The story of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore flaunting his Ten Commandments monument in the face of a federal court order may bear similarities to the Biblical story of David and Goliath — if you like to imagine the young shepherd as a power-grabbing political figure. But in this version, no one should be surprised or saddened if David is the one who is defeated.

After all, Moore is not only fighting against the U.S. Supreme Court and the 11th District Court of Appeals, but his own fellow justices have unanimously ordered him to remove the two-and-a-half ton monument on the basis that judges are “to follow the law, whether they agree or disagree.”

And they’re right. Moore’s acts are a blatant violation of the First Amendment. He attempts to argue that the Constitution never explicitly forbids this kind of religious expression inside state buildings. But he blanches at the possibility of the Koran having its own 5300 pound monument in his courthouse.

Moore can’t have it both ways. If the Constitution never forbids this kind of religious expression in the courthouse, then it most definitely doesn’t give Christian expression exclusive rights there.

But this is a moot point. Moore has made it clear that his actions are about affirming the Christian values he believes are eroding — the Constitution be damned. But his support from the Bible is even more specious than his legal ground.

Jesus and the apostle Paul make it clear that Christians are to obey all the laws of the land that do not cause them to sin. And nowhere in the Bible does it state that you are a sinner for not erecting a gaudy monument of the Ten Commandments. Ideally, it is in the heart where these laws should lie — no monument can affect that.

Moore realizes this, of course, and he correctly says his display is no more of an offense than putting “In God We Trust” on our money. If that is the case, then Moore’s supporters should be concerned that his crusade threatens to relegate their ten holiest laws to the same irrelevancy and pageantry of those Greek statues of Justice that are used for courthouse decoration.

There are many things that are illogical and irrational in Moore’s reasoning, but it is not irrational to think that his crusade will bring him the popularity he needs to run for higher office. It certainly worked in 1995 when he pulled the same stunt and let his fame carry him into the chief justice’s chair.

But until he is elected into a high enough position to rewrite the Constitution and Christian scripture, we should take offense at the mockery he makes of both democracy and religion.

Editorial Board:Nicole Paseka, Megan Hinds, Amy Schierbrock, Alicia Ebaugh