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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Nathan Bupp
Phone: (716) 636-7571 x 218
E-mail: nbupp@centerforinquiry.net

Council for Secular Humanism Applauds Supreme Court's
Ruling on Kentucky Ten Commandments Cases

Council spokespersons consider ruling a step forward for religious freedom

Amherst, New York (June 27, 2005) - The Council for Secular Humanism (CSH) and its project, the First Amendment Task Force, applaud today's ruling by the Supreme Court on the case regarding the display of the Ten Commandments in two Kentucky courthouses. The Justices found that the displays crossed the line between church and state and did indeed promote a religious message.

The Council had filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky in the case. Ronald Lindsay, a lawyer with CSH�s First Amendment Task Force, wrote the brief. "The significance of the McCreary decision is that it confirms that a majority of the Court continues to adhere to the principle that the First Amendment mandates government neutrality between [religion and irreligion," said Lindsay. "Indeed, Justice Souter stated that this principle provides the touchstone for the Court's analysis. How this principle is applied may vary from case to case, as the contrasting decisions in McCreary County and Van Orden illustrate, but it is critical that this principle has been reaffirmed," continued Lindsay.

David Koepsell, Executive Director of the Council for Secular Humanism, said that he was quite please with the Court�s decision in the Kentucky case. "The point CSH wished to make was that all faiths, moral codes, and atheistic philosophies share the simple moral values inherent in those parts of the Ten Commandments which do not have to do with how we ought to worship Yahweh," said Koepsell. He continued, "There is simply no legitimate, secular purpose to displaying the Decalogue on any public property, and the brief made this point abundantly clear."

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The Council for Secular Humanism is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization promoting rational inquiry, secular values, and positive human development through the advancement of secular humanism. The Council, publisher of the bimonthly journal Free Inquiry, has a Web site at www.secularhumanism.org.