Cooler Heads Prevail In Jackson County Over Ten Commandments Posting.
Read >>>>>> Church-state divide
Christian leaders in Jackson County performed a valuable public service by persuading county officials to take down the nine copies of the Ten Commandments posted in the courthouse in McKee.
Judge-Executive William O. Smith agreed to it to put an end to a divisive and potentially costly court case that the county would likely lose, based on the experience of other Kentucky counties.
The Decalogue will be posted on private property near the courthouse, he said. Granite tablets will replace some of the posters. That's fine, as long as they are not on taxpayer-supported property.
Still one key supporter of the courthouse postings expressed some confusion in a Herald-Leader story about why they had to be removed, if the majority of county citizens never complained.
It's because separation of church and state is one of this nation's core principles. Some of the earliest settlers came here to escape religious persecution. And those who wrote the Constitution practiced several faiths, or none at all.
The ideal was an America where no citizen would feel that government pushes any particular religion or faith tradition — even if 99.9 percent of a community say they don't mind.
When it comes to religious freedom — and freedom from religion — the minority has clout.
Christian leaders in Jackson County performed a valuable public service by persuading county officials to take down the nine copies of the Ten Commandments posted in the courthouse in McKee.
Judge-Executive William O. Smith agreed to it to put an end to a divisive and potentially costly court case that the county would likely lose, based on the experience of other Kentucky counties.
The Decalogue will be posted on private property near the courthouse, he said. Granite tablets will replace some of the posters. That's fine, as long as they are not on taxpayer-supported property.
Still one key supporter of the courthouse postings expressed some confusion in a Herald-Leader story about why they had to be removed, if the majority of county citizens never complained.
It's because separation of church and state is one of this nation's core principles. Some of the earliest settlers came here to escape religious persecution. And those who wrote the Constitution practiced several faiths, or none at all.
The ideal was an America where no citizen would feel that government pushes any particular religion or faith tradition — even if 99.9 percent of a community say they don't mind.
When it comes to religious freedom — and freedom from religion — the minority has clout.
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 7:57 AM
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