Civics Class

Here's a follow-up to yesterday's Mooregasbord.

Civics

I found the following paragraph particularly poignant:

But the Constitution doesn't just protect church from state and vice versa. It was also designed to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority - from the indifference with which the majority sometimes wields power.

And that's the crux of the matter, really. The Constitution, particularly the Bill of Rights, was put into place to protect those in the minority from the sometimes-oppressive discourses of the majority. When it comes right down to it, it doesn't matter how many people oppose the removal of the monument.* Ninety-eight percent of U.S. Americans could be opposed to removing the monument and it would still have to go. If Moore or anyone else wants to announcement their Christian beliefs to the world, they have plenty of opportunities. Wear a cross, stick a Jesus fish on your car, erect a prayer altar in your home, put a stone version of the Ten Commandments in your back yard, and attend a candlelight vigil at your local house of worship. If Christianity (or any religion for that matter) offers someone the spiritual solace they need, terrific. I'm thrilled when someone finds a spiritual path that works for them. However, when that other person tries to represent their spiritual path as the path of all citizens, as is the case when a monument is erected on state property, I'll be crying foul.

*Like the author of this op-ed piece, I suspect U.S. Americans would be singing a different tune if I erected a monument that included a pentagram (the five pointed star that represents the five elements of Wiccca: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit), the words of Buddha, or lines from the Tao Te Ching.