I had honestly thought that my mother’s home state of Alabama took the prize for narrowness, not to mention bigotry, with Judge Roy Moore’s monument of the Ten Commandments in the Alabama State Judicial Building, but today Louisiana is a close runner-up for such an honor.
Its legislature passed a law stating that a poster-size display of the Ten Commandments is to be put in every public classroom from kindergarten through universities. The bill was signed into law by Governor Jeff Landry, who stated that the Ten Commandments form the basis of all law. In 1980, the Supreme Court declared a similar Kentucky unconstitutional.
Well, at least the Louisans legislature didn’t call for the execution of gays and lesbians like Judge Moore did, so Alabama still holds the title for bigotry. Moore was suspended, not for his outrageous comments from the bench, but for refusing a court order. Considering the tenor of today’s Supremes, who can know what the response will be?
Prayer for the Day
Companion of our lives, be ever with us for we falter,
New idols to worship overtake us and turn us from you;
Trapped by our desires, we forget to focus on grace
For we know that your mercy embraces us in our weakness.
Open us to your Spirit and help us to put away false idols.
In the name of the One who shows us how to live,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Thoughts for the Day
That's why we have a separation of church and state. We learned the 10 Commandments when we went to Sunday school. As I said on the Senate floor, if you want your kids to learn the Ten Commandments, you can take them to church.
Royce Duplessis, Louisiana legislator speaking against the bill
That would change who we are as a country, to go in that direction and have no barrier to government entanglement with religion. What would be left? What couldn’t the government do?
Charles Haynes, Chair, Freedom Forum on Religious Liberty
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us;
For we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our sou has had more than its fill of scorn of those who are at ease,
The contempt of the proud.
Psalm 123: 2-4