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Religious Values Under Attack in the Courts Dear Friend, You've heard me talk a great deal, especially in the past year, about "judicial tyranny" -- the threat that unelected, unaccountable judges pose to our religious liberties, traditional marriage and each human being's God-given right to life. If you've ever struggled to understand why I think this issue is so important, two decisions issued yesterday by the U.S. Supreme Court make painfully clear what's at stake not only for us, but for future generations. In a pair of 5-4 rulings that tore a hole through the First Amendment -- one from Texas, one from Kentucky -- the court found that religious documents and icons are not fit for display on government property, unless they are first stripped of all their religious significance. In other words, it's OK to keep a Ten Commandments monument on state-owned land, so long as you don't consider what's written on the stone tablets to be anything more than empty words from a bygone era that is only worth remembering as a distant point on a timeline. Media reports have suggested yesterday's decisions represent a "split decision" on the legality of Commandments displays -- but the reality is there is little to be encouraged about, even in the so-called "victory" in Texas. While justices did not order the monument on the Texas state capitol grounds to be removed -- as they ruled against displays in Kentucky courthouses -- their reason for allowing the monument was hardly based on principle. This was no affirmation of the right of religious expression -- particularly Christian religious expression -- in the public square; it was an argument rooted in logic along the lines of, "Well, the Commandments have been around for a long time, so long, in fact, that they're kind of like any other historical decoration that might be used to adorn the walls or the grounds of a public building. So let them stay in place and keep accumulating dust." What is especially chilling about all of this is that four justices can't even condone the Commandments under these decidedly non-religious circumstances. Think about that for a moment: If just one vote had gone the other way, sandblasters would have had to be taken to just about every government building in Washington, D.C., including the Supreme Court building itself, which includes a carving of Moses holding the Ten Commandments as part of a diorama on historical lawgivers. I mention this disturbing news to you today to prepare you for the battle ahead. A vacancy is likely to open up on the Supreme Court soon -- and the decisions released yesterday make it more evident than ever that the next justice must be a "strict constructionist," a jurist who understands his or her role is to uphold, not shred, the Constitution. I urge you to continue to monitor this assault on our values from the courts -- and to step forward to make your voice heard when the time is right and an opening does come on the high court. To help you stay abreast of the latest developments on this issue -- as well as other efforts to defend the family through government and public policy -- please consider a complimentary subscription to CitizenLink, our daily e-mail news service. I also hope you'll take the time to listen to today's Focus on the Family® Action broadcast on the subject, featuring former White House counsel Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship; Princeton University law professor Robert George; and Alan Sears, president of the Alliance Defense Fund. For more information on the broadcast or to listen online, visit our Web site. Thank you for your willingness to stand boldly for righteousness.
James C.
Dobson, Ph.D.
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