Separation of church and state has been one of the founding principles of the United States. Religion continues to cross over the fine threshold into government, and it is constitutional so long as all other religions are represented equally. That is, before you think about having a religious monument installed on public property, you better be prepared for Pastafarians, followers to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (yes, you read that correctly), to have a monument of their own.
Last year, Arkansas State Senator Jason Rapert signed into law to install a monument of the Ten Commandments on public ground at Arkansas State Capitol. Rapert said, “The monument shall not be construed to mean that the State of Arkansas favors any particular religion or denomination over others.”
The Satanic Temple, an activist group that supports egalitarianism and separation of church and state, attended a meeting last month to install a Baphomet statue, a symbol of Satanism, beside the Ten Commandments monument.
“It’s not like we’re anti-Christian or anti-religion. We’re just against having the government shove religion down our throats,” says Anthony Owen, a supporter of The Satanic Temple. “I don’t want my son growing up in a world filled with narrow-minded dogmatic views.”
Rapert said on Twitter, “There will never be a statue installed by the Satanic Temple on our Capitol grounds.”
Then, there cannot be a Ten Commandments monument either.
Installing a Ten Commandments monument sets precedent that any religious group is allowed to have their own monument on the ground. If this is not the case, the courts will most likely rule it unconstitutional because there must be equal representation of religion under the establishment clause of the First Amendment.
In 2005, the McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky case was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. The ACLU sued three counties in Kentucky about a wall display of religious documents, including the Ten Commandments, at public schools and courts. In a 5-4 majority, the Supreme Court ruled the displays unconstitutional, in part because the documents were in isolation and, thus, promoted religion.
Oklahoma had a similar issue that Arkansas faces presently. It was a single monumental display of the Ten Commandments on public property installed in 2012. The Satanic Temple, again, requested to have the statue of Baphomet installed. After news of this request got around, local Pastafarians demanded a monument of their own to be installed. In 2015, the Ten Commandments monument was removed.
Rapert’s earlier statement on how the monument does not favor any particular religion is not true. The Ten Commandments, a wholly Christian document, opens up with, “I am the Lord, thy God,” and goes onto state, “Thou shalt have no other gods.” These lines alone seem to favor Christianity above all other religions, especially when Rapert, the one who wrote and signed the monument’s bill into law, already denied another religious group of having their place on Capitol grounds.
The Oxford Dictionary defines conservatism as a “commitment to traditional values and idea with opposition to change or innovation.” Therefore, Rapert, a conservative, should consider the history of America’s foundation to substantiate his support for the Ten Commandments monument.
He will find there are no substantial reasons.
Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Thomas Paine believed in “separation of church and state,” which is a phrase coined by Jefferson, an influential framer of the Constitution.
A Christian document on public property undermines the Founding Fathers’ wisdom. “The purpose of separation of church and state is,” said Madison in a letter objecting to the use of government land for churches, “to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries.”
When religion crosses over into government, followers can use the incumbent’s power to push social agendas as we have witnessed in recent years with same-sex marriage. Christianity is the most practiced religion, not only in the United States, but around the world. Without the wall between church and state, Christians will have the ability to oppress people who do not follow Christianity because of their sheer numbers. The wall helps prevent oppression of the minority.
Rapert’s monument crumbles the wall.
“Persecution is not an original feature in any religion,” said Paine. “But, it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law.”
Religion, in the form of a statue or a motto, does not belong in government.
Politicians pander to voters based on their faith. In the past year, numerous Republican presidential candidates said it was God’s plan for them to run for president when they announced their bid in hopes to connect with the large, Christian voting base. The Ten Commandments is another form of a politician pandering to a Christian voting base for a reelection.
If the wall between church and state is erect, it sends politicians a message that it is not acceptable to use one’s faith as a means of being elected into power. Americans will focus on what we share with one another, not what divides us.
“The monument divides people into [those] who believe in the Ten Commandments and [those] who don’t,” says Owen. “Why not put up a monument of something that brings us together?”