After a federal judge recently ruled that a city in New Mexico must get rid of a religious monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the lawn in front of Bloomfield City Hall, an Alabama lawmaker restated his desire to have a similar structure built in his city, arguing it has little to do with religion and more with history.

In response to a lawsuit filed by American Civil Liberties Union, James Parker, Senior U.S. District Judge, said the proposed monument not only amounted to government speech but also had the principal effect of endorsing religion. Placing the deadline for its removal as September 10, Parker said the history and context of the granite monument in Bloomfield clearly violated the First Amendment Establishment Clause.

ACLU filed the suit in 2012 after receiving complaints from two Bloomfield residents who practice Wicca.

Peter Simpson, executive director of ACLU New Mexico, said the judge’s decision was a victory for protecting the state from government-sponsored religion.

“We firmly support the right of individuals, religious groups and community associations to publicly display religious monuments, but the government should not be in the business of picking which sets of religious beliefs belong at City Hall,” said Simpson.

According to the court testimony provided by plaintiff Jane Felix, the display says those who do not agree with the monument will be considered outsiders.

However, city attorneys have said that the monument was erected and paid for by private funders under a 2007 resolution that permits residents to install any historical monument of their choice.

In a related incident, Tim Guffey, a Republican county commissioner in Alabama, proposed to build a monument in honour of America’s historical documents at a courthouse in Scottsboro. The monument is expected to yet again feature the Bible’s Ten Commandments alongside the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

“What I’m trying to do is erect a monument of historical documents. It’s the Constitution, the Ten Commandments and the Declaration of Independence. I feel like that’s what this country was founded on. These documents helped America become the greatest country in history.… The Ten Commandments is a historical document (in this context) and it has nothing to do with religion. It shows that these founders had great beliefs in God and the Ten Commandments and His Word and it helped them get to the point where they were,” said Guffey.

Photo Credits: MNG Interactive