More than 90 faith leaders are asking Gov. Andy Beshear to veto a House joint resolution that would move a 10 Commandments monument from a Fraternal Order of Eagles post in Hopkinsville to the grounds of the state capitol. Zina (Zy-na) Merkin is with Interfaith Alliance of the Bluegrass, which has members from nearly a dozen religious faiths as well as non-believers.
“The Constitution says that the government shall not favor a particular religion, and the 10 Commandments are particular to the Judea Christian strain of religions.”
Merkin also said there are several different versions of the 10 Commandments. Merkin notes the monument was once installed at the capital, then sent back to Hopkinsville after a successful lawsuit.
“I think that we have wasted an awful lot of money in this state defending lawsuits where we have violated people’s rights in some way or violated the Constitution.”
Critics say putting the monument on capitol grounds would violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. Backers say it would help Kentuckians recognize the historic importance of the Ten Commandments. The bill’s sponsor, state Representative Shane Baker, declined multiple requests for an interview.
This story is republished with permission from WEKU. Read the original.
John McGary is a Lexington native and Navy veteran with three decades of radio, television and newspaper experience. He comes to WEKU from The Woodford Sun, where he was editor while covering government meetings, reporting on community events and taking photographs. At the Sun, he won multiple awards for news and feature stories and columns. At WLEX-TV, John won a Midwest Regional Emmy for an investigative story about illegal dumping and in 2003, was named Best Television Reporter by the Kentucky Associated Press. In the Navy, he was named Print Journalist of the Year once and Navy Broadcaster of the Year twice. John’s radio experience includes news and starting a radio magazine show at NTC Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and co-hosting a morning news/talk show in Owensboro, Ky. while working for The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer.
