Those who don’t believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, but do profess an overwhelming belief in the constitutional separation of church and state, may soon have to round up their lawyers and head to Arkansas under the banner of the organization known as American Atheists, Inc.
Arkansas state politicians have approved legislation to build a Ten Commandments monument, which would be paid for with private donations, on the grounds of their state Capitol in Little Rock.
American Atheists, Inc. does not have a problem with the Ten Commandments or building monuments, per se, to immortalize the basic tenets of the Christian religion.
Danielle Muscato, the organization’s communications manager, told PJM that atheists only have a problem with building Ten Commandments monuments on government property, such as what happened in Oklahoma and may soon happen in Arkansas.
“And private donations do not resolve the endorsement of a specific religion by the state,” the transgendered woman, formerly known as David, said.
Well, Muscato said, American Atheists, Inc also has one more bone of contention with Christians.
“We have a real problem with Christians pushing their religion on us,” Muscato said.
American Atheists fought and lost a battle in March to get Oklahoma to tear down the state-sanctioned Ten Commandments monument that was built on the lawn of the Oklahoma Capitol grounds in 2012.
Federal judge Robin J. Cauthron dismissed the lawsuit brought by American Atheists and two Oklahoma residents. Cauthron ruled the plaintiffs did not have “standing” in the case, which means they did not suffer an “injury in fact,” because of the monument.
Cauthron found the plaintiff, who said she had suffered harm, had not even seen the monument enough times to make the claim credible.
Cauthron pretty much accused American Atheists, Inc. of bringing a couple of ringers into the courtroom.
Citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the judge observed the plaintiffs “do not have a special license to roam the country in search of government wrongdoing.”
“This is another victory for the state of Oklahoma and one more affirmation that the Ten Commandments monument can remain on display at our State Capitol,” Scott Pruitt, the attorney general of Oklahoma, said.
Liberty Institute, which describes itself as the “largest legal organization dedicated solely to defending and restoring religious liberty in America,” assisted the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office in defending the six-foot-tall monument.
So, it should come as no surprise that Arkansas lawmakers who have approved legislation to build a Ten Commandments monument on the lawn of their state Capitol have already teamed up with Liberty Institute just in case court action is required to save the monument.
The legislation still needs Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s (R) signature before construction can begin.
Muscato did not know if American Atheists would take the Arkansas case to court. In fact, the organization had not heard about the legislation before PJM contacted her at the group’s annual convention in Memphis.
“The problem is that they are building these monuments on government property,” Muscato said. “If they were on private or church property, that would be fine. Or if all religious organizations had an equal chance (to build) on government property, that would be okay, too.”
And she stressed atheists, by and large, don’t have a problem with the Ten Commandments.
“But we are very troubled by Christians trying to make a statement that their religion is part of the fabric of America, their values were part of the Founding Fathers’ intentions for the United States, and laws in our nation are based on the Ten Commandments,” said Muscato.
“All of that is simply a lie religious people tell to force their values on society.”
All that troubles Muscato is actually part of the legislation approved by the Oklahoma Legislature to build the Ten Commandments monument.
The legislation establishing the monument recognized:
1. “That the Ten Commandments are an important component of the foundation of the laws and legal system of the United States of America and of the State of Oklahoma;
2. That the courts of the United States of America and of various states frequently cite the Ten Commandments in published decisions; and
3. Acknowledgements of the role played by the Ten Commandments in our nation’s heritage are common throughout America.”
Oklahoma’s attorney general made it abundantly clear that he agreed with that sentiment when he celebrated the courtroom victory over American Atheists, Inc.
“The historical relevance of the Ten Commandments and the role it played in the founding of our nation cannot be disputed. I commend Judge Cauthron’s decision to rule in the state’s favor,” Pruitt said.
And that is exactly why Arkansas Rep. Kim Hammer (R) believes a Ten Commandments monument needs to be placed on the lawn of the Arkansas state Capitol.
Hammer said the Founding Fathers believed in a higher law than man’s law when they noted in the Declaration of Independence “all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.”
“The Ten Commandments monument is a visible reminder intended to keep us focused outside of ourselves, just as the founders looked outside of themselves for guidance,” he said.
If the experience of those who want to build a Ten Commandments monument in Arkansas is to run truly parallel to the experience in Oklahoma, Arkansans might want to build some barriers strong enough to stop a car around their structure of Biblical edicts.
The Oklahoma Ten Commandments monument was shattered by a man who drove his car into it in October 2014.
The man, who described himself as mentally ill and admitted he had not been taking his medication, told police the devil made him do it.
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