ep. Robert Aderholt is elated. So is Pat Robertson of the Christian Coalition; he terms it a "tremendous victory for people of faith." And just about all that Janet Parshall of the Family Research Council can say to the Washington Post is, well, "Wow!"

   They are just some of the religious activists who are reacting to last Thursday's historic votes in the House of Representatives, where legislators approved wide sweeping measures that serious alter the First Amendment separation of church and state. By wide margins, congress approved measures to empower states to order the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools and other government venues; made it more difficult to take legal action against schools when "student religious expression" is involved, even in unconstitutional practices; and to permit memorial services and statues of a religious nature in schools, presumably without violating the constitution.

   None of these amendments will automatically clear the U.S. Senate, nor would they necessarily pass muster in federal courts. But they do typify a growing trend across the nation to interject religion into the public square, and especially the nation's public schools. Most observers admit that such amendments would not have enjoyed the degree of congressional or even popular support they do prior to the April 20, 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Notes today's Washington Post, that tragedy "gave a core of committed activists the momentum they needed to push legislation through the House that would never have stood a chance otherwise..."

   The Post adds that, "Not since the 1950s, when Congress added the words 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance, have lawmakers tried to insert religious symbols so directly into the public square."

   Indeed, the "under God" change to the once-godless Pledge, came in the midst of national hysteria over the cold war and Soviet subversions. The legislative debate record of that time suggests that national leaders saw public declarations of religious belief as a kind of moral-armament against a creeping Communist menace. With the cold war over, however, and other symbols of the confrontation between east and west a crumbling memory -- much like the Berlin wall -- the shootings at Columbine High have rejuvenated the debate over the role of religion in the public square, and provided new symbols, martyrs and cultural momentum for faith-based movements. The proof is in last Thursday's vote tallies.

   "I have people calling my office, elated that such a piece of legislation could actually pass the House," Rep. Aderholt (R-ALA) told the Post, referring to the overwhelming vote in favor of Ten Commandments display. "It's been decades since Congress tried to change our religious heritage."

   "Until now, these (types of) proposals were thought of as deeply felt but futile crusades of the Christian right," adds the paper.

   But even before the Thursday vote, Christian evangelicals and fundamentalists -- a community that generally stayed on the fringes of social activism until it was gradually mobilized by Jerry Falwell and, later, the Christian Coalition in the 1980s -- were openly displaying their support of symbols which they saw as under attack by the wider secular culture. Church congregations threw their assistance behind Alabama county Judge Roy Moore, who defied orders that he remove a hand-carved copy of the Decalogue he displayed openly in his courtroom above his dais. When Moore announced that he would face jail before removing the Commandments or stop the Baptist invocation which often preceded court business, he became a hero to everyone from the Christian Coalition and Southern Baptist Convention, to then-Alabama Gov. Fob James. James went on to declare that he would call out the state guard, police, and even the University of Alabama football team to resist any "federal" order attempting to stop Moore from displaying the commandments, or even public school youngsters trying to pray in class or at official athletic events.

"I have people calling my office, elated that such a piece of legislation could actually pass the House. It's been decades since Congress tried to change our religious heritage..."

   Columbine has fueled those passions, especially since it has provided religious believers with an authentic modern Christian martyr, Cassie Bernall. A legend has already been established about Bernall -- no one knows for sure how true it might be -- that moments before being shot by one of the two high school gunman, she was asked if she believed in god. When she responded that she did, she was killed -- ostensibly, a champion for her faith. It's one reason why Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) pushed his successful amendment which allows religious memorial and services in schools. "People realized it's not their 401(l)s and the stock market, but family and faith in God that are really important," he declared. As for the wave of objections to erecting any religious symbols in a permanent Columbine monument, Tancredo describes that debate as "idiotic," and insists, "When we are desperate to strip away every degree of religiosity, we pay the price with things like Columbine." Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.) suggested that the tragic shootings at Littleton which claimed the lives of 14 students and one teacher, might not have occurred had the Commandments been displayed on school grounds. Tancredo adds that the two gunmen, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, didn't need psychological therapist "but an exorcist."

   As for the amendment which ends recovery of plaintiff's fees in successful First Amendment cases which might challenge coercive school prayer or other unconstitutional and illegal practices, Tancredo told the Washington Post, "The opponents go, 'This will have a chilling effect on those kinds of suits,' and I'm thinking 'great,' "

   Back at Columbine High School, the debate over including religious symbols as part of a permanent memorial to the victims rages on. Over 100 ideas have been submitted to the Foothills Parks and Recreation District, which does not yet even have a formal budget for any design and construction. Opinion seems to favor a permanent monument in Clement Park, which is the site of a makeshift memorial that sprang up next to Columbine High just hours after the shooting. At one time, fifteen wooden crosses were erected, but squabbling quickly erupted and two of the crosses -- supposedly to honor the lost lives of Harris and Klebold -- were removed.

   Most of the designs acknowledge only 13 victims. One for instance calls for an enormous bronze bell that would sound 13 times a year on April 20. It would be surrounded by thirteen concrete pillars linked with a bronze ribbon, and thirteen doves. Other ideas suggest a sobbing angel draped over a tombstone, or an ensemble of 13 marble benches framing a stained-glass window. The final design is to be approved by a committee of over two dozen local citizens, but religious content is sure to be one of the hotly debated topics, especially if public monies are used.

   And what about those commandments? Bible literalists especially might want to think twice about recommending that youngsters be indoctrinated in the Decalogue, especially in light of the biblical penalties for breaking any commandments. They include:

   ¶    "He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed." (Exodus 22:20).

   ¶    "And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death." (Leviticus 24:16).

   ¶   "Whosoever shall work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death." (Exodus 31:15).

   ¶    "And he that smitheth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death." (Exodus 21:15).

   ¶    "And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death." (Exodus 21:17).

   ¶    "Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death." (Exodus 22:19).

   ¶    "If a man lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death." (Leviticus 20:13).

   ¶    "And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death." (Leviticus 20:10).

   ¶    "He that believeth not, shall be damned." (Mark 16:16).

   ¶    "And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If you will not hear, if ye will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name ... Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces." (Malachi 2:1-4).

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