Posted on 12/07/2004 10:17:35 AM PST by dvan
As you walk up the steps to the building which houses the U.S. Supreme Court you can see, near the top of the building, a row of the world's law givers and each one is facing one in the middle, who is facing forward with a full frontal view . it is Moses and he is holding the Ten Commandments!
DID YOU KNOW? As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of each door.
DID YOU KNOW? As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see the wall, right above where the Supreme Court judges sit, a display of the Ten Commandments!
DID YOU KNOW? There are Bible verses etched in stone all over the Federal Buildings and Monuments in Washington, D.C.
DID YOU KNOW? James Madison, the fourth president, known as "The Father of Our Constitution" made the following statement:
"We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
DID YOU KNOW? Patrick Henry, that patriot and Founding Father of our country said: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ".
DID YOU KNOW? Every session of Congress begins with a prayer by a paid preacher, whose salary has been paid by the taxpayer since 1777.
DID YOU KNOW? Fifty-two of the 55 founders of the Constitution were members of the established orthodox churches in the colonies.
DID YOU KNOW?
Thomas Jefferson worried that the Courts would overstep their authority and instead of interpreting the law would begin making law .. an oligarchy ... the rule of few over many.
DID YOU KNOW? The very first Supreme Court Justice, John Jay, said: "Americans should select and prefer Christians as their rulers."
How, then, have we gotten to the point that everything we have done for 220 years in this country is now suddenly wrong and unconstitutional?
Please forward this to everyone you can. Lets put it around the world and let the world see and remember what this great country was built on.
Thank you!!
Chamber, US House of Representatives
It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore, I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a mess about having the 10 commandments on display or "In God We Trust" on our money and having God in the Pledge of Allegiance. Why don't we just tell the 14% to Sit Down and SHUT UP!!! or go back to their country to live.
I figure this is timely. The opposition forces have thrown everything into the fray to eradicate any mention of God or Christ from our Nation. This appears to increased even since the Presidential election. Now they want to change rename Christmas to make it more acceptable to the 14%.
Excellent.
The lefties won't go after this, why?, because they don't want to get the Supremes mad. BUT,Then hopefully they would lose every BS case they get there.
Thank you and God bless you.
The Ten Commandments on the Supreme Courthouse are part of a very complex display of lawgivers from many world cultures. And if you paid any attention to the Ten Commandment litigation, you'd know that courts have held time and time again that this is OK because the government isn't endorsing only one religion, Christianity.
But I suspect that what you really believe is that America is a "Christian nation" and therefore, government should display Christian motifs and Christianity should have a dominant role in said government displays. Which is not OK.
Much better to have a giant statue of the Babylonian whore goddess Ishtar with her upraised torch...
Bwahahahahaha
--George Washington's farewell address to the People of the United States. Published in The Independent Chronicle on September 26, 1796
How, then, have we gotten to the point that everything we have done for 220 years in this country is now suddenly wrong and unconstitutional?
=====
Can you say A C L U ? (American Communist Lawyers Union)
Yeah... I thought you could !!! ;-))
.
You'll love this - not only is Moses on the friezes in the main courtroom, so are Confucius and Mohammed. On Moses' left are Menes [Egypt] and Hammurabi [Babylon], and on his right are Solomon, Lycurgus [Sparta], and Solon [Athens]. Heh. Ecumenical enough for you?
Office of the Curator Supreme Court of the United States
Cass Gilbert (18671934), architect of the Supreme Court building, selected Adolph A. Weinman
(18701952), a respected and accomplished Beaux-Arts architectural sculptor, to design the friezes
for the Courtroom during 1931 and 1932. Weinmans training emphasized a correlation between
the sculptural subject and the function of the building. Gilbert relied on him to choose the subjects
and figures that best reflected the function of the Supreme Court building. Faithful to classical
sources and drawing from many civilizations, Weinman designed a procession of great lawgivers
of history for the North and South walls to portray the development of law. Each frieze measures
40 feet long by 7 feet, 2 inches high and is made of ivory vein Spanish marble.
Weinmans sculpture begins on the south wall frieze with Fame and moves from left to right.
Included among the great lawgivers are some allegorical figures whose names are included under
the photographs in Italics.
Menes (c. 3200 B.C.) First King of the first dynasty of ancient Egypt. He unified Upper and Lower Egypt under
his rule and is one of the earliest recorded lawgivers. Menes is shown in the frieze holding the ankh, an Egyptian
symbol for life.
Hammurabi (c. 1700s B.C.) King of Babylon credited with founding the Babylonian Empire. He is known for
the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest known legal codes. The first stone of the Code depicts him receiving
the law from the Babylonian Sun God.
Moses (c. 1300s B.C.) Prophet, lawgiver and judge of the Israelites. Mosaic Law is based on the Torah, the
first five books of the Old Testament. Moses is depicted in the frieze holding two overlapping tablets, written in
Hebrew. Commandments six through ten are partially visible.
Solomon (c. 900s B.C.) King of Israel and renowned judge. His name, meaning figure of the wise man, has
become synonymous with judicial wisdom.
Lycurgus (c. 800 B.C.) Legislator of Sparta. Lycurgus is credited with being one of the reformers of Spartas
constitution. He left Sparta after convincing the Spartan leadership not to change his laws until he returned,
but he never did.
