Baptists Weighing in Against Decalogue Displays

The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty has filed a friend of the court brief before the Supreme Court opposing government displays of the 10 commandments. The BJC is a nearly seventy year old organization that officially represents nearly all Baptists except Southern Baptists (and represents many of them unofficially).

In a press release K. Hollyn Hollman, BJC general counsel, said, “It’s inconceivable that a freestanding, six-foot monument in the shadow of the state capitol building is not an endorsement of the message ‘I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’

Associated Baptist Press reports that the Interfaith Alliance is joining the BJC in arguing against the decalogue display.

This case may prove to be more significant than most people think. Baptists and others are challenging the notion that "common law" is based solely on "biblical law," -- an argument popular in Christian Reconstructionist circles.

For Dominionists, posting ten commandments monuments on public property is a symbolic act identifying the United States as a Christian Nation. Once the courts accept the symbols of "establishment," they'll be working step-by-step to insure that the constitution is strictly interpreted to accord with a literal interpretation of Mosaic law.