Religious Monument Go Bye-Bye!


Crew removes Ten Commandments monument from Alabama court rotunda

This is a tremendous victory for the rule of law and respect for religious diversity," the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said before the monument was rolled out of the rotunda. "Perhaps Roy Moore will soon leave the bench and move into the pulpit, which he seems better suited for."

Lynn's organization was among groups suing to remove Moore's monument, which he installed without telling the other eight Supreme Court justices.

I think it's highly relevant that Moore installed this monument without any supervision, or discussion with his fellow justices. I think he installed it in the middle of the night knowing full well that if he presented his fellows with a fiat accompli, none of them would do anything about it unless an outside party requested action. Ass.

There are a lot of legacy religious icons and images hanging about in our municipal buildings, and in general, I think people ignore them and get on with our supposedly-secular system. But that's not the same as bringing in something brand-spanking-new and plopping it down and saying "You will have my religion shoved up your nose every day, so there."

You know what? Christian icons make me nervous. Churches make me nervous. I always think I'll make some heathen-revealing faux pas and get stoned to death.

It's a faith I have never seen as inclusive, regardless of the monumental efforts at conversion. There's no respect for other's beliefs in any way, because Christ is the One True Path, without question.

Well, I question all the time. I'm not a Christian, I respect other beliefs (hey, they might be right) and I resent

a: the assumption that I am Christian (I'm a white American, after all, and with that Italian last name, I might even be Catholic);
b: the look of blank horror upon finding out I'm not.

So, in general I'm willing to cut some slack about iconography on buildings and crap like that, the legacy stuff, but no, I'm not willing to cut Roy Moore any slack. He knew exactly what he was doing, and that is skated the edge of inappropriate and he said to himself, consciously or otherwise, well, my religion is Right, therefore, I can and should do this.

It's friggin' insulting, is what it is, and I'm glad the momument got dragged away.