The Louisiana legislature passed a law requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in the classrooms of all public schools and state-funded universities. A number of people didn’t like that and filed suit in federal court to block it. Recently, a three judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower district court’s ruling that the statute was “facially unconstitutional.” That means it is invalid in all its applications, and that no possible scenario exists where the law could be constitutionally applied. (You can read about this at: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-appeals-court-rules-louisiana-ten-commandments-school-law-unconstitutional.print.)
Before diving deeper into this, one comment needs to be made concerning the reason for taking up this topic here. My purpose is not to promote a political agenda. The focus of MarketFaith Ministries is not political, it is spiritual. We are a worldview discipleship ministry and our goal is to “equip the saints for the work of ministry.”
That said, politics cannot be ignored as it is part and parcel of the societal environment we live in, and some value system will dominate. If it is not Christian values, then it will be some other set (Atheist, Muslim, Buddhist, Wiccan, etc.). It is impossible for this not to be so. In this case, those opposing the Louisiana law are determined that atheistic values rule.
One of the plaintiffs in the suit was Rev. Darcy Roake. She is a Unitarian Universalist Minister and is currently working on her PhD in history at Tulane University with a focus on the reproductive health, rights, and justice movements. She is also politically active promoting her social justice agenda.
Darcy’s case was represented by Americans United for Separation of Church and State – a nonprofit legal organization dedicated solely to defending the separation of church and state. Their contention is that this Louisiana law violates that principle, and implementing it will cause irreparable deprivation of people’s First Amendment rights.
In some ways it is hard to know where to start dealing with this ruling, as it is wrong on so many fronts. That said, let’s work through some of the blatantly wrong issues.
First, there is no such thing as “separation of church and state” in the U.S. Constitution. Those who attempt to use this argument point to The Ten Commandments and say that since it represents a church’s beliefs, it is disqualified from being displayed on public property. The only problem is, as mentioned, the concept of “separation of church and state” is not in the Constitution. The First Amendment prohibits the government from establishing a state religion and from infringing people’s free exercise of their faith – that’s all.
A second problem is that this interpretation of law blurs the line between church and values. The Ten Commandments is not a church, it is a set of values. The Atheists want to expunge the values represented by the Ten Commandments from the public square and insert a set of Atheist friendly values in its place. That has nothing to do with separation of church and state.
Third, it has to be recognized that some value system will be the guiding foundational principles of society. If it is not biblical values, it will be some other set. Darcy and her compatriots are looking for a political outcome where everyone must accept their beliefs about issues such as the value of human life (abortion, euthanasia, …), capital punishment, environmental concerns, wealth distribution, gay rights, individual liberty, climate change, and others.
Finally, in spite of the fact that they will deny it ‘till the cows come home,” their atheistic beliefs are religious beliefs. The worldview beliefs Atheism is built upon must be believed by faith. There is no objective foundation for them. The plaintiffs in this case are not merely fighting to expunge Christian values from the public square, they are fighting to insert theirs as a replacement.
While this all plays out in the political arena, Christians, in defending Christian values in the public square, are not looking for a political outcome. Rather they are promoting a values outcome. We want a set of values that provides for personal liberty and respects everyone’s beliefs. That can only happen using a value set that Christianity alone provides. This is not forcing anyone to be a Christian or to worship the God of the Bible. It provides the freedom for everyone to make up their own mind.
While promoting political policy is not the purpose of the Christian faith, it also can’t be ignored. We live in a society that is based on some set of values. And whatever set of values that ends up being, it will affect what we are allowed to believe and how we are allowed to act. Atheists can exercise a right not believe in God all day long under a value system informed by Christianity. Obviously, if atheist values dominate, Christians will not be able to say the same.
For Christians, fighting smarter is not just a matter of promoting a public policy agenda. It also includes making sure society understands the true nature of biblical principles. It is not enough just to promote our “what.” We must make sure the “why” is also known.