Evlynn, hon--

GAZPACHO???

Puh-leeze! This is a family forum!

Utilizing the Golden Rule works only in a society that has common morals and social mores. America certainly does not have that any longer; some people like whips/chains, etc. I certainly do not wish to be in pain, much less give pain. If one believes that banks should be robbed, what happens when someone robs his bank?

I do beleive that the punishment should fit the crime. This is why I buy into capitol punishment!

Heather--

we will have to agree to disagree on this. I would not mind opening up a judical building to all those things that helped shaped American Law...but that becomes somewhat untidy.

I also disagree that we as a people have outgrown all religions, those Bible-Based or otherwise. Spiritualism is rising rapidly, as people look past the greed and decadence of the last two decades and realize that there must be something--anything!--after this life. There is nothing wrong with that; even the late Madeline Murray O'Hair once wrote "Keep the Faith--but keep it to yourself."

(Sadly, however, this does not apply to fashion. All the clothes that were popular when I was a teenage music queen have come back. Don't the fashion mongrels ever learn?)

My points are pretty simple: One, regardless of the first three commandments, the Ten Commandments formed, in part if not in whole, the basis of law for this country. As such, and since it is the basis of behavior for TWO religions, not one, they could be posted. Perhaps not in front of the building, and maybe not even in a place where all who walk in might see it. Two, If the nice judge was ordered to take it down, and didn't, he deserves to be suspended.

Luv 'n hugs,

Jayne Sakura
"Almost-Angel, T-Girl Genius, and Ultra-Flirt"

That 'bama judge shudda been thrown in jail. If you or I disobeyed a court order you'd have felt the bars hitting you in the butt. I hate to talk "religion"but in my humble opinion most religions are control groups. My relationship with the Diety is my business,not the governments or some judge's. It's all a no-brainer.
Ringing in my head is the Beatles song "You say you want a revolution..."

It's time to get people going again, so here, for your enjoyment, is the volatile subject of the intermixing of religion and government...

I have just posted an article about this on my website. Here is a link to the article.

http://gendersociety.com/membersites/personal/heatherh/politics_082103.html

To paraphrase here, Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court is unfit to be a judge. He does not accept the rule of law or the Constitution. He wishes to ignore a court ruling that he must remove a monument to the Ten Commandments of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

While a few of these commandments have a universal, secular appeal, many do not, and the government has absolutely no business endorsing them. If I ended up in that courthouse and saw that implicit endorsement, I may wonder if I would be treated fairly. The entanglement of religion and politics in the Middle East shows what a mess can result. Religious neutrality is enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, and it is perhaps the most important concept there.

The Alabama Supreme Court has two choices: either the monument must go, or they must allow space for any other group to display its tenets in an equal fashion. Otherwise, religious neutrality is violated.

I look forward to some heated discussion...

Heather H.

Ladies:

I will keep my comments short, as I know many here will disagree with at least part of what I am about to post.

1. The Ten Commandments were instrumental in forming British Common Law, and thus, a good deal of American law with it. Thus...they have a place in some of our judicial buildings. Besides...with the exception of the first three commandments, I doubt highly that anyone would argue with things like "Thou shalt honor thy father and mother"..."Thou shalt not kill"..."Thou shalt not steal"...and "Thou shalt not lie" (CF Exodus 20:2-17). And truthfully, while Christians often uphold this as "law", remember...these were instituted for the Children of Abraham...otherwise known as Jews. Therefore, I fail to see what the big deal is all about. In short...if one wants to get technical, the argument could be made that this judge endorses Judiaism!

2. On the other hand...the good judge has indeed overstepped his boundries. If he has been ordered by his superiors to remove said monument, and has not...then he needs to be removed from the bench, whether or not he believes that the Ten Commandments, The Qu'ran, The Teachings of Buddha, or the menu from Joe-Bob's House 'o Hash is considered law. There can be no room in an arm of justice for a judge who violates the laws given him to uphold impartially.

Luv 'n hugs,

Jayne Sakura
"Almost-Angel, T-Girl Genius, and Ultra-Flirt"

In the extended article on my website, I basically took apart the Ten Commandments and basically agreed with those that have universal appeal. If the government wants to post plaques telling people not to kill, steal, etc., I have no problem with it. But if they want to post a statement telling me that I must believe in a particular god, then I have a huge problem. The Ten Commandments taken as a whole pose a problem, whereas certain elements are fine. Even if elements of our law and culture can be traced back to the Bible, we, as a society, have grown beyond that and we have grudgingly come to accept that others have equal rights, so our government must reflect that.

Heather H.

I think the court was silly to make them get rid of the monument, but the place to fight this type of thing is in court, and the Alabama judge, of all people, should have respected that. I agree with his reasoning, but not his actions. He should've obeyed the court's order unless he could win an appeal.

Having that monument on public display did not constitute an establishment of religion by the government, in my opinion.