Five Things to Know About Arkansas’ Ten Commandments Monument

Last week we wrote that a trial date has been set in the lawsuit over Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments.

The Arkansas Legislature passed a measure in 2015 authorizing the monument on the capitol grounds.

Shortly after it was unveiled, atheist groups and the Satanic Temple joined a lawsuit to have the monument removed.

Here are five things to know about Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments.

#1. The Monument is Identical to One Ruled Constitutional in Texas

In 2005 the U.S. Supreme Court declared a Texas monument of the Ten Commandments constitutional.

The court ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not stop the government from authorizing a monument or message that may contain religious content.

Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments is virtually identical to the one the court ruled constitutional in Texas.

#2. The Monument Was Not Paid for With Taxpayer Funds

Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments was privately-funded.

Act 1213 of 2015 authorizing the monument said, “The Secretary of State shall arrange for the monument to be designed, constructed, and placed on the State Capitol grounds by private entities at no expense to the State of Arkansas.”

The American History and Heritage Foundation provided the funding for the monument through donations from more than 800 individuals.

#3. Legislation Authorizing The Monument Received Bipartisan Support Among Lawmakers

Act 1213 of 2015 authorizing the Ten Commandments monument received support from both Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature.

That was true of the votes taken in the Arkansas House as well as in the Arkansas Senate.

Altogether, 73% of Arkansas’ state legislators voted for Act 1213.

#4. The Monument Honors the Impact of the Ten Commandments on American History and the Rule of Law

The monument’s stated purpose is to honor the impact the Ten Commandments have had on American history.

Act 1213 or 2015 authorizing the monument says,

The Ten Commandments, found in the Bible at Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21, are an important component of the moral foundation of the laws and legal system of the United States of America and of the State of Arkansas; . . . The placing of a monument to the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol would help the people of the United States and of the State of Arkansas to know the Ten Commandments as the moral foundation of the law.

Historians have long recognized the Ten Commandments as one of the oldest examples of the rule of law in human history.

Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments simply recognizes that fact.

#5. The Monument is Not the Only One on the Capitol Lawn

The State Capitol’s grounds contain monuments commemorating Arkansas’ firefighters, law enforcement officers, Vietnam veterans, the Little Rock Nine, and others who have been part of state history.

The Capitol Building itself contains plaques, paintings, and statues recognizing different parts of American history.

The Capitol Building also hosts temporary exhibits and displays from private groups and individuals. These displays generally are tied to American history or to Arkansas.

It wouldn’t be right for the state to prohibit a monument honoring the Ten Commandments in Arkansas when it allows so many other displays in and around the Capitol Building.

Trial Court Date Set for Ten Commandments Monument

Last week, U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker set a trial court date for the lawsuit over Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments.

The trial will begin the week of July 13, 2020.

In 2015 Sen. Jason Rapert (R – Conway) sponsored a law authorizing a monument of the Ten Commandments on the Arkansas State Capitol Grounds.

It was placed on the Capitol lawn on June 27, 2017.

Less than 24 hours later, a man plowed a vehicle into the monument, completely destroying it.

The monument was rebuilt and placed on the Capitol grounds in April of 2018.

Now the American Humanist Association, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the Satanic Temple all are part of a lawsuit to have the monument removed.

In a written statement last week, Sen. Jason Rapert said, “the Ten Commandments are an important component to the foundation of the laws and legal system of the United State of America and the State of Arkansas.”

Sen. Rapert went on to note that the monument of the Ten Commandments was not publicly funded.

“Over 800 donors gave funds to help us fulfill this project. . . . Private donations were used to rebuild the monument which was reinstalled with the addition of security bollards to protect it,” he said.

The monument is identical to one the U.S. Supreme Court ruled constitutional in Texas in 2005.

Frankly, there just shouldn’t be anything controversial about a monument honoring the significance of the Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments are one of the earliest examples of the rule of law in human history.

The Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are amazing documents, but the Ten Commandments are the great-great-granddaddy of them all.

Satanic Temple Intervening in Lawsuit Against AR Ten Commandments Monument

Yesterday U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker allowed the Satanic Temple to intervene in a lawsuit over the state’s monument of the Ten Commandments on the Arkansas Capitol lawn.

In 2015 the Arkansas Legislature authorized the privately funded Ten Commandments monument that is identical to a monument the U.S. Supreme Court ruled constitutional in Texas a few years ago.

However, last June the American Humanist Association and the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit against the state to have the monument removed. Now the Satanic Temple will be part of that lawsuit as well.

Both the Satanic Temple and the Freedom From Religion Foundation have made headlines recently over their efforts to oppose Christmas celebrations and displays.

In Ohio the Freedom From Religion Foundation successfully bullied a town into removing a Ten Commandments monument and a Nativity scene from public property.

In the Illinois capitol rotunda the Satanic Temple installed a temporary “Snaketivity” display that features a human hand holding an apple with a snake coiled around it. Beneath the statue read the words, “Knowledge Is The Greatest Gift.”

As we have said before, city, county, and state officials are free to celebrate Christmas. Courts also have ruled that the government can recognize the significant impact of the Ten Commandments down through the years.

We need to understand and appreciate the significance of the Ten Commandments — including their impact on our system government and their relevance to us still today. Unfortunately some groups seem determined to erase anything that acknowledges that significance from the public sphere.