he House of Representatives today voted to pass legislation which allows states to display the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms and other official government venues. Introduced as the Ten Commandments Defense Act by Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama, the measure was approved 248-180, and was an amendment on a larger package of juvenile justice and gun control legislation still being debated.

   On Wednesday night, Aderholt told the House that the nation "was founded upon Judeo Christian principles," and that his proposal -- which would legalize the display by states of the Decalogue on public property -- did not favor one religion over another. "We have freedom of religion," declared the combative Alabama congressman, "not freedom from religion." Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) then rose, and pointed out that the act would have little or no impact on juvenile crime, and clearly violated the separation of church and state. "I understand that simply posting the Ten Commandments will not instantly change the moral character of our nation," replied Aderholt. "However, it is an important step to promote morality, and an end of children killing children."

   The Ten Commandments Defense Act was bogged down last year as legislators took up the matter of the Starr report and the Clinton impeachment fiasco. Aderholt had succeeded in persuading representatives and senators, though, to pass a measure recommending that the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms, government buildings and other official venues. That non-binding resolution was in support of Alabama county judge Roy Moore, who has attracted national coverage for displaying a copy of the Commandments in his courtroom, and opening judicial proceedings with a Baptist invocation.

   In the wake of the Columbine High School shootings in April, Aderholt persuaded key Republicans, including members of the "Values and Action Team" (VAT) to fast-track the Decalogue proposal. Unlike the non-binding capitol resolution which simply supported and "recommended" the display of the Commandments, the Ten Commandments Defense Act would have given the states power to erect such monuments.

   Dan Carney, an analyst with Congressional Quarterly, told CSPAN that the Aderholt act was attached as an amendment to the juvenile justice crime bill, with the latter becoming "a catchall for everyone's personal agenda." A slew of other amendments attempted to condemn the entertainment industry, or propose rating controls on movies, videos and even musical lyrics.

   Legislators divided sharply over Aderholt's proposal. Ten Commandments supporter Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA) said recently that had the Decalogue been displayed at Columbine High School, the shootings there in April would not have occurred. Democrats like Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, though, warned that the proposal excluded millions of Americans, and asked, "Whose Ten Commandments? The Christian version, the Protestant version or the Jewish version? They're different, you know."

   Even if the measure wins support in the Senate and becomes law, it is sure to be challenged in the courts. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional a Kentucky law which required schools to post a copy of the Decalogue in all classrooms. Courts have ruled, however, that in courthouses or other settings the Commandments may be displayed if they are "secularized" as part of a setting with other documents such as state constitutions or the Bill of Rights.

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