Amid nationwide controversy over displaying the Ten Commandments in a public courthouse, a downtown Jasper building owner has opted for the legal way to accomplish the same objective.
On the side of the Main Street building that contains the law offices of Edwin Marger is a seven by seven foot urethane plaque of the Ten Commandments.
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| A gift to the people of Pickens County |
The display, which is on the brick wall on Depot Street directly across the street from the courthouse, was Marger’s idea. He called it "our gift to the people of Pickens County".
Marger is a tenant in the building, but he got permission from its owners -- his wife Susan Hamel, and John Worcester-Holland.
The plaque has been standing since December 21, and Marger said he expects it to stay there "as long as the building stands.".
Marger, who is Jewish, said the plaque is more an expression of First Amendment rights rather than religious endorsement. He readily acknowledges that he wanted the commandments to be easily visible from the front steps of the courthouse.
"I am a firm believer in the division between government and religion," said Marger, "But I don’t believe people should be separated from what is important to them".
He added that the commandments form the basis of the entire legal system, and it is important that people entering the courthouse can see them.
Because the display is on private property, it is not unconstitutional. Marger said other communities should consider similar methods.
Marger initially wanted a bigger plaque, but the local sign ordinance does not allow signs to be bigger than 50 square feet.
To insure the Hebrew numbering an the wording on the sign were historically accurate, Marger consulted local historian Rev. Charles Walker.
Walker said they wanted the artistic design of the plaque to reflect "a symbol of the tablets of the law." The commandments are numbered in Hebrew, the original language in which the Ten Commandments were written.
There are many different interpretations of the Ten Commandments, and Marger and Walker chose to display the King James version because it is most familiar to local people.