'Come and take it': Texas county rebuffs FFRF's demands to remove Ten Commandments from courthouse

Michie · Jun 16, 2026

Attorneys for a Texas county panel have rejected calls from a secular group to remove a newly installed Ten Commandments monument.

Last month, the Rockwall County Commissioners Court unveiled a Ten Commandments monument outside the county’s historic courthouse, where state and local lawmakers were joined by local pastors to dedicate the monument.

On May 27, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an atheist legal organization, sent a letter to Rockwall County to complain about the public ceremony's use of “Christian prayers and speeches from religious and political figures,” and argued the ceremony was a government endorsement of religion.

In the letter, FFRF Legal Counsel Chris Line emphasized the monument’s use of the King James Bible translation and argued it “prominently displays explicitly religious commandments, including directives to worship the biblical god exclusively, avoid ‘graven images’ and observe the Sabbath.”

Continued below.

'Come and take it': Texas county rebuffs FFRF's demands to remove Ten Commandments from courthouse

Attorneys for a Texas county panel have rejected calls from a secular group to remove a newly installed Ten Commandments monument

www.christianpost.com

RileyG · Jun 16, 2026

The King James Bible is widely considered a beautiful masterpiece in English- even though it's not my cup of tea. AND the 10 commandments are the foundation of many civilizations. I can understand why some atheists have problems with it, though.

iluvatar5150 · Jun 16, 2026

RileyG said:
The King James Bible is widely considered a beautiful masterpiece in English- even though it's not my cup of tea. AND the 10 commandments are the foundation of many civilizations. I can understand why some atheists have problems with it, though.

The 10 commandments are in no way the foundation of the US. These sorts of moves are bad history, bad civics, and bad theology.

RileyG · Jun 16, 2026

iluvatar5150 said:
The 10 commandments are in no way the foundation of the US. These sorts of moves are bad history, bad civics, and bad theology.

I mean, yeah, we are a secular nation and many founding fathers were deists. That's true.

Tuur · Jun 16, 2026

iluvatar5150 said:
The 10 commandments are in no way the foundation of the US. These sorts of moves are bad history, bad civics, and bad theology.

Let tyrants shake their iron rods
And slavery clang her galling chains.
We fear them not; we trust in God.
New England’s God forever reigns.

So went a little ditty of the time.

Besides which, when the deist Thomas Paine wrote his screed against organized religion, such was the reaction that he was labeled an atheist. Such was the opinion of the time that when Congress approved relief on tariffs or duties for a bible society, there was no outcry. Nor was there one when Congress did the same.once more, maybe twice, under the US Constitution without complaint. Separation of church and state Jefferson approved of Federal buildings serving as houses of worship. I think it was Tocqueville who noted that when a prospective juror in an unnamed trial stated he didn’t believe in God, the judge disallowed him and commented he’d never heard such.

Like it or not, the English colonists were heavily steeped in Christian concepts, to the point that the deist Benjamin Franklin supported them being taught and preached for the benefit of society. That’s how influential it was on colonial thought.

This was once known. Now we are told it never existed. Curious thing, that.

iluvatar5150 · Jun 16, 2026

Tuur said:
Let tyrants shake their iron rods
And slavery clang her galling chains.
We fear them not; we trust in God.
New England’s God forever reigns.

So went a little ditty of the time.

Besides which, when the deist Thomas Paine wrote his screed against organized religion, such was the reaction that he was labeled an atheist. Such was the opinion of the time that when Congress approved relief on tariffs or duties for a bible society, there was no outcry. Nor was there one when Congress did the same.once more, maybe twice, under the US Constitution without complaint. Separation of church and state Jefferson approved of Federal buildings serving as houses of worship. I think it was Tocqueville who noted that when a prospective juror in an unnamed trial stated he didn’t believe in God, the judge disallowed him and commented he’d never heard such.

Like it or not, the English colonists were heavily steeped in Christian concepts, to the point that the deist Benjamin Franklin supported them being taught and preached for the benefit of society. That’s how influential it was on colonial thought.

