Alabama is on the verge of amending its constitution to allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all government buildings, including public schools.
Senate Bill 181 made it through the State Senate (23-3) and the State House (66-19) and it’ll be on the November ballot.
There are problems with the bill, though. As we noted earlier, it doesn’t necessarily violate the law because it calls for the Decalogue to be part of a larger display of historical materials. It also calls for private funds to pay for these monuments. But there’s a good chance some of those displays will downplay everything except the Commandments and the lawsuits will inevitably follow. Keep in mind that the bill singles out the Ten Commandments for display, which could be taken as an endorsement of Christianity.
That’s why it’s interesting that the bill specifically says taxpayer funds can’t be used to defend the Ten Commandments monuments in case there’s a lawsuit. They don’t specify who would pay in those situations… which seems like a rather important question left unanswered. If there is a lawsuit, it doesn’t matter if a Christian legal group defends the state for free. When they lose, taxpayers will still be on the hook for the other side’s legal fees.
There’s absolutely no reason to support this amendment. What it calls for is already legal, and what legislators really want is a way to promote Christianity (which isn’t legal).
Read the full story at the Friendly Atheist Blog
