not to protect the state but to protect the church.
Anything government does is inherently a political process. The more religion inserts itself into politics, the more politics inserts itself into religion. And I would just as soon keep politics out of my religion.
There is absolutely no significance to the Supreme Court decision. Does it change your relationship with God, with Christ, with anyone or anything? Does it rattle your faith or keep you from espousing The Truth? Of course not.
There are places in the world where Christians are persecuted. The UnitedStates isn't one of them. Feel as sorry for yourselves as you like, the battle over the 10 Commandments is a red herring. It's a distraction from the real issues that face us, as Christians, every single day. It's symbolic, not substantial. The more energy you expend on it, the less you can really accomplish.
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