This whole Alabama courthouse thing is silly.

More specifically, it's making the Christians defending the ten commandments seem absolutely inept. The argument I hear over and over again is that "The Constitution was inspired by the Ten Commandments" and "The Ten Commandments are the foundation of our laws!"

Um... no.

First argument -
"The constitution was inspired by / based on / related to the Ten Commandments."

No, it wasn't. http://www.house.gov/Constitution/Constitution.html has a copy of it. It deals with seperation of powers, with the foundation of a body of government, with who has power to make war, that sort of thing. Even the basic "Murder is illegal, theft is illegal" isn't in there.

There is NO parallel to be found between the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Second argument -
"The Ten Commandments are the foundation of our laws."

No.

First, several commandments would go *against* our laws. Specifically "I am the Lord thy God, who led your people out of Egypt. You shall have no other gods before me" (or no "strange" gods, or any other way it's worded.) Also "Thou shalt make no graven image."

These go against the federal law which prohibits establishment of an "official" religion. Making these part of the "law of the land" would immediately make many religions illegal - anything but judaism, actually. (Nobody worshipped Christ when the law was given, and it could be said that the monument at Mecca is an "idol," so even Christianity and Judaism could be called "illegal.")

Then there's the "you shall not take my name in vain." What's the definition of that? Swearing is now illegal? And is the oft-seen hispanic name "Jesus" vain?

How about working on the Sabbath? Judaic sabbath, remember. Saturday.

There's no law forcing you to "honor" your father or mother. You don't even have to give them a card on Father's Day or Mother's Day.

There are THREE laws that coincide with the ten commandments nationally -
Thou shalt not murder, steal, or bear false witness (fit under perjury, libel, and slander laws for that last one.)

Some places have adultery laws, as well - yet we even kept an adulterer (Clinton) as president.

Last but not least, where's the law that makes envy illegal?

Yet - and this is part of what drives me nuts with so many "fundamentalist" Christians - you point this out and they try to beat you over the head with their Bible.

Then bring up the line in the Treaty of Tripoli, 1790, that says we are "in no way a Christian nation."

It's amazing how much steam can come out of someone's ears.