This was once known. Now we are told it never existed. Curious thing, that.

That’s nice.

Of the ten commandments, only two (don’t kill, don’t steal) are criminal laws and a third (bearing false witness) is mostly a civil issue.

That’s it. 2.5 commandments out of 10 made it into our legal system and somehow folks think they constitute the basis of anything.

Tuur · Jun 17, 2026

iluvatar5150 said:
That’s nice.

Of the ten commandments, only two (don’t kill, don’t steal) are criminal laws and a third (bearing false witness) is mostly a civil issue.

That’s it. 2.5 commandments out of 10 made it into our legal system and somehow folks think they constitute the basis of anything.

So it is a vital part of US history that some find inconvenient is casually dismissed. Well, we've forgotten about the Plymouth Common House, so why not forget about that, too.

iluvatar5150 · Jun 17, 2026

Tuur said:
So it is a vital part of US history that some find inconvenient is casually dismissed.

What vital part of our history did it play? Sure, many of the founding fathers valued the moral uprightness prescribed by religious traditions, but that is hardly unique to Christianity or Judaeism. What makes the 10 commandments special as compared to all of the other historical laws and legal systems from which those founders drew inspiration? Why don't I see any standalone monuments being dedicated to British Common Law or Hammurabi's Code, both of which have a much more obvious influence over our legal system than the ancient Jewish system did?

Bob S · Jul 5, 2026

Which is greater, the Ten Commandments or "
John 13:34
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Are you all aware that there is not one word in the Ten Commandments about love? They were all about duty. They were a very incomplete set of rules.

com7fy8 · Jul 5, 2026

Bob S said:
about love

Yes, I have noted how I have not yet been told of where "they" have put our Two Love Commandments.

"Jesus answered him, 'The first of all the commandments is: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all our soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.'" (Mark 12:29-31)

I do not recall being told the Two Love Commandments, in my Sunday School teaching, as a kid. I do remember being told to memorize a shortened version of the Ten Commandments. It was not like how the Ten Commandments were given in Exodus 20:1-17.

By the way > yes, Jesus was quoting early scripture when He said what are the two greatest commandments. But are they listed with each other, in earlier scripture? Possibly He is quoting Exodus 6:4, except this does not have "with all your mind", which Jesus does say.

But there is no "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" command listed along with this. So, where is it? Leviticus 19:18 says >

"'"You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD."'" (Leviticus 19:18)

Bob S · Wednesday at 9:09 AM

com7fy8 said:
Yes, I have noted how I have not yet been told of where "they" have put our Two Love Commandments.

Any ideas?

com7fy8 said:
"Jesus answered him, 'The first of all the commandments is: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all our soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.'" (Mark 12:29-31)

I do not recall being told the Two Love Commandments, in my Sunday School teaching, as a kid. I do remember being told to memorize a shortened version of the Ten Commandments. It was not like how the Ten Commandments were given in Exodus 20:1-17.

By the way > yes, Jesus was quoting early scripture when He said what are the two greatest commandments. But are they listed with each other, in earlier scripture? Possibly He is quoting Exodus 6:4, except this does not have "with all your mind", which Jesus does say.

But there is no "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" command listed along with this. So, where is it? Leviticus 19:18 says >

"'"You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD."'" (Leviticus 19:18)

Then Jesus gave a new command to love others as He loves us. He loves us so much. He gave His life that we may live.

com7fy8 · Friday at 6:45 PM

Bob S said:
Then Jesus gave a new command to love others as He loves us. He loves us so much. He gave His life that we may live.

And He claimed in prayer "that the world may know" that our Father has loved us as He has loved Jesus >

John 17:22-26.

iarwain · Friday at 7:09 PM

iluvatar5150 said:
That’s it. 2.5 commandments out of 10 made it into our legal system and somehow folks think they constitute the basis of anything.

Forget the country, they're the basis of the world.
Anyway, I'm sure there are legal proceedings in the works.

'Come and take it': Texas county rebuffs FFRF's demands to remove Ten Commandments from courthouse

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