Ten Commandments Judge Suspended

Alabama's Chief Justice Roy Moore has been suspended as a result of disobeying an order from a higher court. The order was to remove the Ten Commandments
monument he had placed his court house.

According to court documents, Moore was twice offered opportunities to stay the removal order and take the issue to the US Supreme Court, but the judge refused to follow established court
rules and failed in any hopes to do so. When Judge Moore finally made the appropriate request, it was
simply too late, and the higher court subsequently rejected such filings.

We hear heated discussions on the church-state separation issue, but this point comes down to following established guidelines. In two conference calls, members of the US District Court asked Moore if he wanted to have the order stayed; to take it to the US Supreme Court,
but Moore declined.

In arguing for keeping the monument in the court house, a few are suggesting that we look to the strongly held religious beliefs of the framers of our Constitution,
a concept that seems absurd to me.  I understand that most of our founding fathers were
deeply religious men and I'm glad for that.  But I believe they felt the first amendment protected us from religious persecution,
one of the very unpleasantries people fled other lands to escape.

I accept
that our laws are based on biblical laws such as the Ten Commandments.  I
also accept that all rights come first from God.  But I refuse to draw the
conclusion that, because the framers were religious, that they meant for our
government to exhibit any religious color.  On the contrary.  In order
to ensure freedom of religion, we need to keep the government out of our
churches, and the churches out of our government, or a bias can creep in that
will establish a certain religion.

The brick and mortar of our society was
laid by religious men and women.  Reading their writings, it becomes
obvious that the virtue of their labors was indeed borne out of religion. 
I thank God for their virtue, but I commend their restraint for the good of all
men and women.

I hope that all individuals would consider consulting religious clerics in
order for guidance, including congressmen, presidents and judges.  I hope
they recognize the importance of the virtues of religion -- in fact that the
very foundation of our society was established because of it.  I reject,
however, the notion that these people of government should sanction religion in
the name of the government in any way, including the adorning of court houses
and public schools of America with symbols which have the clear effect of
promoting religion.