I take a somewhat different view in schools, where I think it is more important to "contextualize" the display with other lawgivers or other words of wisdom from the major religions. Given my orientation, I would prefer teaching comparative religions to excluding all religious talk from schools, even if it means discussing truth- claims (in high school, at an appropriate age). When I was in elementary school, I would get enlisted sometimes to go to various classes without their own Jews to explain Hannukah. I liked it. Maybe we could get the Muslim kids to explain Ramadan, or the Confucian kids to explain the Lunar New Year, or whatever.
But in the grown up context of courts, I think it is too innocuous to get riled up about, even if it stands alone. I would not blame someone for pressing for a more inclusive display, however. I just wonder about going to court to have the display removed. That seems to me to be unduly confrontational.
I do not think that all complaints are whining. I do think that there is more hostility behind a lot of this than you credit. I do not think that seculars are solely to blame in the culture wars. After all, I condemned Jerry Falwell's statement about 9/11 being the fault of seculars and libertines as horribly wrong- headed and provocative. I do think, though, that there has been insufficient respect for communal traditions in various instances, and that that has polarized the situation unduly......... |
