Tuesday, October 6, 2015

4 Things Oklahoma Got Wrong About the 10 Commandments Monument

It’s always hard to fault people when their hearts are in the right place. Most of the actions taken by the Oklahoma government that pertained to erecting and fighting to keep it at the Capitol were done with proper motives, but the strategy they’ve used has been a series of follies that have resulted in multiple victories for the opposition.

Before we get into the four things that really chapped my khakis, it’s important to understand that this truly was (or should have been) a strategy rather than a series of actions. They acted in good faith when they should have been viewing the entire process from start to finish as a scenario that required political and even religious strategies to make it work out properly.

Let’s take a look at it starting with the most recent mistakes and working our way backwards.

Plans to Fight, AKA Opening Up a Can of Worms

Now that the monument has been removed, the state legislature plans to remove the portion of the state constitution that forced the state supreme court to act. The provision calls for the prohibition on the use of public property to support “any sect, church, denomination or system of religion.” On the surface, fighting this seems like a righteous move, but they’re too late. Removing the provision and replacing it with with a call for a majority vote from the people to allow for religious monuments on public property would have been the proper first move in 2009 when the monument was proposed.

Now, they’ve already lost their protection. The importance of setting it as a majority vote from citizens would have allowed for prevention of false religious artifacts from being in play. If the state got to the point where the people would vote for a Baphomet or other pagan idol, then the state of the country will have already been set. Now, trying to introduce an amendment will be forced into inclusiveness. They will not be able to sneak in the popular vote provision. That ship has sailed.

To do it today would be to allow false idols to be erected on public property. They’re opening up a can of worms if they’re able to amend the constitution in this manner today.

Removing the Monument in the Dead of Night

This act was practical. They thought that starting the removal at 10:30 at night would prevent demonstrators from both sides. They were correct. Unfortunately, it’s another case of their heart being in the right place but their actions failing to inspire.

This should have been done in the middle of the day with protesters and media present. There should have been a speech about the nature of separation of church and state (which is a concept to protect religious activities from the government, not the government from religious influence), how the country is heading down a dark path by completely eliminating God from governance, and that the state is one of the final strongholds for Judeo-Christian beliefs as the majority.

Instead, they snuck it away to prevent a big fuss. This needed a big fuss.

It Shouldn’t Be In Storage

The potentially final resting place for the monument is behind closed doors. Its storage at the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs is done because they feel like they’ll be able to put it back in its rightful place once the amendment is passed.

It should be on display on private property close by. The closer the better. Certainly they could have found a private sponsor to take over the upkeep and display it proudly as close to the Capitol as legally possible. Instead, it’s hidden.

It Should Never have Been Built in the First Place

This will make some of our Christian readers upset to hear us say this, but times have changed. The society is no longer impressed with monuments. They’re no longer swayed by symbols, or to put it more accurately, they’re not going to have their hearts changed by symbols.

The time, money, and legal fighting that went into this project should have been used for the ground game. That’s where we’re at in this society. Liberals and atheists are winning the legal battles. They’re changing society at the government level. To reverse this trend, the hearts of the voters and the influence of Christianity must be addressed face-to-face, hand-to-hand.

This battle was doomed to be lost and now it represents further disheartening among conservative Christians who are still hoping for better.

Imagine the same effort, money, and legal fighting put towards tangible efforts rather than symbolic ones. Imagine a fight to justify the theory of evolution and Creation on equal footing in schools. Imagine putting the effort towards the fight against abortion, gun grabbers, or religious liberties under attack from the left.

It’s too late for symbolic battles. We need to get down into the trenches and fight for what’s right.

Removing Oklahoma 10 Commandments Monument



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