Court's ruling drives religion to roadsides

WHITLEY CITY, Ky. - It's one of the more conspicuous road signs on U.S. 27, a scenic route that meanders through the Daniel Boone National Forest on its way to a popular recreational area on Lake Cumberland.

Such proclamations, already common throughout the Bible Belt, could proliferate along roadsides in reaction to a Supreme Court ruling barring displays of the Ten Commandments in two southern Kentucky courthouses, said Don Swarthout, head of the Kentucky-based Christians Reviving America's Values.

"People want to do something to reflect their principles, and that's one way they can legally do it," Swarthout said.

While some groups continue the fight for the right to post biblical passages in public buildings, others are enjoying their constitutional privilege to post them where they're certain to be seen - in places of prominence on private property along roads and interstate highways.

Some are opting for professional displays on billboards. Others are using hand-scrawled signs on lawns or in cow pastures. Yet others are attaching bumper stickers to their cars. Swarthout said far more people will see the outdoor displays than would see a posting inside a courthouse.

Jimmie Greene, a retired McCreary County judge-executive, said he put a placard of the Ten Commandments on his lawn, as did most of his neighbors, after a judge first ruled that the display in the courthouse had to come down.

"You should have seen it," he said. "The landscape was covered with Ten Commandments."

Swarthout said the turmoil involving the posting of the Ten Commandments in public buildings triggered the reaction by private property owners to show their support for the cause.

"People feel like that is something they can do that shows they feel strongly about the principles of Christianity," Swarthout said.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that such exhibits on government property must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure they don't violate the Constitution. Its ruling said, however, that southeastern Kentucky's McCreary and Pulaski counties went too far and promoted a religious message when they put framed copies of the Ten Commandments on courthouse walls.

Officials first hung framed copies of the Ten Commandments in their courthouses in 1999 and later added other documents, such as the Magna Carta and Declaration of Independence, after such displays were challenged as religious by the American Civil Liberties Union.

At the height of the controversy, residents of the two counties began putting blue and white Ten Commandments markers on their front lawns to show their support.

David Friedman, who successfully argued the ACLU's case before the Supreme Court, said Monday's ruling reaffirmed a core principle - "that government and religion should not become impermissibly entangled."

Friedman said the ACLU would vigorously pursue cases against other local governments that have posted the Ten Commandments in public buildings.

Speaking to reporters at his downtown Louisville law office, Friedman said he welcomed people celebrating and displaying the Commandments, just not on government property. "They should do it in their homes, in their religious institutions, on their cars, in their businesses and not through their government," he said. "The government is all of ours, and it can only be all of ours when it remains neutral."

Churches, especially, have been making use of their marquees to do just that through what's called sentence sermons.

"We're kind of a sound bite society," said L. James Harvey of Grand Rapids, Mich., author of three books of sentence sermons. "I'm trying to convince churches that they have a drive-by congregation, and they can reach out to them with these messages and sometimes change a life."

The messages aren't limited to church marquees. Harvey said Christian businessmen are incorporating them into outdoor advertising. "I just think people have a thirst for truth wherever they can find it," he said. "When people are in their cars, they're kind of a captive audience."

Jim Ratliff, owner of Lighthouse Christian Bookstore near Pikeville, said he is seeing strong sales of ornamental license plates that allow people to share their messages with other motorists.

"Those license plates make as many statements as you could possibly make," Ratliff said.

Others prefer bumper stickers. For pedestrians, it's T-shirts adorned with a list of the Ten Commandments or messages like "Smile, God Loves You."

"It's about freedom of speech," Swarthout said. "It's about sharing principles for people to live by."

I buy fluorescent yellow stickers, run 'em through the printer and print "In GOD We Trust" on 'em and stick 'em on all my snail mail. Mostly bills, etc.

I may experiment with slightly larger stickers and try and jam all Ten Commandments on there. That would be satisfying.

I keep waiting for the Supreme Court to rule that any laws based on the Ten Commandments are unconstitutional. What kind of laws would survive?

The ones coming out of SCOTUS now. Plus sexual orientation protection laws, zoning laws, income tax laws, ... Not much would be impacted, now that I think about it.

I have a personal preference for John 3:16 so I wear it on the back of ALL my T-shirts, all the time. I've started writing out the Beatitudes in our shed wall just across the alley from city hall. I even delayed paying my bills on-line because I send Bible messages with my payments in the mail. Why wait for permission from the court?

I just used the spell-checker.... It didn't like "T-shirts" and last on the list of suggested alternatives was "Tits." ? nooooo

This is the same kind of oppression which has been extended to property rights through the recent Supreme Court decision. The people in Pulaski and McCreary counties are the salt of the earth..I know the area..Many of these folks have lived there for generations and have practiced the "Love thy neighbor" instruction from their faith. They are just now awakening to the vicious attacks on them and everyone like them in America through the ACLU and their sister/brother organizations. These folks will fight this..Many fought in WWII and all the wars since then. They and others like them have kept us free..The area is just now getting noticed by people from all over the nation who want to move to a small community to retire..It is a beautiful piece of the world both figuratively and literally..I would like to live there myself, mostly because of the wonderful folks. Thank you, Pulaski and McCreary, for your courage in fighting back the only way you can..We join your effort in every way! Mr. Friedman, the big Louisville ACLU lawyer, is stomping on the wrong group this time in his effort to overturn our freedoms.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.