America was founded on many guiding principles. These values have allowed us as a nation to thrive and to remain the world's only superpower. Our founding fathers were some of the smartest men to ever walk the earth. They envisioned a country with freedoms and rights to allow its citizens to live their lives to the best of their ability. The Constitution gives us these rights and responsibilities to guide our lives in America.
The Ten Commandments could also be classified by the same token. This code lays down rules that God believes we should obey to live lives that are fruitful and flourishing. There are many parallels between these two documents: Don't kill, don't steal. They both have an overlaying theme of doing well in life.
The only real difference between the two is one governs Americans and the other reigns over the Christian religion.
I find the entire Ten Commandments controversy in Alabama to be quite interesting. I believe they should be able to be displayed in a courthouse and even in the courtrooms themselves. Our country was founded on Christian principles, so it should not be surprising when we use the teaching of the church or the Bible in our court system. We might be a nation with every religion represented, but Christians are still the overwhelming majority.
I know that church and state in our society are supposed to be separate from each other. When you think about it, however, Christianity is in many parts of our government. What do we swear on when we are put under oath? What type of prayer is said every morning before Congress goes into session? What saying is on all our money?
To deny that Christianity has a presence in our society is to deny what our country is all about.
The Alabama situation strikes me as a situation where people are denying what they believe in. Most polls, including the Harris Poll, find that about 94 percent or more of Americans believe in some type of God. This tells me that people aren't afraid to say they do, but are unwilling to practice what they preach.
The overwhelming sentiment I get from reading newspapers and watching the news is that people dislike being reminded of their religious beliefs. They refuse to let any religion into their lives at all and won't let anyone else believe theirs because they are offended. To me, this shows how politically correct our society has become. A country based on and run by religious thoughts and teachings is being controlled by people with no faith at all. This needs to stop. Religion is a great tool if used with good intentions.
If more people actually believed in what they thought, I know our country would be a better place. Nearly every religion teaches to be good to your fellow man and to not cause harm against him. So why do people have a problem with the Ten Commandments being posted in a court of law? Most religions believe basically what it says to a certain extent.
People with morals definitely should believe in them. I guess I can only come to one conclusion: some people feel that God is too powerful for their own good. They feel threatened by the prospect of going to hell or worse and they would rather forget about it, like it isn't there. People can't be harmed by what they don't remember, right?
If people truly believe in a God, like the polls state, then they shouldn't have a problem with the Ten Commandments in a public setting. Religion has become a secondary thought in our society, while persecuting it is now the norm. Regardless of your religion, you as an American and as a human need to stand by what you believe. If you want prayer in public school, more women's rights, lower taxes, environmental restriction, then make your voice heard. The Commandments teach us to respect out neighbor. Their opinions should be no different.
It is somewhat disappointing that the Ten Commandments memorial had to be removed. I know I'm not alone in this. A USA Today and Gallup poll stated that 77 percent of Americans agree with me on this and want the monument to stay. I am amazed that our country can be run by a few in the minority and can have the majority just accept it. I am tired of this sort of thing happening over and over again in our society. If we as Americans allow this to continue, it will. This rhetoric needs to stop now. I don't know what the founding fathers would say, but I have a feeling they would agree.
