Wednesday, March 02, 2005
How to constitutionally display the ten commandments in a courthouse
Here is something constructive I can offer. If someone wants to display the ten commandments in a courthouse, this introductory text ought to satisfy all,
The ancient Israelites were among the first peoples to employ a written code of law. They held their laws to be divinely mandated and indeed, most modern day Christians and Jews still incorporate these same laws into their religious beliefs and practices.
Of particular interest among the laws of the Israelites is a promise made in the second of the well-known "ten commandments" (reproduced in full below) - in addition to threatening punishment for not obeying the laws, a reward is offered to those who do obey them. This ancient covenant is a precursor to the idea first fully formulated millennia later in the Magna Carta (see next display) that law can place obligations and limitations upon the law-giver as well the governed.
// posted by Erik @ 3/02/2005 01:34:00 PM
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