Commandments statue put on hold for monkey god, Satan

[spaminator]

Commandments statue put on hold for monkey god, Satan
Heide Brandes, Reuters
First posted: Friday, December 20, 2013 06:47 PM EST | Updated: Friday, December 20, 2013 06:58 PM EST
OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma has put a halt to new monuments at its Capitol after groups petitioned to have markers for Satan, a monkey god and a spaghetti monster erected near a large stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments.
The Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission voted on Thursday to ban new monuments on statehouse grounds until a court battle is settled with the American Civil Liberties Union, which is seeking the removal of the Ten Commandments, local media reported.
Commission officials were not immediately available for comment on Friday.
The Oklahoma branch of the ACLU this year sued to have the Old Testament monument removed, saying the state should not be in the business of legitimizing religion and that the precedent could result in a spectacle of religion. No decision has been reached in the case.
Socially conservative Christian groups fought for years to have the Ten Commandants displayed at the statehouse, and the monument went up in 2012.
Legislative approval was granted to the Christian groups, who were using private funds to commemorate what they said was a historical event. The legislature and the groups said they were not in violation of constitutional restrictions on the state sponsoring religion.
Legal experts said this opened the door for other groups to use this model to petition for placing their monuments on the capitol's grounds. After the ACLU filed suit, the Satanist group filed an application with the state to place its monument on capitol grounds.
Other groups that have applied include a Hindu group looking to set up a monument to a monkey god, an animal welfare group wanting to set up a monument to world peace and one to honor the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Commandments statue put on hold for monkey god, Satan | Weird | News | Toronto Sun

 

[BaalsTears]

There is unrelenting pressure from the American left to drive Christianity from the public square. The objective is to marginalize and disempower Christianity. This is one of the phases of the Culture War that divides Americans.

 

[Cliffy]

There is unrelenting pressure from the American left to drive Christianity from the public square. The objective is to marginalize and disempower Christianity. This is one of the phases of the Culture War that divides Americans.

Why should Christianity take precedent over other religions? Why should any religion be on display in any public place? Before the European invasion, aboriginal spirituality were the religions of the land. Today a multitude of religions and cultures are represented. If Christianity wants the right to be displayed in public then it would have to grant others the right to do so too.

 

[Christianna]

A New Command I Give You
…33"Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' 34"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.35"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

I don't suppose all those Christians would want that displayed .

 

[Goober]

I don't suppose all those Christians would want that displayed .[/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]

Why?

 

[spaminator]

Satanists want to erect devil statue next to Ten Commandments
QMI Agency


First posted: Tuesday, January 07, 2014 04:22 PM EST | Updated: Tuesday, January 07, 2014 04:37 PM EST
The Satanic Temple is campaigning have a seven-foot statue of Satan erected next to the Ten Commandments monument at the Oklahoma state capitol.
The church has already raised the $20,000 it needed on Indiegogo to make the statue, which it intends to donate to the Oklahoma's Capitol Preservation Commission.
In August 2013, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the commission for displaying the Ten Commandments "alone, with no other monuments or memorials in the immediate vicinity."
"Allowing us to donate a monument would show that the Oklahoma City Council does not discriminate, and both the religious and non-religious should be happy with such an outcome. Our mission is to bring people together by finding common sentiments that create solutions that everyone can appreciate and enjoy."
But the Satanists will have to wait for the lawsuit to be settled to find out whether the monument of a goat-headed demon with two children will go up. The commission has placed a moratorium on all new submissions until then.
A sketch of the seven-foot statue the Satanic Temple wants to have erected at the Oklahoma state capitol. (Handout)

Satanists want to erect devil statue next to Ten Commandments | Weird | News | Toronto Sun

 

[tay]

Gov. Mary Fallin, monument unmoved by Supreme Court's Ten Commandments ruling





Gov. Mary Fallin on Tuesday said the Ten Commandments monument will stay at the Capitol despite a court ruling that said it violated the state Constitution and must be removed.


Fallin said Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to reconsider its 7-2 decision, which was handed down last week after a challenge by the ACLU of Oklahoma on behalf of three plaintiffs.


In addition, lawmakers have filed legislation to let people vote on whether to remove a portion of the state Constitution cited in the ruling. Article II, Section 5 of the constitution reads:


“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,” according to the Oklahoma Constitution.


The court said the monument was obviously religious in nature and an integral part of the Jewish and Christian faiths. The constitution bans the state from using public money or property for the benefit of any religious purpose, according to the opinion.


The monument was privately funded by Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow.


“Oklahoma is a state where we respect the rule of law, and we will not ignore the state courts or their decisions,” Fallin said. “However, we are also a state with three co-equal branches of government.”


In her decision to let the monument stay, Fallin cited the petition for rehearing and legislation seeking to let people vote on amending the constitution.


“During this process, which will involve both legal appeals and potential legislative and constitutional changes, the Ten Commandments monument will remain on the Capitol grounds.”


Alex Weintz, a Fallin spokesman, said she is not ignoring the ruling, but giving the other branches of government a chance to weigh in on the issue.


He was asked if Fallin would refuse a court order to remove the monument. Weintz said he couldn’t answer that question at this time because an appeal is pending and no district court order has been issued to remove the monument. He said if the state lost its appeal, and a district court ordered the monument be removed, the governor’s office would address the question at that time.


Fallin does not get to enforce the laws of the “hypothetical future,” said Ryan Kiesel, ACLU of Oklahoma executive director. She is charged with enforcing the law as it exists today, he said.


If the court retains its position after the motion for rehearing, the matter goes back to Oklahoma County District Court for proceedings consistent with the original order from the court that the monument be removed, Kiesel said.


