Alabama Chief Justice: I Didn’t Mean That First Amendment Protects Only Christians

Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court addresses a Pro-Life Mississippi and a Pastors for Life pastors luncheon in Jackson, Miss., Friday, Jan. 17, 2014. Moore told the attendees that he cannot separate... Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court addresses a Pro-Life Mississippi and a Pastors for Life pastors luncheon in Jackson, Miss., Friday, Jan. 17, 2014. Moore told the attendees that he cannot separate his faith from his job as chief justice and continues to oppose abortion and same-sex marriage. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

The Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, who implied in a January speech that the First Amendment only applied to Christian faiths, said on Monday that he was talking about the biblical foundations in the United States, not the application of the law.

“It applies to the rights God gave us to be free in our modes of thinking, and as far as religious liberty to all people, regardless of what they believe,” Justice Roy Moore said about the First Amendment in an interview with the Montgomery Advertiser.

The Advertiser said that Moore “strongly denied” that the First Amendment excludes non-Christian religions.

In a video recorded at a Pastors for Life event in Mississippi posted by Raw Story last week, Moore spoke about the American government’s interpretation of the word “religion.”

“Everybody, to include the United States Supreme Court, has been deceived as to one little word in the First Amendment called religion. They can’t define it,” he said during his speech.

“Buddha didn’t create us, Mohammed didn’t create us, it was the God of the Holy Scriptures. They didn’t bring the Koran over on the pilgrim ship,” he continued. “Let’s get real, let’s go back and learn our history. Let’s stop playing games.”

Moore was removed from his position as chief justice 2003 after he refused to follow a federal court order demanding that a Ten Commandments monument be removed from the state judicial building. Since he was removed, he has been known as the “Ted Commandments Judge.” He was re-elected to the state Supreme Court in 2012.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Why must they start yammering before their brain is fully engaged? Because then we’re stuck reading all the insincere regrets and if I offended anyone crap and what I really meant was. . . something different than what you just heard me say.

  2. Avatar for jsfox jsfox says:

    If that is not what you meant then that is not what you should have said.

  3. Avatar for wwss wwss says:

    “Everybody, to include the United States Supreme Court, has been deceived as to one little word in the First Amendment called religion. They can’t define it,” he said during his speech.

    “Buddha didn’t create us, Mohammed didn’t create us, it was the God of the Holy Scriptures. They didn’t bring the Koran over on the pilgrim ship,” he continued. “Let’s get real, let’s go back and learn our history. Let’s stop playing games.”

    While he didn’t say anything about the 1st amendment, he also doesn’t make much sense. How do you jump from being created by his God to the Koran not being on the Mayflower?

    He probably still believes that Adam and Eve had a T-Rex for a guard dog.

  4. That’s exactly what you meant, scumbag. Internet took you down in '03. It’s going to take you down again.

  5. “Buddha didn’t create us, Mohammed didn’t create us, it was the God of the Holy Scriptures. They didn’t bring the Koran over on the pilgrim ship,” he continued. “Let’s get real, let’s go back and learn our history. Let’s stop playing games.”

    So, when you thusly spaked you done spaked outta yer arse, is that it?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

38 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for someguy Avatar for dr_coyote Avatar for anniew Avatar for bamclaugh Avatar for josephebacon Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for mmurdoch Avatar for meri Avatar for artemisia Avatar for leftflank Avatar for chammy Avatar for wwss Avatar for crackerjack Avatar for maxi2013 Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for maxaroo Avatar for ghamiltonsq Avatar for neastsider Avatar for khaaannn Avatar for azjude Avatar for jinmichigan Avatar for krisipuu Avatar for antisachetdethe

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: