ho says that displaying Ten Commandments has little or nothing to do with sectarian religion? At a raucous gathering on the steps of the Orange County, Indiana courthouse late last Saturday night, the hymn "God Bless America" rang out along with a bevy of Bible verses as government officials unveiled a plaque of the Ten Commandments. That made the county the first in the state to take advantage of a new law enacted by the legislature permitting display of the religious teachings on government buildings.

   State Rep. Jerry Denbo, who ramrodded the legislation in February, told the Indianapolis Star newspaper, "A lot of our laws in America are based on the principles in the Ten Commandments. A lot of people feel our government has gotten away from these principles."

   Last month, the Indiana Civil Liberties Union filed suit to prevent the government from displaying the Commandments on the Statehouse lawn, arguing that the practice would violate the constitutional separation of church and state. Another elected official, Indiana State Rep. Brent Steele has gone ahead with his pet project, erecting a nine-and-a-half ton Decalogue monument on the South lawn of the building, presumably with materials donated by supporters. That won't immunize taxpayers, though, from the expense of defending a lawsuit.

   "Rep. Denbo hasn't decided to be careful with taxpayer money," said John Krull, Indiana CLU Director. "But it's not his money, so I guess he can spend it more carelessly." Krull added that the Union is contemplating another suit to challenge the display in Orange County.

   "Since Rep. Denbo took all the credit for getting the (law) passed, I hope he will step up and take all the blame when the bill comes," added Krull. "This is going to be expensive litigation, he's putting his county at risk for those expenses."

   Caught up in the wave of Ten Commandments frenzy which has swept Indiana and neighboring states, though, Orange County Commissioner Jim Mathers dismissed any concerns about having to use tax money to defend the unconstitutional practice in court. "Maybe we just don't think much about it," he told reporters.

   In Green County, the commandments were posted at a ceremony in the community of Linton at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

   Commandments enthusiasts, though, may be disappointed when and if the courts get around to examining the Indiana statute. Sen. Anita Bowser, who voted against the state law, said that it will likely be overturned. "The circuit court in Kentucky threw out the same kind of bill we have," she told the Star. "And considering what the U.S. Supreme Court has just decided about saying a prayer at ball games, I would assume that as soon as it gets the case, the court will throw it out."

   Bowser was referring to last month's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court which struck down "student led" prayer at high school football events.

   Even some religious leaders oppose the public display of the Commandments on government property. Rev. Kevin Armstrong, pastor of Roberts Park United Methodist Church and a litigant in the ICLU case against the new state law, said that the Commandments were clearly sectarian.

   "This is a religious document where a specific God is represented and was never intended to be taken as a general set of moral standards," he declared. "What's more important to me is placing those sacred writings in their religious contexts. Putting them in the public square diminishes their religious nature."

   A number of local and county buildings in places like Bedford, Lawrence and French Lick already display some version of the Commandments. According to the Bedford Times-News, town councils on West Baden Springs, Paoli and Orleans are deliberating proposals to display the Biblical laws, all taking advantage of the new statute. (The West Baden Springs town council will mull the proposal at tomorrow night's public meeting. Orleans is set to consider the matter on July 20.) Lawrence Superior Court Judge Raymond Kern has made a public display of a Commandments plaque outside his courtroom last year.

   "I put them up there. Somebody gave me a nice looking plaque and said I could have it if I put it up," Kern said.

   The excitement and volatility over the Ten Commandments issue may be blinding many supporters, though, to questions of constitutionality -- and legal consequences -- of what they are doing. Saturday's unveiling in Orange County had all of the trappings of a fervent religious revival. "You talk about being moved," declared Commissioner Charles WW. Hall. "These people are really full of spirit -- they are just so excited that it was happening."

   Rep. Denbo sees the issue as spilling well beyond the Indiana state border. "I'm real pleased," he gushed over Saturday's unveiling. "We wanted to set the tone for the rest of the nation..."

[text only]