“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
This part of the First Amendment, known as the “Establishment Clause,” was included in the Constitution to give all Americans the freedom to practice any religion they want. We should all understand this basic fact from the time we graduate high school.
The Establishment Clause has been the subject of debate throughout the years, and many have disagreed on the true nature of what the clause was intended to do.
But in 1994, in the case of the Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet, the clause was explained. The Supreme Court ruled that government “should not prefer one religion to another, or religion to irreligion.”
The case essentially made a precedent of “separation between church and state.”
But, of course, some people don’t like to follow this law — take Rep. Patrick Williams, D-Shreveport, for example.
Williams filed a measure April 14 to place a Ten Commandments monument on the State Capitol grounds, according to The Advocate.
I know what you’re thinking: “Doesn’t he know about ‘separation of church and state?'”
He should, but apparently he thinks putting the overtly religious monument on the state’s Capitol grounds is not a violation of the “Establishment Clause.”
“We are not looking at it from a religious perspective,” Williams told New Orleans’ The Times-Picayune.
While the whole idea seems like an overtly religious move, Williams defended his bill by saying everything done in the lawmaking process is based on the Ten Commandments.
Oddly, our state representative doesn’t realize that seven of the 10 commandments don’t apply to law.
The first four commandments simply let followers know they should only worship one god, not take his name in vain and observe the Sabbath.
Last time I checked, there is no legal force ensuring my attendance at Sunday mass, and I can say “goddamnit” without any legal repercussions — usually.
The Fifth Commandment asks us to honor our parents, which is something we should all do under most circumstances. But I don’t remember my parents calling the police when I sassed them while growing up, and they didn’t because there’s never been a law that says we must honor our fathers and mothers.
The Seventh Commandment says, “You shall not commit adultery.” If “you shall not commit adultery” was a law, former President Bill Clinton and Sen. David Vitter would be in jail.
The Tenth Commandment says we shouldn’t covet our neighbor’s house, wife, male servant, ox, etc. Really? I would say most Americans live off the fact that we want other people’s things.
We’re the largest consumer economy in the world. And why would Americans consume so much? Because we want others’ things that we don’t have. Basically, capitalism equals greed.
Only three of the Ten Commandments have to do with the legal system.
“You shall not bear false witness,” comes into play, as you can’t lie to the government under oath or on tax forms, for example.
And then “you shall not kill” and “you shall not steal” are obvious, but I’m pretty sure people would have figured out it’s generally bad to kill or steal without the Ten Commandments.
Overall, it seems a monument to the Ten Commandments at the State Capitol would only show a monumental disregard for the Constitution and past Supreme Court ruling.
It’s really beyond my imagination how Williams came to believe the Capitol needs such a monument and how he defends his logic.
By proposing it, he’s simply showing a religious bias in his legislation and has essentially discredited himself by stating he believes everything done in the lawmaking process is based on religion.
I wonder what he’d think if I proposed a Quran monument at the Capitol. I wouldn’t be looking at that from religious perspective either, of course.
Chris Grillot is a 20-year-old English and mass communication sophomore from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_cgrillot.
 
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