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Rallying for God’s
Law
On May 16, over 100 people rallied
in Hanover, Pennsylvania’s Wirt Park to save a park
monument of the Ten Commandments. The American Society for
the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) participated
in the rally, providing two speakers and its Holy Choir
of Angels Corps band which enlivened the event with patriotic
music.
Controversy over the monument began when
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
sent a letter threatening to sue the borough of Hanover
if the monument were not removed. The overwhelming majority
of Hanover citizens want the monument to stay put. They
have collected funds to defend the monument and raised their
voices at city hearings. The local Sons and Daughters of
Liberty organized the rally as one more sign of support.
Master of Ceremonies, A.J. Nolte, did a
splendid job explaining how each of the Ten Commandments
is a pillar upon which the laws of America are built. Thus,
he established that even if America were a thoroughly secular
state, it should promote the Ten Commandments.
TFP Speaker Michael Drake also addressed
the crowd, demonstrating the frequency with which religious
belief is manifested on public property and asking the subsequent
question: “A handful of radical atheists are trying
to eliminate every manifestation of religious belief on
public property, but how far will it go?”
He continued: “Think about how many
cases we have of religious belief being manifested on public
property. Right now I am giving you my religious beliefs
and I am on public property. The pro-life bumper sticker
that I have on my car is a religious conviction and I drive
on public property. In court I swear on a Bible, containing
the words on this monument, and that is a public manifestation
of belief…so if we do not resist this now, we are
looking at an atheistic tyranny.”
TFP America Needs Fatima Campaign director
Robert Ritchie also spoke. He made a link between the Ten
Commandments and Hanover, whose city motto is “Tradition
on the move.”
“Tradition on the move is intimately
linked to the Ten Commandments,” Mr. Ritchie said.
“When we talk about Tradition, we mean all the best
things from our past that are being transmitted to the next
generation. And the Ten Commandments are the moral foundation
of that tradition.”
Many local Hanover residents stood up to
voice their opinions as well. Towards the end of the event,
recording artist Kent Courtney played a guitar and sang
patriotic hymns. He ended his performance by holding his
rosary aloft and urging its recital.
At the end of the rally, everyone joined
in singing America the Beautiful and the National Anthem,
with musical accompaniment of the Holy Choir of Angels Corps
band.
Participation in such events is very
important. Edmund Burke once said, “All that is necessary
for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
In Hanover, Penn., more than one hundred local activists
joined together to make sure that does not happen.
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