Ten Commandments stand makes hero of US Judge

To many, the stand of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore bears resemblance to those taken by several biblical prophets, as well as reformers like Huss and Luther..... As CNN poll shows 77% of American support Moore’s position.

Whatever the legal technicality surrounding the issue involving Alabama’s Chief Justice Roy Moore, the man must be admired for the extremely courageous stand he has taken in defence of his convictions. A CNN poll has shown that 77 percent of the American population support the Chief Justice.

Moore, a staunch Evangelical Christian with a Full Gospel perspective of the Bible, was suspended by a judicial ethics panel on August 22, after refusing to obey a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama Judicial Building rotunda. Throughout the entire episode, the articulate and outspoken Justice Moore held a consistent path, declaring that his position did not violate any item governing the Separation of Church and State. Judge Myron Thompson, who initially gave the order against Moore (as the former took the side of the American Civil Liberties Union which represented the plaintiffs) asked the “strange” question, “Can the State acknowledge God?” Predicable responses were swift in coming from Moore and his attorney: “America, its money and its pledge, directly acknowledge God in the words, ‘In God we trust’, ‘One nation under God’ and ‘God bless America.’” Moore also stated that he told the Judicial Commission that he upheld his oath of office by acknowledging God.

The Chief Justice, who has since taken his appeal to the US Supreme Court, pointed to the fact that the Ten Commandments were, in essence, the foundation of the laws of the US. He also noted that the massive increase in lawlessness in the US and the huge breakdown in morality, is as a result of a straying from the Ten Commandments. His monument, he argued, was to reinforce this point and refocus the public accordingly. In his now famous — or infamous — stance of defiance, Moore screamed in a Fox News interview, “They have the audacity to come into court and say we have to remove the very foundation of our law, which is the Ten Commandments.” There appears to be an oxymoron, irony or a paradox on every side. The same court which punishes people for killing, stealing and adultery is demanding the Ten Commandments which states, “Thou shall not kill... Thou shall not steal... Thou shall not commit adultery” be removed from the court. While the Federal Judge Thompson and other State justices fuss and fume over Moore’s Ten Commandments monument, and his vibrant Christian resolve, America’s history books record the nation’s first Chief Justice, John Jay, as declaring on October 12, 1816 that the American people should not even elect anyone who did not have a Christian background. ‘The history books also record a very impressive spiritual legacy of the founding fathers, who have provided the superpower with a rich Christian heritage.

Forming part of this precious heritage are the often-quoted words of first US President George Washington, who proclaimed, “It’s impossible to govern without God and the Bible.” Small wonder therefore, that Justice Moore and his many supporters have cried “hypocrisy.” Moore and his Foundation for Moral Law unit are aggressively pursuing his cause. Needless to say he has become a champion of sorts and a source of inspiration to many, as this time of moral crisis in the US. At one rally in support of Moore, prominent American Pastor Jerry Falwell and former presidential candidate, Alan Keyes spoke. Falwell trumpeted, “When God gives you a champion, get behind him. We may have to visit him in jail someday... Like Martin Luther King and his army of a generation ago, we shall overcome.” Justice Moore seemed to be at peak in his fiery eloquence last Tuesday during a live interview on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. He vowed “win or lose at the Supreme Court, the fight continues.”

For most Christians, whether Moore wins or loses in court is largely immaterial. They understand that a stand for righteousness, of the nature taken by the tenacious Chief Justice, would sometimes cross grains with the law. To many, Moore’s stand bears resemblance to those taken by several biblical prophets, such as Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, Paul and even Christ himself, who had to stand up against the anti-God status quo. His position, although not as “big,” is reminiscent of the kind adopted by reformers John Huss, Martin Luther and others. It is widely believed that the disturbing decline in righteousness and morality in the US, and the large section of the world so directly affected and fashioned by US culture, demand that someone of the stature of Chief Justice Moore, takes a compelling stand for godliness. Showing radical contempt for laws which govern our land is not something we would instigate. However, there are cases where a stand of dignity, honour and purity wins great admiration. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Ps. 33:12).