[Poohbah]

If you're arguing that the Charter of Massachusetts Bay has the force of law in this matter, then this excerpt from the same paragraph you quoted is of interest:

from tyme to tyme, to make, ordeine, and establishe all Manner of wholesome and reasonable Orders, Lawes, Statutes, and Ordinances, Directions, and Instructions, not contrairie to the Lawes of this our Realme of England

Hmm.

[hedgetrimmer]

Sometimes it is a good thing to remember how this country got its start. It is important to understand that the country was found on a christian ethic. Until recent years it was never against the law to use christian creed, prayer or ethics in a public place because one of the formost reasons for emigration to America was so that the pilgrims, puritans, quakers, scots irish protestants (all christians) could freely exercise their religion.

Now we have a minority group of atheists who want to reform society and take away a right to speak and pray and worship God that has been hard fought since before the American Revolution.

To try to force the ten commandments out of public life is to refute the origin of this country, and it is a symptom of the effort force America into a soviet style secular society.

If you look into the past, secular societies have not been very good for individual rights-- France after the revolution, and France today are fine examples. And of course we all know about the soviet union, don't we? And China? And Cuba? Do Americans really want to go there? I think they don't.