Freedom
in Jeopardy: Judge Roy Moore and the
Ten Commandments
by Tony Nassif
This case involves
Roy S. Moore, Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court placing
the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of the Alabama State Judicial
Building. In November, a US district court ruled the monument unconstitutional,
and Justice Moore is now appealing.
The Birth of
America was directly based on the principles and values of faith
in the God of the Bible
The Cornerstone
document of the United States is the Declaration of Independence
which set forth the actions of the people, their justification and
accountability.
The Declaration
of Independence states that we are
"…endowed
by our Creator with certain unalienable rights…"
Who is this
Creator they refer to? Obviously the God of the Bible for Jews and
Christians. Exodus 34:27 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write
down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made
a covenant with you and with Israel." 28 Moses was there with
the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking
water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant–the
Ten Commandments.
The first settlers on American soil were people of Judeo-Christian
faiths, primarily Puritans, fleeing persecution and brutal enforcement
of State controlled religion. Christians sought religious freedom
and to propagate the Bible, e.g. Mayflower Compact and founding
at Jamestown.
It is documented
that American Puritans strongly identified with both the historical
traditions and customs of the ancient Hebrews of the Old Testament.
They viewed their emigration from England as a virtual re-enactment
of the Jewish exodus from Egypt.
Who
is the Benefactor of our Rights?
If God is not
acknowledged as the benefactor of our rights and liberties who is?
The state? That poses a great threat because what the state gives
the state can take away.
Every totalitarian government such as former Iraqi government whose
people were tortured, raped, and murdered with impunity. Without
morality of absolutes Communist China’s imprisonment and slave labor
of political and religious prisoners would be acceptable. North
Koreas starvation and torture of their people would be permissible
because without moral absolutes the government determines "right
and wrong."
Natural
Law:
The quote "Nature
and Nature’s God" likewise is in reference to the God of the
Bible.
The
Canopy of Divine Authority:
In the conclusion
of the Declaration of Independence the founders all agreed that
the standards of the God of the Bible were to be paramount in government,
law and policy.
"We therefore
the representatives of the United States, assembled
submit the rectitude of our intentions to the Supreme Judge of the
world."
Who is this
"Supreme Judge of the world"? Obviously from historical
context and even the writings of the founding fathers, it is the
God of the Bible.
This same judge gave the Ten Commandments for "life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness". A standard upon which our system
of jurisprudence is based.
The Establishment
Clause was included not to deny religion from public policy but
to prevent what happened in England where the king was the head
of the church. The overwhelmingly predominant faith was Christian.
The establishment clause was to prevent one Christian denomination
to be dominant over the others. Not to reject Christianity from
public life.
Separation
Between Church and State
This phrase
does not appear in the constitution of the United States. It did
appear in the constitution of the former Soviet Union and we know
what they did to their people and millions of others under Communist
domination.
This phrase
was used by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Baptist ministers concerned
about government encroachment on religion. Jefferson assured them
that there was a wall of separation between church and state to
keep the state out of church business.
In a Supreme
Court decision in 1892 the Court stated that the United States is
a Christian Nation.
Religious
Freedom
This nation was built on Hebrew – Christian values yet allowing
the unabridged freedom for individuals to live and worship as they
desire.
Forced atheism
is a forced religion; it’s the religion of believing as is dictated.
Morality:
Some say you
can’t legislate morality. In truth every law is an attempt to do
just that. Morality is a standard of right and wrong. Interestingly,
for nearly four thousand years the Ten Commandments have been the
cornerstone for the world.
The three largest world religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
all acknowledge the validity of the Old Testament and the work of
Moses as Prophet. Thus the Ten Commandments.
The Dangers
of a government and society without the influence of the Bible.
Martin Luther
King was a Baptist minister who took his faith outside the church
to bring forth a peaceful change in law and public policy.
What do those
who wish banning the Ten Commandments say to Dr. King and millions
of African Americans?
Who
Would File an Amicus Brief in This Case?
Who else may
have filed an Amicus brief against Judge Moore? Quite possibly the
former Soviet Union, Communist China, Cuba and Nazi Germany, North
Korea and Saddam Hussein.
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