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Ten Commandments Prized From Ground At Oklahoma Capitol, Eliciting Battle Cries From Conservatives

By Shelley Hazen
Published on: 04:45 PST, Oct 6, 2015

After night fell Monday, a small crew got to work prizing a 4,800-pound monument of the Ten Commandments from its firm place in front of the Oklahoma Capitol.

And as conservative groups threaten to challenge the State Supreme Court ruling that ordered its removal, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma is counter-threatening to file a lawsuit to keep the religious tribute away from the Capitol building.

The state hired the same firm that installed the monument, Wilbert Memorials, to remove it about 10:30 p.m., the Daily Oklahoman reported. The operation was guarded by a barricade and a police presence, and it was conducted at night to keep protesters at bay.

Former Rep. Mike Reynolds came out for the removal and was none too happy about it.

“This is a historical event. Now we know we have to change the Constitution. It would be good to get rid of some of the… justices, too.”

The Ten Commandments have been moved to the headquarters of a conservative think tank called the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, the Associated Press reported. The AP suggested the group was keeping it in storage, whereas the local press said it would be installed outside.

The OCPA is shelling out the $5,000 necessary to unlock the six-foot-tall memorial from the rebar and epoxy that has affixed it firmly the ground, and inspired heated debate, for years.

The Ten Commandments were erected (and later replaced after someone ran into it with their car) in 2012 after the Republican-controlled Legislature approved its installation in 2009, KOCO added.

Not long afterward, the Capitol’s new lawn decoration prompted a lawsuit from an unlikely source — Baptist Minister Bruce Prescott.

“Frankly, I’m glad we finally got the governor and attorney general to agree to let the monument be moved to private property, which is where I believe it’s most appropriate. I’m not opposed to the Ten Commandments. The first sermon I ever preached was on the Ten Commandments. I’m just opposed to it being on public property.”

In June, the Oklahoma Supreme Court overturned the ruling of a lower court, declaring that the monument was in violation of the Constitution, which strictly prohibits the use of state land to promote any religion.

The county judge ordered it removed by October 12. About a week early, it’s now in its new home down the street.

Brady Henderson, who serves as legal director for the ACLU, said its placement at the Capitol was a mistake from the start. It even inspired other groups to request their own monuments, including a Hindu leader from Nevada, an animal rights group, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and a satanic church in New York that wanted to erect a statue of Satan as Baphomet.

From the beginning, Democratic Sen. Jim Wilson argued that a religious display (whether Christian, Hindu, or Satanic) had no place at the Capitol — since it was plainly prohibited by the Oklahoma constitution — and knew back then it would instigate expensive litigation. And conservative supporters are threatening more.

Several legislators plan to introduce legislation in February that will allow voters to consider an amendment to remove the article of the constitution that prevents taxpayer dollars and property from being used on religious projects.

“I think that today is an excellent day to expose the hypocrisy in our state government, whether it’s the Supreme Court, the attorney general or the governor’s office making bad decisions, it’s time for citizens to start looking for ways to change the process,” Reynolds said.

[Photo Courtesy Michael Smith / Getty Images]

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