The perennial conflict between church and state has its roots in the founding principles and governing documents of America. On one side of this conflict are Christian fundamentalists who argue that the tradition of America is that of Pilgrims who fled religious persecution in Europe to establish a country where the practices and symbols of their Judeo-Christian faith were not only tolerated by also enshrined in law. And on the other side are secular humanists who argue that its tradition is that of enlightened men (freemasons and atheists) who fled political oppression (under men ruling by “divine right”) to establish a nation where all men were deemed equal not only in the eyes of God but also under the rule of law.
As it happens, both arguments are rooted in historical fact; and, there’s the rub of this irreconcilable conflict.
Nevertheless, on Monday, fundamentalists and humanists waited anxiously for the Supreme Court of the United States to issue a pair of decisions that both sides hoped would resolve at least one aspect of this conflict in their favor. The issue in both cases was whether it is legal under any circumstances to display the Ten Commandments in court houses and on government properties.
Stone tablets depicting the Ten Commandments outside the Supreme Court in Washington, DC – placed there by Christian fundamentalists, presumably, to channel their religious convictions to the Justices of the supreme court.
Alas, when the decisions were finally handed down, neither side had much to rejoice about – notwithstanding the sermonizing and rationalizing spin that followed. Because, in deference to the precedent set by King Solomon who the Bible describes as the wisest judge who ever lived, the nine Justices on the court split both their decisions and rulings right down the middle ground of this ongoing debate.
Specifically, in one case they issued a split 5 to 4 decision in ruling that per se displays of the Ten Commandments in court houses (as in a Kentucky court room where it stood alone) violated the constitutional principle of separation of church and state; whilst in the other they issued another split 5 to 4 decision in ruling that displays of the Ten Commandments and other religious monuments are permissible in court houses and on government properties, if they are part of a mosaic honoring religious or legal history (as on the frieze adorning their own court room which depicts Moses and the tablets as well as 17 other figures including Hammurabi, Confucius, Napoleon and Chief Justice John Marshall).
Given the inscrutable nature of this conflict, however, it is not surprising that the court’s rulings offer more Delphic uncertainty than biblical clarity. But, given the prescience of America’s founding fathers, perhaps this unending debate is precisely what they intended….
From the sublime to the ridiculous:
It was an interesting coincidence, if not divine providence, that – on the eve of these court decisions – today’s embodiment of the forces of Christian fundamentalism, Reverend Billy Graham, and secular humanism, former president Bill Clinton (and his partner Sen. Hillary Clinton), made a joint appearance at a Christian crusade in the most secular city in America, New York City. But, where fundamentalists may have regarded the court’s deference to the secularists as just another test of their faith, they must have seen Reverend Graham’s religious praise (and political endorsement) of the Clintons as a sign of the end of times as prophesied in the book of Revelations.
The forces of Good and Evil? Rev. Billy Graham, right, introduces former President Bill Clinton, left, and his wife Senator Hillary Clinton on stage in New York last Saturday.
Moreover, considering that even some of the Clinton’s secular friends see in them the machinations of the anti-Christ, fundamentalists must have felt religious (and political) apprehension upon hearing the following gospel from one of their most revered pastors:
The Clintons are wonderful friends and a great couple….President Clinton should become an evangelist…and allow his wife to run the country.
On the other hand, secularists were probably not surprised at all by Graham’s comments. After all, he was the gift from their god who granted Clinton absolution and redemption after his sinful involvement with Monica Lewinsky subjected him and the country to a Congressional impeachment trial. Back then, Graham blessed Clinton as follows:
I forgive him because I know the frailty of human nature and I know how hard it is….Clinton has such a tremendous personality, that I think the ladies just go wild over him.
It’s worth noting, however, that Graham’s own daughter, Anne Graham Lotz – herself an ordained minister, not only did not go wild over Clinton but publicly rebuked him as a man who “has no moral character”.
And so ends this episode of the conflict between church and state in America. Amen!
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