Taking Down the Pretty Granite Ten Commandments

FOR THE PAST YEAR OR TWO there has been a big granite monument in Oklahoma City, on government, public property, with the Ten Commandments on it. Its very attractive, and impressive. It may not be there much longer. Or, if it is there much longer, it may be joined by a nearby monument to Satan, presented by a Satan worshipping society, a religion, if you will. Sometimes you wonder why people bother, other than to borrow trouble. Actually, they aren't so much "satan worshippers", as a they are a group which wants to memorialize the historical and literary Satan. They (the Satan acknowledgers) claim that placing the Ten Commandments on public property is an open invitation for all religions to erect monuments to themselves on the same property. Legally, they are quite correct, of course. Even before the Ten Commandments were erected, legal people warned the state legislature, and the legislator who sponsored and paid for the project, that it was probably unconstitutional. Separation of church and state. There are hundreds of religions in the world, hundreds of religions other than Christianity, and adherants of many religions living in the state of Oklahoma. The state government probably should not give preferential treatment to any one of them in particular. The marvels of secular democracy. Government as a civic, community function, not a religious process. Often you hear politically conservative Christians claim that the United States is a "Christian" country, or was founded upon Judeo Christian values. Every time they say something like that, they are wrong. America was always intended to be a secular democracy, free of religious influence in matters of government. So,the Ten Commanments will come down, if only in order to prevent Satan acknowledgers and devil worshippers and a multitude of other cults from joining the Christian religion/cult in displaying itself on public property. In a way, its too bad. Again, it is a very attractive piece of granite.