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High Court Considers Fight Over Display of 'Seven Aphorisms'
Washington Pest ^ | 11/12/08 | Jerry Markon

Posted on 11/12/2008 1:22:38 PM PST by steve-b

The way Summum tells it, when Moses first came down from Mount Sinai, he didn't have the Ten Commandments in his hand: He was holding the Seven Aphorisms.

The Aphorisms are the guiding principles of Summum, a religious organization that operates from a pyramid in Salt Lake City and practices mummification. They are so important to Summum that the group's founder, Summum "Corky" Ra, asked that they be displayed in a public park in Pleasant Grove, Utah, near a Ten Commandments monument.

The city said no, triggering a court fight that today wound up before the Supreme Court. The justices debated whether the city violated Summum's First Amendment rights and must also erect the Aphorisms, which contain sayings such as "Summum is MIND," "Everything flows out and in," and "The measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left."

Based on today's arguments, it was unclear whether this particular court is swinging right or left. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., an appointee of President Bush, immediately questioned Pleasant Grove's decision to accept the 10 Commandments monument in the first place, saying it could violate the 1st Amendment ban on government establishment of religion....

Justice David H. Souter, a member of the court's liberal wing, said Pleasant Grove had engaged in "viewpoint discrimination" when it rejected Summum's guiding principles. "Why isn't that a First Amendment violation?" he asked....

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; US: Utah
KEYWORDS: judiciary; religiousfreedom; scotus; summum; tencommandments
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1 posted on 11/12/2008 1:22:39 PM PST by steve-b
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To: steve-b

Funny, but I’ve got a real question. Let’s see who gets the first correct answer:
In the Bible, stored in the Ark of the Convenant, what is the 10th Commandment?
You could win many a bar bet with this one.


2 posted on 11/12/2008 1:25:32 PM PST by BlueStateBlues (Blue State for business, Red State at heart..)
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To: steve-b

3 posted on 11/12/2008 1:27:27 PM PST by TexasCajun
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To: BlueStateBlues

The Bible is not in the Ark.


4 posted on 11/12/2008 1:27:32 PM PST by SpinnerWebb (Islam ... If you can't join them, beat them.)
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To: BlueStateBlues

As far as I recall the commandments/tablets were removed a while ago (not in it when it was opened). Aaron’s staff, and manna were at some point, but since the ark is lost, who knows???


5 posted on 11/12/2008 1:27:55 PM PST by JDW11235 (I think I got it now!)
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To: steve-b

The way the ACLU tells it, when Moses came-down from the mountain he was holding a dildo and a joint and yelling, “Let’s party, Dudes!”


6 posted on 11/12/2008 1:29:31 PM PST by pabianice (HOW)
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To: SpinnerWebb

I thought the question was about what the Bible said was in the ark, not the Bible literally being in the ark. You win I guess.


7 posted on 11/12/2008 1:30:11 PM PST by JDW11235 (I think I got it now!)
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To: JDW11235

OK, let me put it another way. The first commandments were broken, on purpose, by Moses. He went back to get them rewritten, and came down the mountain again. What was the 10th Commandment on the tablets which made it down intact.


8 posted on 11/12/2008 1:30:19 PM PST by BlueStateBlues (Blue State for business, Red State at heart..)
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To: BlueStateBlues
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s."

We have fallen far indeed.

L

9 posted on 11/12/2008 1:32:31 PM PST by Lurker (Thank you Governor Palin. It's not your fault. You got shackled to the worst Pub since Ford.)
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To: Lurker

Nope, that was in the original. I still win my bar bet. Shots all around!


10 posted on 11/12/2008 1:34:20 PM PST by BlueStateBlues (Blue State for business, Red State at heart..)
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To: steve-b

“I bring you FIFTEEN (holding three tablets)....CRASH (one of the tablets falls and breaks).... TEN....I bring you TEN commandments” Mel Brooks as Moses


11 posted on 11/12/2008 1:35:00 PM PST by allmendream (Wealth is EARNED not distributed.... so how could it be Redistributed?)
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To: Lurker

Unless this is a trick question, I thought the 10th commandment was the same in Exodus and Deuteronomy? In which case you would be correct. Still trying to figure out if there’s a catch...


12 posted on 11/12/2008 1:35:20 PM PST by JDW11235 (I think I got it now!)
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To: BlueStateBlues
What was the 10th Commandment on the tablets which made it down intact.

Umm... Thou shalt not covet thy neigbor's... etc. etc.

Do I win a prize?

13 posted on 11/12/2008 1:36:05 PM PST by TChris (So many useful idiots...)
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To: BlueStateBlues
Nope, that was in the original. I still win my bar bet. Shots all around!

Proof? You're just wrong.

14 posted on 11/12/2008 1:37:17 PM PST by TChris (So many useful idiots...)
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To: BlueStateBlues

OK, let me put it another way. The first commandments were broken, on purpose, by Moses. He went back to get them rewritten, and came down the mountain again. What was the 10th Commandment on the tablets which made it down intact.
___________________________________________

They never learn, do they? Here were are, again, and Isreal is in the cross hairs.


15 posted on 11/12/2008 1:37:18 PM PST by RushIsMyTeddyBear
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To: steve-b
Summums backwards is mummus


16 posted on 11/12/2008 1:37:26 PM PST by T Minus Four
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To: T Minus Four

Oops, I mean “summum” (drat, ruined the joke)


17 posted on 11/12/2008 1:39:12 PM PST by T Minus Four
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To: TChris

Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother’s milk.

Is this what you mean? I’m not sure which you’re getting at, but it is from Exodus 34 (Out family read last month)


18 posted on 11/12/2008 1:41:59 PM PST by JDW11235 (I think I got it now!)
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To: steve-b

Seven Summum Principles

"The Principles of knowing Creation are seven; those who know these possess the Magic Key to whose touch all locked doors open to Creation." -- Summum


The seven great Summum Principles upon which the Summum Philosophy is based are as follows:

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

VI.

VII.
THE PRINCIPLE OF PSYCHOKINESIS

THE PRINCIPLE OF CORRESPONDENCE

THE PRINCIPLE OF VIBRATION

THE PRINCIPLE OF OPPOSITION

THE PRINCIPLE OF RHYTHM

THE PRINCIPLE OF CAUSE AND EFFECT

THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER

19 posted on 11/12/2008 1:43:42 PM PST by Lady Jag (DONATE NOW at https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate)
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To: BlueStateBlues

Sorry if this double posts, is it:

Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother’s milk.

From Exodus 34, but I don’t remember if this was written by the Lord on the tablet. We read it last month, but I’m not sure I remember correctly.


20 posted on 11/12/2008 1:43:56 PM PST by JDW11235 (I think I got it now!)
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