Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Blog War!
It's thinking time! Woooo!
Over at my second favorite Berkeley blog (my first being... umm.... mine), Rebecca C. wants to see a replica of that big block of rock with words on it called "The Ten Commandments" moved away from government buildings and such.
I remember this issue. It pops up every few months (or days) in various places. It actually came up in my hometown of Manhattan (Kansas, for Beetle Beat newbies) shortly before I left for college. (It's too old to go digging up the articles from the Mercury, our local paper) The block was eventually moved, I think, after being first turned sideways, then hidden behind some bushes. One of the more convincing arguments came from a clergyman who appealed to what everyone else was appealing to (how they felt about it, not the law or the Constitution), by saying "I wouldn't want to see a slab that read 'There is no God' next to my city hall."
Feelingwise, I agree. Legalwise, I keep missing the argument.
The government is supposed to be secular. Fine. Why, however, does a secular government need to have no religious symbols in or near any of its buildings? Why is it such a problem for nonreligious (or non-Christian, in this case) citizens? If it's not preventing participation in government by all faiths, and it's not causing persecution of particular faiths, why is it an abomination?
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