TEN COMMANDMENTS BACK IN COURT
by Stan Griffin

Tennessee has become the latest arena in the battle over displaying the Ten Commandments on public-owned property. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has gone to state court to force dismantling of three exhibitions in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
A dozen Tennessee counties last year approved similar displays. Others have had them for a number of years. More than half of the counties have such exhibits. Washington County recently passed their 80-year anniversary 
Very likely the U. S. Supreme Court will get another chance to rule on this controversy once Tennessee's court reaches a decision. In 1980 the top court said that posting the Ten Commandments in schools amounted to "a constitutional promotion of religion."
Twice this year they refused to hear cases from Indiana: one involved a seven-foot stone monument at the state capitol in Indianapolis; the second was a challenge to a display at the Elkhart Municipal Building. 
Other states are involved in similar actions. Kentucky, Alabama, and Ohio have ACLU suits pending in regard to exhibitions on public ground. Under consideration in Alabama is a constitutional amendment to allow public schools to display the Ten Commandments. North Carolina approved a law last year making it permissible to show historical documents, including the Ten Commandments.
The First Amendment to our U. S. Constitution says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ..." ACLU arguments against allowing the Ten Commandments to be erected on government property make the point that such exhibits "put the government in the position of choosing between religions."
Supporters of the drive to have the Ten Commandments put up in public locations believe their efforts are "a way of encouraging morality and showing that the U.S. is grounded in biblical law."