obedience to God."
July 8, 1776..."Benjamin Franklin's suggestion for a seal and motto, characterizing the spirit of this new nation..."America's God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations
Posted on 08/21/2003 4:38:28 PM PDT by Vindiciae Contra TyrannoSCOTUS
Chief Justice Roy S. Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court refused to back down from his defense of a Ten Commandments display Thursday despite a decision by his eight judicial colleagues to move the 2.5-ton monument.
"The fight to defend our constitutional rights to acknowledge God must and will continue," Moore told a crowd of supporters. "Very soon, we will file a petition for writ of certiorari before the United States Supreme Court to resolve clearly our inalienable rights to acknowledge God under the First Amendment."
Earlier Thursday, the eight associate justices of the Alabama Supreme Court voted to have the monument removed by the judicial building manager. The justices, who have the power to override Moore's administrative decisions, took the step after a federal judge threatened to fine the state $5,000 per day.
Republican Gov. Bob Riley and Attorney General Bill Pryor, both defenders of the Ten Commandments monument, hailed the justices' decision.
"Although I fundamentally disagree with what the federal courts have ordered, the state Supreme Court was correct in unanimously voting to uphold the rule of law," Riley said in a statement.
The governor, who is grappling with a budget deficit, said the fines could have added up to $1 billion within four months.
Pryor immediately filed the justices' order with the U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson, who set a deadline of midnight Wednesday for Moore to remove the monument. The deadline expired without much incident, although about 20 people were removed from inside the courthouse after refusing to leave.
The Rev. Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council, was among those arrested. He said it's never a pleasant experience to be detained by police, but this particular situation warranted such a stand.
"I'm certainly ready [to be arrested again] if that's necessary," Schenck said. "The Commandments are still on public display. No appears to be moving them or attempting to move them. But there are plenty of people now - scores of people - who are willing to risk arrest."
Schenck has teamed with the Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, to coordinate events in Montgomery throughout the week, including round-the-clock prayer vigils.
Defenders of Moore strongly objected to a decision made earlier in the day to shield the monument with a screen. Moore reportedly left a funeral to see that it was removed.
Later Thursday morning, the eight associate justices made their decision asking that that monument be moved from public view. Moore has dismissed suggestions that he place the monument in his office to comply with the court order.
In their order, the justices stated: "The refusal of officers of this court to obey a binding order of a federal court of competent jurisdiction would impair the authority and ability of all of the courts of this state to enforce their judgments."
Despite their defense of the Ten Commandments monument, Riley and Pryor condemned Moore for refusing to obey the law.
"The rule of law means that no person, including the chief justice of Alabama, is above the law," Pryor said. "The rule of law means that when courts resolve disputes, after all appeals and arguments, we all must obey the orders of those courts even when we disagree with those orders."
Alabama political observers like Johnny Green, who taught political science at Auburn University, said Pryor and Riley have taken a safe route by defending the monument while still vowing to uphold the law.
President Bush nominated Pryor for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, although Democrats have singled him out and raised objections to his so-called extremist views.
As for Moore, Green said this is likely the beginning of a quest for higher office. With Riley hurting politically because of an unpopular tax proposal, Moore could situate himself nicely for a run at governor in 2006, Green said.
Green said the state is split over the Ten Commandments question, but he said voters knew what they were getting by electing Moore to office. He has made clear his strong religious beliefs as well as his distaste for federal involvement in state issues, Green said.
"Remember, this is a place where they believe in states' rights," Green said. "So anytime the federal government tells Southerners what to do, they vehemently reject that and despise that. Alabamians would rather get a gun and fight than sit down at the table and discuss it sanely."
I believe that's exactly what you'll have to look at if we fail as fast as the only Judeo-Christian country in the world is even by this, being stripped away, bit by bit.
Give me a break, Using your logic we can say Saddam was better than Christianity because he only killed 1 Million people.
Stalin Rejected Evolution and Hitler in Mein Kampf mentioned the creator over and over again while never mentioning the science of Evolution. So your Liberal like lies, History revisionism and character assassination doesn’t hold water and are best saved for the Evolution/Creationism threads in the Smoky Backroom.
But back to my original assertion
I wasn’t talking about people “USING” Christianity “For” evil, I was talking of people “OF” Christianity “That are” evil.
Like Moses.
Forget Religion for a second and forget which side has the “higher body count”, Murders are murders, I talking specifically about Moses. If we assume the biblical history is correct and Moses was actually a “Real” person who existed and he actually committed all the atrocities it says he did then why should we display anything this monster produced?
The rule actually is that when we remove God from the equation, when we act and live as if we have no one to answer to but ourselves, and if there is no God, then the rule of law is social Darwinism-- the strong rule the weak. We'll find that, quite to the contrary, it is not Christianity and the belief in the God of the Bible that results in carnage and genocide. But it's when people reject the God of the Bible that we are most vulnerable to those kinds of things that we see in history that are the radical and gross destruction of human lives. Stand to Reason Commentary - The Real Murderers: Atheism or ...
I hate to tell you but when I was 12 years old I actually read the bible and as they say “No book created more Atheist than the Bible” and I am sorry to disappoint you but I never robbed, raped or murdered anybody and over all I lived a good and moral life and despite your proclamations on how people need YOUR GOD and YOUR GOD ONLY to be good and moral most atheist are in fact good, moral people.
Every American benefits from this nation having a Christian foundation. Every freedom-loving American benefits from having Christian neighbors. Christians have been feeding, healing, teaching, and protecting strangers - from the earliest monasteries that sheltered 'heathens' from barbarians at the gate - to the nurses who comfort the dying today. Cities grew around those early monasteries for a good reason. They were honorable men, courageous and generous - friends, then and now, in times of trouble.
If the left follows the EU to pagan narcissism, the weakest and the most innocent (or, as the opposition would say, "women and children"...) will be hurt the most. God, family, America - no more.
The $5000 per day fine, doubles every week I believe. Thus the first week costs $35000, the 2nd week costs $70000, the 3rd week costs $140000, etc.
July 8, 1776..."Benjamin Franklin's suggestion for a seal and motto, characterizing the spirit of this new nation..."America's God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations
And conveniently ignore the fact that we would have virtually no charities, hospitals and institutions of higher learning without Christians because Christians are the ones who founded those institutions and continue to fund them in large part.
How many atheist or agnostic charities, hospitals or universities can you name? Case closed.
And so many Christians that burned people on the stake for believeing in such radical notions that the Earth goes around the sun also believed they lived a good and moral life
Again I never Robbed, Raped or murdered anyone (like many bibical "Heroes" not only did but it was condoned by God) and I have a good loving Relationship with my family. Why do I need your god to tell me that's good or bad. It's common sense.
Patrick Henry
Give me a break. What? Now Atheist never donate to charity? There are many charities without religious purpose that atheists create and contribute to. I am sure many atheists contribute (Both Monetary and Time) to religious charities for the sake of the practical good they do.
It would seem kind of silly to build a hospital or a University just to say "I do not believe in God" that’s like holding a party to say "Today is not my birthday"
Actually, It seems kind of self-righteous and pety to use charity as an excuse to plug your religious beliefs and recute followers.
There isn't much difference between that the Liberals using Government programs to buy votes.
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