The First Amendment and the Ten Commandments

Can you recite the 1st Amendment? No, I mean the entire First Amendment. What does it say - beyond the "freedom of religion" or the "separation of church and state" or the "wall of separation" stuff that we usually hear in the news.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

This is pretty powerful stuff. Congress shall not make a law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. Congress shall not make a law respecting an establishment of religion. Wow - there is no mandated "wall of separation" in this amendment, but rather a precious freedom. The State cannot establish a national church (such as The Church of England), and it cannot prevent Americans from exercising their religious faith.

It is nice to see the Court system realize that the 1st Amendment covers their actions, too. On December 20, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the ACLU's "repeated reference 'to the separation of church and state' ... has grown tiresome. The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state."

In the particular case referenced, a display of historical documents in Mercer County, Kentucky, included the Ten Commandments (in addition to the Magna Carta, The Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Star Spangled Banner, the national motto, the preamble to the Kentucky Constitution, the Bill of Rights to the U. S. Constitution and a picture of Lady Justice). The ACLU alleged this violated the "separation of church and state." Source http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48006

I applaud the Court for issuing a decision that respects our Constitution and the Rights of We The People.