Story Created:
Feb 8, 2010 at 3:02 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Feb 8, 2010 at 3:02 PM CDT
REIDSVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Tattnall County officials say they didn't know they were running afoul of state law when they let members of a Baptist church hang a framed copy of the Ten Commandments inside the county courthouse last week.
County Commission Chairman Frank Murphy said Monday that officials told members of Ella Grove Baptist Church it would be OK for them to display the biblical text inside the courthouse because it's a historical document.
What they didn't realize is a 2006 state law requires eight other documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, to be
posted alongside the Ten Commandments to give them a historical context.
Murphy says county officials will comply with the law. But Debbie Seagraves of the American Civil Liberties Union said the
county should remove the Commandments until then.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
