Alabama Chief Justice defends Ten Commandments monument at Christian conference
ATLANTA (AP) -- Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore called the separation of church and state a "fable" Saturday, quoting often from biblical passages and America's founding fathers to prove the connection between religion and government.
"Thomas Jefferson uttered that phrase 'separation of church and state' on January 1 of 1802," he said. "Two days later, he was in Congress listening to a Baptist minister, where they worshipped throughout his administration."
Moore defended his decision to refuse a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama judicial building, as he addressed more than 10,000 men at a Promise Keepers event in Atlanta's Philips Arena. Moore, who was suspended for violating judicial ethics, received several standing ovations from the crowd at the Christian conference.
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled last year that the monument's display...
