Huffington Post:
A Virginia public high school will display a page from a history textbook depicting the Ten Commandments, according to a recent compromise.
Originally, Narrow High School in Giles County displayed a framed copy of the Ten Commandments, prompting a lawsuit last September from the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, who argued that the display violated the separation of church and state.
According to the settlement, the school will instead display the history textbook’s image of the Ten Commandments along with the title “Roots of Democracy,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
The following statement will run beneath the image: “The values found in the Bible, including the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus, inspired American ideas about government and morality.”
The textbook page also references other influences on American democracy, including ancient Greece and the Magna Carta.
The page will be displayed near the trophy case and will be seen by students every day, according to the ACLU.
The decision to display the textbook page came when the school board voted 5-0 in favor of replacing the commandments, which had hung for a year and a half.
According to the Roanoke Times, the motion passed by the board read:
In light of the recent controversy, and legal proceedings, and the substitution of this Roots of Democracy document in the place of the text of the Ten Commandments, this board will not approve the posting of the text of the Ten Commandments in our schools unless and until the courts provide further clarification of the law in this area.
Did the school board go far enough to satisfy the spirit of the law? Or…Did the school board defy the settlement with the ACLU lawsuit?
Are high school students and the employees in that school not free from religion if they chose to be? How many people does it take before there is a first amendment violation? Don’t the 10 commandments belong to Jews, Muslims and Christians?
Why do the folks in Giles County have to make a stand? Isn’t it just cheaper to remove the 10 Commandments and take their kids to church if they want them to have religion?
They are like the Taliban in Giles county. The people of Giles must learn to respect the Constitution of the United States.
I don’t even know where it is. Judging from that old guy, he might have written the Constitution. Who knows.
@Starryflights
Really? Giles county is beheading people? Stoning people? Blowing them up?
cmon Starry…really?
Heh. The ACLU is all over this but we’ve got politicians advocating turning all of our schools into religious institutions….of one religion.
Darn those evangelical Chri…what? Its not the Christians?
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/07/jacka-democrat-says-american-schools-wont-succeed-unless-they-model-after-madrassas-video/
Yep. Just what we need to make American schools as successful as those in the Middle East.
You know, Cargo, I don’t know who that toad is but…he isn’t what this post is about. Who cares what one person says? No one.
Giles County is down I 81 between Blackburg and West Virginia. That might be the jumping off point of nowhere.
The question remains, have the good townspeople of Giles County violated first amendment rights regarding freedom of religion. Do people have freedom from religion as well as freedom to not practice religion? Is that a Constitutional guarantee?
I was just bringing it up, not because of his statements, but to point out…well…watch for a LACK of ACLU activity.
Otherwise… People have a freedom to practice religion. Seeing a posting of a historical religious document is not being forced to practice religion.
I think the idea of displaying it with the other historical documents in context is a good idea.
I don’t see why th eACLU would get involved unless that actually happened.
I haven’t made up my mind about Giles Co. yet. I don’t think what they have up hurts anyone regardless of religion. I will have to think about it. I am probably as big of a pita over 1A establishment clause as you are over 2A.
But, I am a huge 1st Am. supporter. I just don’t think that a lot of what the ACLU attacks is worthy of attack. Crosses that have been memorials for decades are not the gov’t trying to establish a religion. Posting of the ten commandments is not either, but I do think that posting them now in historical context is better, at public schools. Public schools should not be in the business of teaching religion.
Free exercise of religion is just that. There should be free exercise of religion in public areas allowed, including schools…by the students. Churches should be allowed to comment on ANYTHING, including politics. Government should have NO power to tax any church….the power to tax is the power to control and destroy.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
You speak of my support of the 2nd…but its the 1st that supports my right to advocate for my beliefs. Congress should make no law establishing OR prohibiting the free exercise of religion.
Now…if all you pesky Protestants, Muslims, Wiccans, etc, would just return to the Holy Mother Church…….. 😉
Then again…speaking of the Constitution…if we repealed that pesky 16th amendment, the gov’t wouldn’t HAVE the power to affect religious freedoms.
But should people have the right to be free from religion?
I expect I would cry ‘uncle’ a lot sooner than you would about religious violations. NOw, do I want to go take crosses and stars of David off of military graves? No. Those are there for the individual.
I think posting the 10 commandments is trying to establish religion, not a particular one but still religion. Does it bothr me, no. But I do try to see things through other people’s eyes. I don’;t think religion should be practiced in schools unless that church owns the school. Then have at it. Govt should tax churches if they violate IRS rules and function as a PAC.
Cargo, whatever you believe about church and state, it seems I believe the opposite. Religion has as much power to abuse the individual as the state does. Because I am an Ameriican, I fear religion worse than I do the state.
“Govt should tax churches if they violate IRS rules and function as a PAC.”
Government can start with the AME church, where most recently:
-The church publicly slammed the contempt-of-Congress vote against Eric Holder.
-Michelle Obama campaigned for her husband and described the church as the place to deal with political issues and the catalyst for getting people to the polls
-Eric Holder rallied AME church leaders in opposition to voter ID laws.
I’m sure the crowd who castigated one of our local officials for speaking in his own church will be utterly outraged.
Who spoke locally?
I don’t have the answer to leveling the playing field between the black churches and the rest of the religious community. I totally agree that there is definitely disparity. At one time it was necessary. That cannot be overlooked. When you have an entire group of people who cannot meet publically except at church, and even that was iffy, (thinking of Birmingham Sunday), you have to allow wiggle room. However, that is no longer the case. How do we break tradition with that demographic? I am not sure.
It definitely violates church and state separation though.
Anby idea? Do we accept that most black politics start in church and move on or do we try to clean this up across the board?
@Emma, ah you mean Aveni? Yea, I think he is wrong. Here’s the difference. That was a regular church service. There are lots of folks who attend that church who do not like his message. He is trying to make things happen that affect me and mine through his church. He also worked against his own party. If he rent out the place or rents the Knight of Columbus hall then he can do whatever he wants.
Black churches usually carry on differently. Its just different. Most of the things that happen in black churches are in direct response to things happening to black people. When that issue has been totally resolved, I might come down on them a little harder.
Now, how far our friend Emma has taken us from Giles County.
Let’s return to the question…do people have the right to have freedom FROM religion?
We have the right not to have government force religion down our throats. Which, of course, is what these benighted school boards are doing when they get up on their high horses about defying the Constitution by insisting on posting prayers or the Ten Commandments etc.
Re CS’s link to the Muslim Congressman’s comments: he’s just talking. That’s something that he (and the rest of us) can do. Why would the ACLU care about that? The Giles County folks aren’t just talking. They’re using the government to push religion on us. My religious life is extremely important to me. The last thing I want any half-brained government bureaucrat or politician doing to it is injecting his/her take on religion into my life or the life of my family. If the ACLU rides to my rescue, I say they’re acting from excellent conservative tendencies and I’d welcome their help.
Another standing ovation for Scout. Totally agree.