World News and Trends: Display of Ten Commandments endangered?
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal of a lower court's ruling that the city of Elkhart, Ind., may not keep a granite pillar engraved with the Ten Commandments on its town-hall lawn.
The lower court had earlier decided that the display of the Ten Commandments amounted to an unwarranted governmental endorsement of a particular religious belief. The case originated in 1998 when several Elkhart citizens, supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, sued the city to have the Commandments removed. The ACLU has since begun a legal offensive to remove the estimated 4,000 Ten Commandments displays at city halls and civic buildings throughout the nation.
For the Supreme Court to hear the appeal, four of its nine justices would have had to agree to hear the case. However, only three conservative justices voted to accept it.
In expressing his desire for the court to hear the case, Chief Justice William Rehnquist said: "This monument does not express the city's preference for a particular religion or for religious belief in general. It simply reflects the Ten Commandments' role in the development of our legal system." He noted that the display emphasizes the relationship between the Commandments and the U.S. legal tradition—as does a carving of Moses holding the Ten Commandments that adorns a wall in the Supreme Court's own courtroom.
Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, declared that "[this] religious display must come down." He lauded the decision as "another hindrance" for religious conservatives in the United States.
Regrettably, many liberal legal scholars and judges seem determined to rid the United States of its strong JudeoChristian values and heritage. For a little-known perspective of America's founding, be sure to read "America's Astounding Destiny: Was It Foretold in the Bible?" beginning on page 4 of this issue. To better understand the supreme importance of God's Commandments, be sure to request our free booklet The Ten Commandments. (Sources: The Washington Post, The Washington Times.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: July - August 2001
Course Content
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
Melvin Rhodes
Melvin Rhodes is a member of the United Church of God congregation in Lansing, Michigan.
