Residents of the state of Oklahoma in the United States have rejected a proposal to allow the use of government property for religious purposes.
Results of the Nov. 8 elections showed that majority of Oklahomans voted against State Question 790, which would have repealed a provision in the Oklahoma State Constitution, which "prohibits the government from using public money or property for the direct or indirect benefit of any religion or religious institution."
According to a report by Christian News, the ballot question explained to voters that even if the measure was approved, the Oklahoma government "would still be required to comply with the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution, which is a similar constitutional provision that prevents the government from endorsing a religion or becoming overly involved with religion."
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma welcomed the decision of the voters to reject the proposal, describing it as a "dangerous and misguided attempt by politicians to strip away one of our most fundamental protections in exchange for cheap political points."
"Politicians should take note that attempts to manipulate the law to protect only the rights of a chosen few cannot be tolerated," ACLU Oklahoma Executive Director Ryan Kiesel told Christian News.
The debate on whether state property in Oklahoma should be allowed for religious purposes started when the ACLU demanded last year that a Ten Commandments monument be removed from the State Capitol grounds. In the midst of this debate last year, a Satanic group also asked one of their statues to be placed near the capitol.
The Ten Commandments was ultimately removed from the capitol grounds after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled by a vote of 7-2 that the display violated Article 2, Section 5, of the Oklahoma Constitution, which states that property cannot be used to promote a "church denomination or system of religion."
If State Question 790 won in the last elections, it could have paved the way for the return of the monument.
