The faithful across the nation will be able to view the famous two-ton Ten Commandments Monument that once sat at the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building – this time, in their local communities.
The famed monument the cost Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore his job, began its cross-country trip road last week, with the first destination chosen as the Rhea County Courthouse in Tennessee.
The Rhea County Commission passed a resolution supporting Judge Moore and the Ten Commandments in 2001, when the monument stirred debate over the separation of church and state.
“It’s a joy to me that Rhea County gets to be first because of its support for the Ten Commandments and Judge Roy Moore,” said June Griffin, one of the coordinator’s for the monument’s tour. “This is a high honor.”
“The Ark of the Covenant is coming home,” Griffin said on Monday to the Herald News. “The original Ten Commandments was a covenant between God and the Israelites, and this Ten Commandments monument is a covenant between God and the American people.
“We need to restrain federal judges from ruling in these cases. We need to pray and work to take America back.”
The monument will be on public display in front of the Rhea County Courthouse for viewing on Saturday, July 31. Afterwards, the monument will travel to various counties in Tennessee, and will move to other states by August 8.
The truck carrying the monument has sides that roll up to permit viewing, and portable steps to allow viewers to see the monument up close.
The Ten Commandments monument was placed in the Alabama state judicial building in 2001, under the jurisdiction of Judge Moore. Moore, who installed the monument at his own expense, was soon sued and the U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled the monument unconstitutional in 2002. Moore then refused to remove the monument even after a direct court order, and was consequentially removed from his office. Acting Chief Justice Gorman Houston moved the monument from the Rotunda to a storage room last year.
