Two states are making statements about posting the Ten Commandments. Indiana Gov. Frank O’Bannon signed legislation March 14 that permits government entities, including schools, to post the Ten Commandments in their buildings along with other historical documents.
The Kentucky House of Representatives passed a bill March 29 that would allow schools to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms and calls for teachers to teach about the influence of Christianity on the country, The Associated Press reported.
The bill, which had already cleared the state Senate, was signed by Democrat Gov. Paul Patton April 21. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 33-2.
The governor’s spokesman said “when a strong majority approves such a measure, he (the governor) is inclined to accept it as public policy.”
O’Bannon, a Democrat, said a new monument will be erected on the grounds of the Indiana Statehouse this summer that will feature the commandments, the Bill of Rights and the preamble to the U.S. Constitution.
The Indiana Civil Liberties Union (ICLU) argues the law, which takes effect July 1, violates the constitutional separation of church and state. The ICLU said it is likely to sue shortly after the monument is in place, The Associated Press reported.
But O’Bannon said in a statement that he believes the law is constitutional.
“For more than three decades, a monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments stood on the Statehouse lawn as a reminder of some of our nation’s core values,” he said. “Soon those words will stand alongside the abiding principles of our form of government, especially its protections of individual rights.”
The old monument, erected in 1958, was removed in 1991 after it was subject of vandalism.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also said it will contest the Kentucky bill.
The ACLU has already filed suit against two Kentucky counties who posted the commandments in classrooms as a sign of support for the bill.
As part of the legislation, a statehouse monument for the Ten Commandments would be taken out of storage and replaced in the Capitol.
It was removed in the late 1980s to make room for construction. The ACLU said it would also protest the monument.
“Our belief is that the monument would represent government’s promotion of religion, which is forbidden by the First Amendment,” said Jeff Vessels, executive director of the ACLU in Kentucky.
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