Display of Ten Commandments gets Congress’ nod, Jews’ rebuke

WASHINGTON, June 21 (JTA) — The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that many observers say takes a sledgehammer to the wall separating church and state. In a frenzy of activity last week regarding legislation to deter juvenile crime, lawmakers passed a series of amendments they said were aimed at instilling children with traditional values and addressing what House Republican Whip Tom Delay (R-Texas) called “the abandonment of God on the public arena.” The most controversial measure, passed by a 248-180 vote, permits states to allow the display of the Ten Commandments in schools and other public places. The largely symbolic move drew swift condemnation from church-state watchdogs, as did the House’s approval of amendments promoting prayer in public schools, approving religious symbols or language for memorials in public schools and bypassing existing rules governing federal funding of juvenile programs run by religious institutions. None of the measures, however, stand a realistic chance of becoming law because the Senate is not likely to approve them and President Clinton is likely to veto any such legislation. The Anti-Defamation League summed up the day’s activities this way: “With almost no warning, in a series of rapid-fire votes, following the barest of floor debates which occurred in the middle of the night, the House of Representatives has approved a number of constitutionally suspect amendments.” Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, called the House’s action an “insidious” effort to erode church-state separation “under the guise of advancing protection for our children.” The amendments passed as lawmakers debated the causes of youth violence and proposals for stricter gun control laws and a ban on the distribution of violent entertainment. During heated debate over the Ten Commandments measure, Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), its main sponsor, said he understood that “simply posting the Ten Commandments will not instantly change the moral character of our nation. However, it is an important step to promote morality and an end of children killing children.” One supporter of the amendment, Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.), recently said that the Columbine massacre in Littleton, Colo., would not have occurred if the Ten Commandments had been posted in the school. The American Jewish Congress rebuked the House for approving the Ten Commandments measure while simultaneously rejecting gun control legislation. The group said the “spirit of Charlton Heston,” the Hollywood actor-turned pro-gun lobbyist who depicted Moses carrying the Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai in Cecil B. DeMille’s classic 1956 film, “hovers over the House of Representatives.” “This legislation does more than violate First Amendment church/state separation,” the AJCongress said. “It pays homage to Heston’s National Rifle Association through its absurd contention that gun control is not necessary in our violent society, and that a return to old-time religion will do the job.” Nathan Diament, director of the Institute for Public Affairs of the Orthodox Union, said that the organization has not directly addressed the question of posting the Ten Commandments in schools, but “from a sincere religious perspective that takes the Ten Commandments and what they stand for very seriously, it’s hard to see how posting the Ten Commandments on a wall has much value.” “I do not think that Dylan Klebold would have stopped in his tracks if he saw ‘Thou shall not kill’ hanging on the wall,” he said, referring to one of the two Columbine High School gunmen who killed 13 people in addition to themselves on April 20. Not everyone agreed with the reactions expressed by Jewish groups. Pat Robertson, head of the Christian Coalition, hailed the vote as a “courageous move toward bringing values back into our public schools after decades of banishment by the courts.” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), who joined with other Jewish lawmakers in voting against the measure, raised constitutional questions: “Whose Ten Commandments? Which version? The Catholic version? The Protestant version? Or the Jewish version?” In 1980, the Supreme Court struck down a Kentucky law requiring the posting of a copy of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, ruling that it violated the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state. Both chambers of Congress have previously adopted resolutions supporting an Alabama judge’s defiance of an order to remove a posting of the Ten Commandments in his courtroom. But neither of those actions carried the force of law. For his part, President Clinton told reporters the measure invites a court challenge, but said he supported the idea of schools helping to “build the character of children.” He said he would speak to lawmakers about “another option” that would avoid imposing one religion on students, but provided no specifics.