Originally posted by whodey
For example, as long as government does not sponser a particular religion, a child should be allowed to pray in school if they desire, manger scenes should be allowed to be displayed on public grounds, and the ten commandments should be allowed to remain visible in our court rooms.
Putting the ten commandments in courtrooms
is gov't sponsorship of a religion. These days, you may also assume that judges will not just hang up a simple piece of paper, but will also invest taxpayer $$ in building a fancy sculpture with the commandments engraved in it. I'm sure people of other faiths love the idea of paying for it.
The 10C's really have no place in a court of law. Many of them are contradictory with US law, or simply out of date in today's times. For example:
1.Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
Goes against freedom of religion.
2.Do not make a sculpted image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above.
Clearly outdated and irrelevant to modern times.
3.Thou shalt not swear falsely by the name of the LORD.
Clearly legal in the US, given old Bruce Willis movies.
4.Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
Also outdated, unless you consider watching NFL football to be holy.
5.Thou shalt honor your father and your mother.
Clearly not mandatory in the US, as "Married with Children" showed.
It is only in the last half of the commandments that we get any kind of agreement with our laws. Murder and theft are clearly illegal, and a case can be made that adultery (divorce court), false witness (perjury), covetousness (planning or intent to obtain other people's property) carry legally enforceable penalties.
A defendant in court shouldn't be tasked with or pressured into keeping additional laws outside of the US code, laws that may or may not be compatible with his/her own personal beliefs.