The Ten Commandments monument had been proposed by Rep. Mike Ritze in 2009 and it was approved by the largely Republican-run state legislature. The monument—a 6-foot-tall, 3-foot-wide slab of stone shaped into two tablets, paid for with private donations and approved by the legislature—was installed at the statehouse in Oklahoma City in 2012.
In August 2013, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma filed suit against this monument on the ground of the state capitol because it violates some parts of the constitution—precisely Article 2, Section 5, of the Oklahoma Constitution, which states that property cannot be used to promote a “church denomination or system of religion.”
The Ten Commandments monument was removed in October last year after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the display violates the state’s constitution, which states: “No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary, or sectarian institution as such.”
The lawmakers decided to try to eliminate the part of the state constitution that the justices argued was the problem. John Paul Jordan, R-Yukon (an attorney), said that he knew it would be a difficult proposition to undo the ruling, so they looked at giving voters the opportunity to remove the basis for the ruling. He said: “The new interpretation of this provision can potentially make our state hostile to religion and have damaging impacts on our counties, cities and school districts.” Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin placed a question on the November ballot that would allow the state to display a Ten Commandments monument on public grounds at the state capitol. It was so-called State Question 790.
When the government displays monuments exclusively from one religious perspective, it is a clear violation of the First Amendment. That’s why religious groups—including a Hindu organization and the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster—proposed their own statues for placement on the Capitol grounds. It is essential for everybody to know that a strict separation of church and state is the only way to protect religious freedom for all faiths and none.
On Tuesday, voters struck down the measure. With 1,640 precincts reporting, 56.8% of voters were against the measure, compared to 43.1% of those who supported the bill.
Photo Credits: Newsmax
