GODLESS WEDNESDAY: Oklahoma Has (Finally!) Removed 10 Commandments Monument

Good news! The state of Oklahoma is no longer violating its own constitution by promoting religion (Christianity) on the state Capitol grounds. About two weeks ago, workers quietly removed the large two-ton stone monument to the Ten Commandments which has been in the news several times over the last year (October 2014, July 2015).

Slate reports:

A Ten Commandments monument planted on the grounds of the Oklahoma Capitol was quietly removed on Monday night, after years of quarreling over the 6-foot, 4,800-pound granite slab’s presence at the statehouse. The court-ordered relocation puts to rest the divisive issue, but perhaps only temporarily—conservative lawmakers are considering a (state) Constitutional amendment to bring the monument back. 

“Originally authorized by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2009, the privately funded monument has been a lightning rod for controversy since it was erected in 2012, prompting a lawsuit from Bruce Prescott, a Baptist minister from Norman who complained it violated the state constitution,” the Associated Press reports. “The [move] comes after the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision in June that the display violates a state constitutional prohibition on the use of public property to support ‘any sect, church, denomination or system of religion.’" 

“Oklahoma is the latest in a string of states, cities and school districts to grapple with whether government display of the Ten Commandments violates the First Amendment’s prohibition on any ‘law respecting an establishment of religion,' or similar provisions in state constitutions,” according to the New York Times. “Courts have prohibited displays for religious purposes, while allowing those for broader cultural reasons, leading to mixed results in legal challenges.”

Here at MadProfessah.com we will keep you posted on the developments! For all of your godless heathens in Oklahoma, you can breathe easier knowing that your state government is no longer officially declaring the non-religious to be second class citizens by violating the separation of church and state.