Solon (c. 638558 B.C.) Athenian lawgiver. He was appointed archon, an officer of state, and was charged
with remodeling the Athenian constitution in 594 B.C. He was instrumental in codifying and reforming Athenian
law, often revising the laws of Draco. His name has come to mean a wise and skillful lawgiver.
Draco (c. 600s B.C.) One of Solons legal predecessors in Athens. Around 620 B.C., he committed an Athenian
code of laws to paper for the first time. His code included many strict penalties and death sentences, often for
what seemed to be minor offenses. Thus, the word draconian, meaning harsh or cruel, is derived from his
name.
Confucius (551478 B.C.) Chinese philosopher whose teachings stressed harmony, learning and virtue.
Within 300 years of his death, the Chinese State adopted his teachings as the basis for government. Although
officially abandoned by the Chinese government in 1912, Confucianism continues to have an influence
throughout the world.
Octavian (63 B.C.14 A.D.) or Augustus. First Emperor of the Roman Empire. He brought widespread
reforms to many facets of Roman life. He supported the concept of using previous opinions of leading jurists
to aid in determining new disputes.
The north wall frieze proceeds from right to left, starting with Philosophy:
Justinian (c. 483565) Byzantine Emperor from 527 until his death. He ordered the codification of Roman
law and published Corpus Juris Civilis. This work was instrumental in preserving Roman law and
encompassed what has become known as the Justinian Code.
Muhammad (c. 570632) The Prophet of Islam. He is depicted holding the Quran. The Quran provides
the primary source of Islamic Law. Prophet Muhammads teachings explain and implement Quranic
principles. The figure above is a well-intentioned attempt by the sculptor, Adolph Weinman, to honor
Muhammad and it bears no resemblance to Muhammad. Muslims generally have a strong aversion to
sculptured or pictured representations of their Prophet.
Charlemagne (c. 742814) or Charles I (the Great). King of the Franks and Roman Emperor. Charlemagne
was reportedly an avid student who became an eloquent speaker of several languages and supported learning
and literature throughout his realm. Under his leadership, most of Western Europe was united by 804
becoming the foundation for the Holy Roman Empire. He was also a reformer of legal, judicial and military
systems.
King John (11661216) born John Lackland. King of England from 1199 until his death. His policies and
taxation caused his barons to force him to sign the Magna Carta. This document, depicted in the frieze as
a scrolled document in his hand, is regarded as the foundation of constitutional liberty in England.
Louis IX (c. 12141270) King of France who was canonized as St. Louis in 1297. He led the 7th and 8th
Crusades and created the first court of appeals known as the Curia Regis or Kings Court.
Hugo Grotius (15831645) or Huig de Groot. Dutch scholar, lawyer and statesman. He is depicted holding
De jure belli ac pacis (Concerning the Law of War and Peace), one of the first books on international law,
which he wrote in 1625.
Sir William Blackstone (17231780) English law professor and jurist. He wrote Commentaries on the
Law of England (17651769), which has had a major influence on English and American law.
John Marshall (17551835) Fourth Chief Justice of the United States, from 1801 to 1835. His 1803
opinion in Marbury v. Madison stated that the Supreme Court of the United States had the authority to
determine the constitutionality of a law, establishing the power of judicial review for the Court.
Napoleon (17691821) Emperor of France from 1804 to 1815. He ordered and directed the recodification
of French law into what became known as the Code Napoleon or Civil Code. Published in 1804, this code
formed the basis for modern civil law. Napoleon, at St. Helena, is reported to have said, My glory is not to
have won forty battles; for Waterloos defeat will destroy the memory of as many victories. But what nothing
will destroy, what will live eternally, is my Civil Code.
Liberty and Peace Right of Man Equity Philosophy
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/about/north&southwalls.pdf
No Ishtar, but they do have Hammurabi, Menes, Confucius, Muhammed, Draco, Octavian, and Napoleon, to name a few of those that have as prominent a place as Moses.
I find it interesting that Snopes.com quotes a skeptical organization in rebutting David Barton.
ACLU won't say a word if your government building displays Moses and the Ten Commandments as long as you also display Confucius, Mohammed, Solon, Hammurabi, Draco, Menes, Charlemagne, Napoleon, etc., the same height and prominence, as they do in the SCOTUS building.
Busybody do-gooders at both extremes of the political and religious spectrum have a bad and rude habit of making things up and "requesting" that we distribute it far and wide.
Sorry.
I don't have time for neurotics and other whack jobs of any type.
Best regards.
The bit about Moses in the SCOTUS building isn't an urban legend, it's just selective presentation of part of the truth.
"Busybody do-gooders at both extremes of the political and religious spectrum have a bad and rude habit of making things up and "requesting" that we distribute it far and wide."
No one is holding a gun to your head by "requesting" that you forward the message!
Just because someone wishes you a Mary Christmas, doesnt mean they are a religious zealot.
THERE IS NO "SEPERATION OF CHURCH AND STATE"!!!!
The anti-establishment of a religion by the state in the constitution is there so one doesnt have to belong to a certain church or religion to be elected.
BTTT
Moral Absolutes Ping.
For your reading pleasure.
Let me know if anyone wants on/off this pinglist.
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