What amazes me the most is all the fundies who claim that the ten commandments aren’t even religous but a simple set of common sense laws. Have they read their own commandments? How can “Thou Shalt Worship No Gods Before Me” possibly be considered non religous.

Bah.

It’s mildly ironic that the Bill of Rights (including, presumably, #1) is part of the quartet of documents alongside the 10C.  That said, it’s *slightly* less egregious a bill than some others, given that it does require additional documents besides the 10C—though, as KPG points out, the 10C remain primarily religious in nature, and are no more foundational to American law than the Golden Rule or Paul’s notions of how to organize a church.

Can I just ask why the Magna Carta is to be put on display?

I’m just wondering what relevance it has which would give it the importance to sit on a wall in every school in the state. The ten commandments worries me in particular though… Wouldn’t they really need to put up fundamental teachings of all the other major world religions to show a non-biasedness?

Here’s a translation of the Magna Carta:
Magna Carta Translation

“The foundation for American government”??
Ahh, revisionist history!!!

Hello? Why display the Magna Carta? Is it like, hello? not obvious, helloo? Sorry about the hellos, overheard a conversation today by this female which used the word “hello” in almost every alternative word and her way of speaking is etched into my mind like an endless loop of bad music.

The reason if I am not wrong is quite simple. They are attempting to use existing legal laws to include the Ten Commandments. By putting them together they can claim it to be of “historical” reference rather than religious much like Moses is treated on public buildings not as a religious figure but as a “historical” figure that of a variant of a law. But you can only claim historical figure if you also include other historical references.

After all what they are doing is no different from rural Virginia public schools that just by a 5-1 ruling allowed the busing of students during school time to a nearby church for Christian lessons, which the supreme court ruled decades ago was allowed. Just do a search for it on CNN.

I wonder which version of the ten commandments they will post?  Wouldn’t it just piss off the protestants if they posted the Jewish version of the decalogue?

It’s becoming quite apparent why Southern bible-belt states have such a crappy education system.  They have all their monies wrapped up in preventable, intolerance lawsuits.

“A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider godfearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side.”
-Aristotle, “Politics”

“Religion is what the common people see as true, the wise people see as false, and the rulers see as useful.”
-Seneca

“The clergy believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly: for I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny known to the mind of man.”
-Thomas Jefferson

“Religion is based ... mainly upon fear ... fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand… My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race.”
-Bertrand Russell

Need to say more…
This just confirms that human doesn’t learn anything from history.

“Everything Hitler did to the Jews, all the horribly unspeakable misdeeds, had already been done to the smitten people before by the Christian churches… The isolation of Jews into ghetto camps, the wearing of the yellow spot, the burning of Jewish books, and finally the burning of the people - Hitler learned it all from the church. However, the church burned Jewish women and children alive, while Hitler granted them a quicker death, choking them first with gas.”
-Dagobert Runes

That last point shocked me when I first heard about it--Jews have been made to wear yellow stars during various times since at least the Renaissance.

hi, where and when exactly where they made to wear this star?? I am interested to know. Thank you P.S. seb you rock. good luck with those job ops

http://history1900s.about.com/library/holocaust/aa031298.htm

That link should answer some of your questions piers.

Thanks BLUEeyedBanshee for the link to the YELLOW BADGE material.  The material certainly illustrates the divisiveness of beliefs and the intolerance connected to it which leads to the attitude of genocide as a “solution.”

I’d like to apologize for my entire state. Beautiful as it is, the people never cease to embarrass me.

brandi:  Please don’t do that. Alabama IS beautiful, but the unremitting indoctrination of evangelistic charismatic organizations has warped the fine sensibilities of many people. They really can’t get away from their earliest childhood brainwashing, of constant biblical admonitions and sermons and revivals and hoopla. I feel sorry for the approximately 50% of people of the U.S. that voted for the worst president we have ever had. It’s not the Alabama people but religious aggressivity that creates the impression of bigotry, intolerance and superstititious nonsense.

Peter, are you sure that people really voted Bush?

Whole vote counting system stinks more than buttermilk carton celebrating one year birthday.

http://www.votersunite.org/electionproblems.asp?offset=0&catid=&showall=&sort=

What baffles me is why they think the 10 Commandments had any bearing on the formation of US government. For one thing, the founding fathers weren’t even Christian. And for another, “Thou shalt worship no God before me” is a contradiction to the freedom of religion guaranteed in the First Amendment, which IS part of the foundation of this country. But then their Bible is so full of contradictions they probably can’t recognize one when they see one anymore.

The reason if I am not wrong is quite simple. They are attempting to use existing legal laws to include the Ten Commandments. By putting them together they can claim it to be of “historical� reference rather than religious much like Moses is treated on public buildings not as a religious figure but as a “historical� figure that of a variant of a law. But you can only claim historical figure if you also include other historical references.

This is accurate. 

As to the Pledge, it has not been found unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court.  The Court sidestepped the issue when it was last presented, finding that the attention whore who brought the case lacked standing.  If the issue of the Pledge is ever presented again, I expect that the Pledge would be found constitutional.

Regards,

Originally posted by deadscot:
It’s becoming quite apparent why Southern bible-belt states have such a crappy education system.

As my pastor, who grew up in Alabama, frequently reminds his congregation, “The southern states are not the bible belt.  They are the church belt.  There is hardly any Bible down there anymore.”