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Columnist Walking through Roger Williams Park in Providence, I came upon a moss-covered monolith listing the Ten Commandments. This was some time ago, but knowing the objections then being made to placing religious artifacts in public places, I thought, "This stone won’t be here for long." It was removed in 2004. My feelings were mixed then as they are now to Louisiana’s new law requiring a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom. It is being challenged for breaching the "Establishment Clause" of the First Amendment, which requires separation of church and state. In 1980, the Supreme Court declared an almost identical law in Kentucky unconstitutional. Why do I feel conflicted? Supporters of the posters argue with reason that the Ten Commandments are not only a religious text; they are a historical document and the basis for many of our laws. The first few items make mention of God, but from there on down, the commands are quite non-sectarian — things like thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal and thou shalt not commit adultery. The monument in Roger Williams Park was given to Providence by the Fraternal Order of Eagles in 1963. The […]