Many Americans might be surprised to learn that the United States Supreme Court building has a number of depictions of the Ten Commandments and other lawgivers prominently displayed, some of which are carved in stone, adorning entryways and visible in the chamber where the justices sit. Isn’t this a violation of the First Amendment and the “separation of church and state”?
Historian David Barton writes: “The Ten Commandments are more easily found in America’s government buildings than in her religious buildings, thus demonstrating the understanding by generations of Americans from coast to coast that the Ten Commandments formed the basis of America’s civil laws.” [1]
Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths
Too many Christians believe that the Bible is irrelevant this side of heaven. While the homosexual community, which makes up about 1% of our population, exercises tremendous impact on our culture and laws, Christians, who make up about 35% of the population, have voluntarily abandoned the culture war, electing to hide the gospel under a bushel instead. Our nation is in a crisis. The world is crying out for answers in the face of bewildering and seemingly unsolvable problems. Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths shows that the Bible has real answers to these problems—answers the church is currently ignoring.
Buy NowIt is often stated that there is a “wall of separation between church and state” in this country. The problem is that this phrase does not appear in the U.S. Constitution, despite many claiming that it does. The First Amendment is a limitation on Congress, not on any and all interaction between religion and politics. On today’s podcast, Gary discusses this misunderstanding, as well as where the concept of a wall of separation actually originated.
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[1] David Barton, “The Ten Commandments: A Part of America’s Legal System for Almost 400 years!” Prepared and presented in response to multiple ACLU lawsuits against public displays of the Ten Commandments, United States District Court, Eastern District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky, London Division (March 2001).