Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Wed, Nov 12 2008
Summum monuments in public parks
I must admit that I had not heard of the Summum until I read about their efforts to erect monuments in public parks. I did look up the Summum web site and found it interesting that they have a stained glass graphic of Christ on their home page, along with a couple of Bible texts. They claim that Moses first came down from Mount Sinai, not with Ten Commandments, but with Seven Principles, or Aphorisms. If you decide to go and read about those, expect to see words such as "psychokinesis", "vibration" and "copulation". I'm sure it would take a lot of study for me to see how these things go with their stained glass graphic of Jesus. But they did know how to get my attention with that graphic.
The town that has allowed the Ten Commandments, but not the Principles, in its park, may end up denying both kinds of monuments from the park in order to prevent the presence of the Principles. These kinds of conflicts underscore our need to try to keep the favoring of any one religion out of the hands of public officials. If we allow any one set of beliefs to be controlled by our government, sooner or later our government is going to end up toying with our own particular favorite set of beliefs. And when they do, it will be our own fault for having encouraged them to set that precedent.
posted at: 07:20 | category: /Religious and Spiritual | link to this entry
I must admit that I had not heard of the Summum until I read about their efforts to erect monuments in public parks. I did look up the Summum web site and found it interesting that they have a stained glass graphic of Christ on their home page, along with a couple of Bible texts. They claim that Moses first came down from Mount Sinai, not with Ten Commandments, but with Seven Principles, or Aphorisms. If you decide to go and read about those, expect to see words such as "psychokinesis", "vibration" and "copulation". I'm sure it would take a lot of study for me to see how these things go with their stained glass graphic of Jesus. But they did know how to get my attention with that graphic.
The town that has allowed the Ten Commandments, but not the Principles, in its park, may end up denying both kinds of monuments from the park in order to prevent the presence of the Principles. These kinds of conflicts underscore our need to try to keep the favoring of any one religion out of the hands of public officials. If we allow any one set of beliefs to be controlled by our government, sooner or later our government is going to end up toying with our own particular favorite set of beliefs. And when they do, it will be our own fault for having encouraged them to set that precedent.
posted at: 07:20 | category: /Religious and Spiritual | link to this entry
