Is the Ten Commandments a historical document?

[rdp78]

There's a debate in Giles County, Virginia (which is a county or so over from where I live) that has been all over the local news lately about placing the Ten Commandments in the public schools. Here is an article from the local paper about it Roanoke Times and the latest one from a local news station WDBJ7 Update

Anyway most of the people there want the Commandments back on the walls of the schools and making them into a historical document placing them under the Constitution. In some way the Ten Commandments are a historical since it was written a few thousands years ago yet they are only found in religous material such as the Bible. I think placing it under the Constitution is a bit ironic because of the First Amendment.

Note: I would have put this in the courthouse thread but I just throught it would be better to have its own thread because I think its a total different issue in a way.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Hasn't this been ruled on in a million places already? Why don't people get that it doesn't belong in the public school, the courthouse, etc.? Sure, there are some good ideas in there, but the first few are explicitly religious (no other gods, etc), and only two of them are actual crimes (stealing and killing, and even killing depends on the circumstances). You want to teach your kids the ten commandments, take them to church.

[Gravekeeper]

No. Next question.

It's seperation of church and state, not speration of everyone else's church but mine and state.

[Ghel]

If you allow one religion's document to be posted, you have to allow every religion to post theirs: the Mormons, the Raelians, the Scientologists, the flat-earthers, etc. Even the cult down the street that only has half a dozen members. The only way to be fair to all religions is to exclude them all from government and schools. We can't make exceptions for one religion just because it's the most popular.

[KnitShoni]

Can you imagine the uproar if other religions tried posting their documents? As if we don't have enough reasons for people to yell out that "this is a Christian nation!" If a group wanted a set of laws from the Quran displayed, people would be up in arms because "omg Sharia law! The Muslims are trying to take over!"

[rdp78]

No. Next question.

It's seperation of church and state, not speration of everyone else's church but mine and state.

Tell it to the folks there and well, you are going to have a long debate about it. There are quite a few people there who are against it but want to be anynomous (sp?) because of the majority people are for it. I'm just glad I don't live in that county because I would be very against and might be quite verbal about it.

I am surprise that the commandments have been on those walls for over decade now and nobody had made a big deal about it until now. I think it's because a lot of the those people (over half) are quite religious and all are Christians (data from here) from what I found.

[Gravekeeper]

I am surprise that the commandments have been on those walls for over decade now and nobody had made a big deal about it until now. I think it's because a lot of the those people (over half) are quite religious and all are Christians (data from here) from what I found.

Not surprising. Yet at the same time I bet if you asked about the Founding Fathers, they would slather over Jefferson. Yet keeping the 10 Commandments up in a public building is basically saying fark you to ol' Thomas. -.-

[HYHYBT]

Hasn't this been ruled on in a million places already? Why don't people get that it doesn't belong in the public school, the courthouse, etc.?

Yes, and one of the rules is that it's perfectly fine as part of a larger display.

[Andara Bledin]

Yes, and one of the rules is that it's perfectly fine as part of a larger display.

A larger display of what, exactly?

^-.-^

[Gravekeeper]

A larger display of what, exactly?

^-.-^

Real Amerika(tm)

>.>

[BookstoreEscapee]

Yes, and one of the rules is that it's perfectly fine as part of a larger display.

If I'm reading the article correctly, the original 'display' was the commandments and part of the Constitution, and only after the FFRF letter did someone offer to create a larger display of 'historical documents.' I don't believe for a second that the majority of the people who want the commandments to hang in public schools want it for anything other than their own religious reasons. Perhaps they should actually read the Constitution once in a while. What other religious documents are they including in this larger display?

[Hyena Dandy]

I'd be interested... If they'd put the commandments next to the part of the constitution about not establishing a religion.

[HYHYBT]

Well, for example, I believe the Supreme Court building has a display of famous lawgivers through history, and one of them is Moses with the Ten Commandments. (If that's not right, it's close enough.)

[daleduke17]

Real Amerika(tm)

>.>

It is America.

What is "Amerika"? Oh, that's right. Nothing.

[Gravekeeper]

It is America.

What is "Amerika"? Oh, that's right. Nothing.

I'm not sure if you missed my sarcasm, or if I just missed yours. -.-