Ten Commandments Controversy | Voice of America - English
The U-S Supreme Court earlier this month (Mar) heard oral arguments on two cases involving the constitutionality of public displays of the Ten Commandments on government property.  Those bringing the challenges contend that such displays violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U-S constitution.
"In my opinion they do not. In my opinion this are part of a national heritage of America, of Americans as religious people, and that they do not establish a national church like the church of England or even like the early Puritans had in America and in American politics," he says. "For example we have long recognized that the words in ?God We Trust? in our consciences is part of our national heritage. We allow chaplains to say public prayers in our legislative assemblies, even in the Supreme Court. We display crosses on the graves of our dead soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery," he says. "In my opinion these displays of the Ten Commandments follow the patterns of public expressions by a religious people." "The Supreme Court has been somewhat inconsistent. It has pretty much admitted it doesn?t have a clear guideline for determining when a public display of religion is constitutional or unconstitutional. In the last 40 or 50 years it has in some cases said things like prayer in public schools or bible reading in public schools is unconstitutional, but it has said for example that legislative chaplains can give non-denominational prayers in front of the state assemblies," he says. "So the court does need to make judgments about this but it?s had a great deal of difficulty in formulating a clear guideline. I think actually they should take a look at the free exercise part of the first amendment, and they could find this to be constitutional."