2003-08-28 - 8:41 a.m.
ok this is just a rant. The fact that there is sooo much news and controversy over the ten commandments being displayed in Alabama is absurd. I do not understand why religious people feel the need to have their icons displayed everywhere. I would think that since they consider the ten commandments to be the divinely inspired word of god they would treat them with more respect and not make them into a media circus. Standing around them, holding vigils, calling for revenge on those who removed them, just shows that they are more concerned with looking pious then actualy living a pious life. Religion should be something that is held close to ones heart, a personal choice and one that should be silently reflected in ones actions not in 2 ton granite monuments or 40 foot crosses. The other thing that bothers me in this is these people think that just because the majority of americans favor one type of religion it is more then fine to force this on all other peoples here. Thats not democracy or freedom of expression that is simply nationalism and a theocracy.
The Bill of Rights was written not to protect the majority but to protect the minority of the population, not only from the goverment but also from the majority of the populace.
Also, the ten commandments are not the sole foundation of law or ethics for our form of constitutional goverment, they played a part there is no denying that but so did all the revolutionary viewpoints of the french philisophical and political revolution. These people were throwing off the tyrany of a religious run monarchy that for all its so called noble christian ideals was horrible in its treatment of women minorities and the poor.
They did not see organized religion as the answer to the ills of society, they saw it as one of the main causes. That is why they put the responsibility and burdon of freedoom back to ALL the people. Not to god or Jesus or the pope.
If anyone reading this doesnt think thats true look at the writings of Thomas Jefferson in his notes to Virginia.
