A legal battle is brewing in the state of Arkansas as atheist groups demand the removal of the Ten Commandments Monument on display at its State Capitol.
One group consisted of four women from a local cycling club who declared that as atheists they feel uncomfortable seeing the monument whenever they pass by on their routes. Plaintiff Donna Cave told reporters that the "religious shrine" made her feel like a second-class citizen.
On Wednesday, the American Humanist Association, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. and the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers filed their lawsuit in court with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Also named as plaintiffs were members of the United Methodist Church and a rabbi.
The ACLU, however, has also filed a separate lawsuit to cite the same complaints about the presence of the Ten Commandments Monument.
"The State of Arkansas may not, consistent with the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Arkansas, instruct its citizens which God to worship, forbid its citizens to use a particular deity's name in vain, or require sabbath observances for religious purposes," the lawsuit stated.
Arkansas lawmakers approved legislation in 2015 that allowed for the construction of the marker. The state unveiled the monument in June 2017 but a man rammed his car into it less than 24 hours after it was made public.
The Capitol recently made repairs and refurbishments to the Ten Commandments Monument with the addition of the barricades to protect the site.
Senator Jason Rapert, who sponsored the 2015 legislation, expressed confidence that the people of Arkansas would defend the monument. He said in a statement to the media, "If the Ten Commandments are good enough to be displayed in the United States Supreme Court Chamber and other state capitol grounds in Texas and around our nation, then they are good enough to be displayed in Arkansas."
