ACTION ALERT Indiana URGENT: Help Stop the Ten Commandments From State Promotion! Help Keep State Government from Sponsoring Religion! Legislation calling for the posting of the Ten Commandments on public property has already passed in the House and the Senate. Thankfully, it may not be too late to stop this unconstitutional train. In our state, each bill must pass by both the House and the Senate. We may be able to derail this train. We can stop the House from passing the Senate's bill and the Senate from passing the House's bill. But we must ACT! This bill is unconstitutional and violates established case law. * The display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms and hallways is unconstitutional. In Stone v. Graham, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Kentucky law requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in school classrooms, despite the law's avowed secular purpose of teaching the origins of the American legal tradition. The Court held that "the Ten Commandments are undeniably a sacred text in the Jewish and Christian faiths, and no legislative recitation of a supposed secular purpose can blind us to that fact." The underlying rationale for the posting of the document is for children to read and "perhaps to venerate and obey the Commandments," which violates the Constitution's command that the state be neutral toward religion. * There is no one version of the Ten Commandments that is recognized by all Christian denominations, let alone all faiths. There are two texts in the Christian Old Testament that vary according to translation and version. The Catholic, Lutheran and Protestant versions also have differences in wording and length, as does the Jewish version. The point is that any version of the Ten Commandments will reflect one faith or denominational tradition to the exclusion of others, resulting in government preference for one religion. This the Constitution forbids. WHAT YOU CAN DO: This legislation is unconstitutional and Americans United urges it be rejected! Contact the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and urge them to reject HB 1180 AND Contact the members of the House Public Policy, Ethics and Veteran Affairs Committee and urge them to vote against SB 2. The committee members need to hear from the public! House Public Policy, Ethics and Veterans Affairs Committee Members: "Vote against SB 2" Chairperson: Representative Kuzman Members: Bailey, Bischoff, Crooks, Dobis, Liggett, Weinzapfel. Alderman R.M.M., Duncan, Frizzell, Mock, Ruppel, Whetstone. Senate Judiciary Committee Members: "Vote against HB 1180" Chairperson: Senator Bray Members: Zakas R.M., Ford, Clark, Lubbers, Kenley, Long, Washington R.M.M., Antich, Lanane, Bowser The committees are still likely to pass the bills. However, constituent voices are important! We cannot allow politics to march forward regardless of the constitution! Inevitable does not mean legal. We must SPEAK UP! It is likely that all members of the House and Senate will need to hear from you --AGAIN -- on this issue when a vote on the floor is scheduled. We will be in touch --again. Time is of the essence, Speaking out is essential. Please contact your elected officials today. Thank you! To read the bills, visit: HB 1180 -- http://www.state.in.us/legislative/bills/2000/IN/IN1180.1.html SB 2 -- http://www.state.in.us/legislative/bills/2000/SB/SB0002.2.html Ann Mulligan States Legislative Coordinator Americans United for Separation of Church and State 518 C Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 202-466-3234 x 232 - phone 202-466-2587 - fax [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.au.org