“The Supreme Court did not give any leeway in their opinion. The bipartisan, seven-member majority did not say remove the monument except if you look into your crystal ball and think the law might allow it at some point in the future and go ahead and keep it,” Kiesel said. “The court said remove the monument.”


Kiesel said that looking at national trends, he can see a time when marijuana will be legal in Oklahoma, but he is not going to open a shop tomorrow.


Fallin is not named as the defendant but has three appointees to the body that is named defendant in the suit, the 15-member Capitol Preservation Commission. The panel was directed by the Legislature to find a suitable location at the Capitol for the monument’s placement.


Kiesel said Fallin’s statement doesn’t mean she plans to defy a court order.


“Frankly, I would be astonished if we get to a point where the governor outright defies an order of our state’s highest court,” Kiesel said. “That said, if she does, there is a word for it. It is called contempt.”


Fallin and other elected officials take an oath of office to uphold the constitution.


A constitutional amendment could be put on the ballot sooner than the November 2016 elections, according to state law.


Kiesel said a plaintiff could make a case that the monument’s placement on the state Capitol grounds violates the U.S. Constitution. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt disagrees, saying the federal constitution would allow for such a monument at the Capitol.


As a result of the court ruling, some lawmakers have suggested impeaching the justices who voted for it.


“Just because you don’t agree with the decision of a court, it doesn’t mean the remedy should be impeachment,” Pruitt said. “I don’t think impeachment is in order.”


The Satanic Temple had sought to put a monument next to the Ten Commandments monument. Its co-founder and spokesman, Lucien Greaves, also known as Doug Mesner, said if the constitutional provision is removed, his organization will renew its request.


He said Oklahoma lawmakers are claiming the monument is historical, but also saying the decision is an attack on religious freedom.


He accused Fallin of overreaching her authority.












Gov. Mary Fallin, monument unmoved by Supreme Court's Ten Commandments ruling - Tulsa World: Capitol Report

 

[Walter]

Gov. Mary Fallin, monument unmoved by Supreme Court's Ten Commandments ruling





Gov. Mary Fallin on Tuesday said the Ten Commandments monument will stay at the Capitol despite a court ruling that said it violated the state Constitution and must be removed.


Fallin said Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to reconsider its 7-2 decision, which was handed down last week after a challenge by the ACLU of Oklahoma on behalf of three plaintiffs.


In addition, lawmakers have filed legislation to let people vote on whether to remove a portion of the state Constitution cited in the ruling. Article II, Section 5 of the constitution reads:


“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,” according to the Oklahoma Constitution.


The court said the monument was obviously religious in nature and an integral part of the Jewish and Christian faiths. The constitution bans the state from using public money or property for the benefit of any religious purpose, according to the opinion.


The monument was privately funded by Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow.


“Oklahoma is a state where we respect the rule of law, and we will not ignore the state courts or their decisions,” Fallin said. “However, we are also a state with three co-equal branches of government.”


In her decision to let the monument stay, Fallin cited the petition for rehearing and legislation seeking to let people vote on amending the constitution.


“During this process, which will involve both legal appeals and potential legislative and constitutional changes, the Ten Commandments monument will remain on the Capitol grounds.”


Alex Weintz, a Fallin spokesman, said she is not ignoring the ruling, but giving the other branches of government a chance to weigh in on the issue.


He was asked if Fallin would refuse a court order to remove the monument. Weintz said he couldn’t answer that question at this time because an appeal is pending and no district court order has been issued to remove the monument. He said if the state lost its appeal, and a district court ordered the monument be removed, the governor’s office would address the question at that time.


Fallin does not get to enforce the laws of the “hypothetical future,” said Ryan Kiesel, ACLU of Oklahoma executive director. She is charged with enforcing the law as it exists today, he said.


If the court retains its position after the motion for rehearing, the matter goes back to Oklahoma County District Court for proceedings consistent with the original order from the court that the monument be removed, Kiesel said.


“The Supreme Court did not give any leeway in their opinion. The bipartisan, seven-member majority did not say remove the monument except if you look into your crystal ball and think the law might allow it at some point in the future and go ahead and keep it,” Kiesel said. “The court said remove the monument.”


Kiesel said that looking at national trends, he can see a time when marijuana will be legal in Oklahoma, but he is not going to open a shop tomorrow.


Fallin is not named as the defendant but has three appointees to the body that is named defendant in the suit, the 15-member Capitol Preservation Commission. The panel was directed by the Legislature to find a suitable location at the Capitol for the monument’s placement.


Kiesel said Fallin’s statement doesn’t mean she plans to defy a court order.


“Frankly, I would be astonished if we get to a point where the governor outright defies an order of our state’s highest court,” Kiesel said. “That said, if she does, there is a word for it. It is called contempt.”


Fallin and other elected officials take an oath of office to uphold the constitution.


A constitutional amendment could be put on the ballot sooner than the November 2016 elections, according to state law.


Kiesel said a plaintiff could make a case that the monument’s placement on the state Capitol grounds violates the U.S. Constitution. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt disagrees, saying the federal constitution would allow for such a monument at the Capitol.


As a result of the court ruling, some lawmakers have suggested impeaching the justices who voted for it.


“Just because you don’t agree with the decision of a court, it doesn’t mean the remedy should be impeachment,” Pruitt said. “I don’t think impeachment is in order.”


The Satanic Temple had sought to put a monument next to the Ten Commandments monument. Its co-founder and spokesman, Lucien Greaves, also known as Doug Mesner, said if the constitutional provision is removed, his organization will renew its request.


He said Oklahoma lawmakers are claiming the monument is historical, but also saying the decision is an attack on religious freedom.


He accused Fallin of overreaching her authority.












Gov. Mary Fallin, monument unmoved by Supreme Court's Ten Commandments ruling - Tulsa World: Capitol Report

Good for the governor.