for Religious Zealots Churches should sponsor religious displays, not the Government AU says: Public Buildings Shouldn't Display Religious Symbols |
Compiled by GayToday Americans United for Separation of Church & State
"Public buildings should display patriotic symbols that bring us together, not religious symbols that divide us," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "All Americans should feel welcome when they walk into a city hall, a courthouse or a public school. The posting of religious symbols there says some religious groups are better than others." The court declined yesterday to hear O'Bannon v. Indiana Civil Liberties Union et al. The ICLU filed the suit in May of 2000 after Governor Frank O'Bannon agreed to erect a Ten Commandments monument on the statehouse lawn in Indianapolis. The monument, which is seven feel tall and weighs over 11,000 pounds, features the Decalogue on one side, the Bill of Rights on the other, and has the preamble to the state constitution etched on its side.
In fact, advocates of government-sponsored religious displays have fared poorly in courts. Over the last three years, state and federal courts have struck down Commandments displays in South Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky and Indiana in a separate case. "Here's a new commandment we all need to follow: Thou shalt not mix religion and government," said Lynn. "Houses of worship should sponsor religious displays, not the government." |