Written by Don Byrd
As a follow-up to yesterday’s post about the Ten Commandments display at the Oklahoma State Capitol, this piece at the Huffington Post by Michael Millenson is worth a read. Not only might such a monument give the appearance of an improper endorsement of religion, it also is likely to subtly advance one vision of the Ten Commandments over the others.
[I]f ever there were an example of the slippery slope between “ceremonial” and sectarian religious symbols, then the Ten Commandments surely qualify. . . .
The version used by Mormons, Catholics, Protestants and Jews all differ. There’s not even agreement on which command is which number. Should a committee on the Hill decide what God meant on the mountaintop? That could take a lot more than 40 days and 40 nights.
As Millenson notes, the distinctions are not without religious significance for many. Even if government decides to include the Ten Commandments on public land, who decides which version to use?
