Should displays of the Ten Commandments be allowed on government property?Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court heard two cases about public displays of the Ten Commandments Ten Commandments or Decalogue [Gr.,=ten words], in the Bible, the summary of divine law given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. They have a paramount place in the ethical system in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. . The first case involved a granite monument on the Texas Capitol grounds Captiol Grounds is a former baseball ground located in Washington, D.C.. The ground was home to the Washington Nationals of the Union Association in 1884. . The second challenged the exhibition of the commandments in two Kentucky courthouses. Many people believe that such displays violate the Constitution's First Amendment, which says that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." The Founding Fathers wanted religious freedom for all Americans, but believed that the government should not support or authorize any particular religion. While R. Ted Cruz R. Ted Cruz (born 1970) is the Solicitor General of the State of Texas in the United States. He was appointed by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott in January 2003, and is the chief appellate lawyer for the state. , the Texas Solicitor General An officer of the U.S. Justice Department who represents the federal government in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. The solicitor general is charged with representing the Executive Branch of the U.S. government in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. , acknowledges that "the Ten Commandments are unquestionably un·ques·tion·a·ble adj. Beyond question or doubt. See Synonyms at authentic. un·ques  tion·a·bil a sacred religious text," he argues that "they equally, unquestionably, have made important historical contributions to the development of Western legal codes and civilization." What do you think? Should displays of the Ten Commandments be allowed on government property? YES "The Ten Commandments have ... a secular [nonreligious] significance as a code of law and [are] a well-recognized symbol of law," says U.S. Solicitor General Paul D. Clement. Further, Clement says, banning the displays would constitute "a message of hostility toward religion" that the First Amendment prohibits. Jeremy Holt thinks that most Americans understand the symbolic and practical value of the commandments. "The Ten Commandments are really good rules for life," says the seventh-grader from Prince of Peace Lutheran School Lutheran schools and education were a priority for Lutherans who emigrated to the United States and Australia from Germany and Scandinavia. One of the first things they did was to create schools for their children. in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota Sauk Rapids is a city in Benton County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 10,213 at the 2000 census. History Sauk Rapids was originally little more than a forest of oak, maple and basswood trees along the Mississippi River until the first home was constructed . Even though the commandments are not actual law, he adds, "The world would be a better place if people followed them." NO "The government's symbolic endorsement [support] of religion is most obvious" in the Ten Commandments displays, says Erwin Chemerinsky Erwin Chemerinsky (born 1953) is a well-known professor of Constitutional law and federal civil procedure, has recently accepted a position at the University of California, Irvine, in the new Donald Bren School of Law, beginning in 2009. , a lawyer in the Texas case. Chemerinsky doesn't agree with the "symbol of law" argument. The displays do "promote religion" and are "extremely divisive," he says. Tiara Stewart believes that judges have the right to take pride in their religious faith. But, adds the seventh-grader at John P. Freeman School in Memphis, Tennessee, if you're a judge, "You have to keep your religion separate from the law." Religious beliefs should not enter into government proceedings, Tiara says. "There's a certain line you can't cross." [check] VOTE NOW! Ten Commandments on government property? Vote online at www.scholastic.com/juniorscholastic. |
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