Ever since the Supreme Court kinda sorta said local governments can promote Ten Commandments displays on public property, religious right activists have made concerted efforts to get more “religion in the public square” with more religious monuments. But in one very interesting case in Utah, these same activists suddenly want less religion in public, not more.<\/p>\n
In Pleasant Grove, Utah, a Ten Commandments memorial, donated by the Fraternal Order of Eagles in 1971, sits in a secluded area of city property that is intended to honor the city’s heritage. Pleasant Grove is now facing litigation<\/a> about the display, not from civil libertarians, but from another religious group that wants equal treatment.<\/p>\n The question of whether the Salt Lake City religious group Summum can place a monument bearing its seven aphorisms in a Pleasant Grove park is headed for trial. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Dee Benson denied Summum’s motion to find in the group’s favor without a trial.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I’m not an expert in the Summum, but as I understand it, the group’s Aphorisms include statements such as “Summum is Mind, Thought; the Universe is a Mental Creation,” and “Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates,” and “As above, so below; as below, so above.” I haven’t a clue what any of this means, but that’s not really the point.<\/p>\n These people see one religious tradition’s sacred text endorsed in public and they’d like their beliefs to receive similar support. It’s not an unreasonable argument. Local officials clearly disagree, and have fought the Summum over its proposed monument for years.<\/p>\n