Francis J. Beckwith wrote:
No I am not arguing that believing the 10 commandments are from God is irrational, nor do I think it would logically follow that if I did, they should be "banned from public places" or that the government should be telling our young people that they're irrational. I obviously don't believe that the Ten Commandments come from God, but that doesn't mean I think government should be teaching that, or that this idea should somehow be eradicated from "public places" (whatever that might mean). I don't think government should be taking any position on their validity whatsoever, either mine or yours. And I think the first amendment requires exactly that kind of neutrality.Ed, are you suggesting that believing the 10 commandments are from God is irrational? If so, not only should the 10 commandments be banned from public places, we should be telling our young people that its divine source is suspect and to believe that way shows a lack of intellectual virtue.
But if it isn't prima facie irrational to believe that God is the source ofI don't believe anyone here has ever taken the position that the state not "permit that account to be offered as one of many accounts of the grounding of our law". I just don't think our government should be endorsing the idea through their exclusive display. Is that unreasonable?
the 10 commandments, then it seems to me that to require that the state not
permit that account to be offered as one of many accounts of the grounding
of our law would deny our young people the opportunity to appreciate a way
of thinking inspired people as diverse as James Wilson and Martin Luther
King, Jr.
Ed Brayton _______________________________________________ To post, send message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw
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