Re: Ten Commandments

[Hamilton02]

Jim-- I don't know what docent you are talking to, but the Court's historian took me on a personal tour and explained to me at some length that the tablets in the front are not the ten commandments, but rather the "Bill of Rights," by which he meant the first ten amendments, of course.  It is quite clear that Moses is on the right with 2 Commandments, not ten. It would make no sense for the Ten Commandments to appear twice on the friezes, given no other entity appears twice. The friezes make the obvious point that the ten commandments even decades ago were not thought to be the sole or even primary source of American law, but rather some of them have been relevant to general legal principles.     With all due respect, you need to get your facts straight before calling anyone supercilious.    Marci   In a message dated 3/2/2005 8:06:25 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The I-X on the front panel is the Bill of Rights, not the Ten Commandments. This is patent nonsense, and it was supercilliously silly of Justice Stevens to make the assertion today.   Why is it nonsense?   You, and he, say that it represents the Bill of Rights.  I have a copy of the Bill of Rights.  The Bill of Rights is on display in the National Archives, if you do not have one of your own to review.  Or you may examine one at http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters/bill_of_rights_zoom_1.html.   Please look at the "Bill of Rights."  It consists of twelve numbered articles, not ten.   You may mean to suggest that the numbered plaque over the Chief Justice's chair represents the first Ten Amendments, but you didn't.  You said it was the Bill of Rights.  The facts say that is stuff and nonsense.   Moreover, the docents that lead tours of the United States Supreme Court say that the plaque of the Chief Justice's head "is not the Ten Commandments, but is the artist's attempt to depict moral codes common to all early societies."  That interpretation, in turn, is drawn from a summary of the history of the Surpeme Court building produced by the Federal Writers' Project.   Jim Henderson Senior Counsel ACLJ

_______________________________________________
To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see 
http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw

Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private.  
Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can 
read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the 
messages to others.