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As I write this, arguments are being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court Justices over whether or not a 6-foot granite monument of the Ten Commandments will be allowed to remain on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol. Justices are also hearing a case which would also bar monuments in Kentucky court houses as well. The irony is seen in the fact that looming behind the bench at which the justices preside is an image of Moses holding the tablets of stone etched in a mural on the courtroom's east wall. He isn't alone, but shares space on that wall with other great lawgivers, such as Babylonian King Hammurabi and other historical figures.
Thomas Van Orden, a homeless Vietnam veteran and former lawyer who filed the lawsuit was quoted as saying "From a West Austin bush to the United States Supreme Court…that's pretty cool." Well, conservatives and some liberals alike are praying that his day in court will be a short one. There are many groups holding prayer vigils and protests on the steps of the highest court of the land as I write.
You may recall that last year, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore lost his job for defying an order to remove a large Ten Commandments monument from his courthouse steps. Many leaders warn that if the states lose, the ruling would force the removal of similar objects from memorials and public places all across America. Although no one argues that the Ten Commandments serve as the basis for our Constitution and Bill of Rights, the arguments are based on historical merit and not religious, as the ACLU contends.
Well, the jury is still out about the Ten Commandments. It certainly shouldn't surprise us that it has come to this. We live in a world and society that cannot decide whether or not God should be a part of our national pledge or not; whether or not an unborn child has its own identity or not; whether or not we are a product of chance or Intelligent Design is still a subject of much debate.
Men and governments will do what they will. However, the court's decision will not change the Christian's response to the God of the Universe and the Supreme Court of Heaven! May God be with us all.
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night"-Psalm 1:1-2
Tom Nuckels |