Belief and State

Heather Clark, Christian News • Sun 2016 Apr 24, 10:25pm

Lawmakers in Oklahoma have passed a resolution that will place on the November ballot the question of whether or not a section of the state constitution should be abolished that was used as the basis for the removal of a Ten Commandments monument at the state capitol.…

Diana Dickinson, Claremore Progress • Sun 2015 Oct 11, 9:50am

…Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said that discussion could lead to… changes to the Oklahoma State Constitution.

“When you look at other states that have put Ten Commandments monuments on capitol grounds, the U.S. Supreme Court has spoken very clearly, that that is very constitutional… [the] taking of our own constitution by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, saying it (monument) is unconstitutional, is inconsistent with our First Amendment protections we have under the U.S. Constitution. … I’m hopeful there can be a remedy to that… [Regarding Article II, Section 5 of the Oklahoma Constitution,] I believe if it is going to be interpreted like that, then I believe it needs to be repealed…”

Article II, Section 5 states, “No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary, or sectarian institution as such.” …

Heather Clark, Christian News Network • Mon 2015 Mar 16, 7:47pm

A federal judge in Oklahoma has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a prominent atheist organization that sought to challenge the presence of a Ten Commandments monument in the state capital.

American Atheists, based in New Jersey, had filed the legal challenge on behalf of a woman who complained about its installment on the grounds of the Oklahoma capitol building. The State Capitol Preservation Commission argued that the woman had only seen the monument once and had traveled to the area just to see the display and take offense. … [Emphasis added]

christianpost.com • Mon 2011 Aug 29, 6:30pmAn Illinois Circuit Court judge upheld the state's decision to drop adoption and foster care service contracts with Catholic Charities Thursday, ignoring the group's claims that their contracts were discontinued because of its religion-inspired policies.

foxnews.com • Fri 2011 May 27, 10:22amSchool officials in Neptune Township, N.J., have bowed to the demands of the ACLU and will cover decades-old religious signs posted in the historic Great Auditorium to allow a 70-year tradition of high school graduations to continue. Instead of the sign, "Holiness to the Lord," a banner will be posted over it saying, "Neptune Township School District … A Community of Learners." In addition, a banner with the words "So Be Ye Holy" will be covered with another banner saying, "Neptune High School: A School of Excellence and No Excuses."

tulsaworld.com • Mon 2009 Jun 8, 10:13pm

An appeals court ruled Monday that a Ten Commandments monument at the county courthouse in Stigler violates the Constitution because its primary effect is to endorse a religion.... 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 in a challenge to the monument brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma and by a county resident....