Editorial: The Ten Commandments as Public Ritual

Abstract

America has had its share of crises lately. And in times of crisis, people typically look to religion for answers. In the wake of the trage dies at Columbine High School and other schools across America where students and teachers were gunned down by troubled youth, for example, an outcry arose across the country calling for a to relig ious values. Some have suggested that those murders took place be cause our schools no longer teach basic religious values: belief in God, regular prayer, and knowledge of Scripture. They argue that if public schools taught these basic religious truths, horrific acts such as the Col umbine murders would never have taken place. More recently, the tragic events of September 11, 2001 have led many to call for a return to God for answers not only about why the tragedy occurred, but also to give us the solace we need in a time of national crisis. Television preachers such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Rob ertson even suggested that the tragedy was God's doing, divine judg ment, the result of America's turning away from God, and that radical steps, including legislation encouraging public religious activity, are necessary to the nation to its religious roots, lest we suffer addi tional episodes of God's judgment.