Ten Commandments Monument Finally Removed From Okla. Capitol

Under the cover of night, a 6-foot-tall (180-cm) granite monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments was removed from the Oklahoma Capitol grounds after judges said its placement on government land violated state law, officials said on Tuesday.

The sate paid a private contractor $4,700 to remove it, but the cost to reinstall it was paid for using private funds.

The just-removed monument isn’t going to be destroyed.

In June, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled the monument displayed on state grounds violates the Oklahoma State Constitution and gave it until October 12 to remove it from state property.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol had tightened security around the display earlier on Monday in order to prevent visitors and potential protesters from getting close to it.

“I’m not opposed to the Ten Commandments”.

The original monument was smashed into pieces a year ago when someone drove a auto across the Capitol lawn and crashed into it. A 29-year-old man who was arrested the next day was admitted to a hospital for mental health treatment, and formal charges were never filed. “I’m just opposed to it being on public property”. Other groups have also demanded that their belief systems be represented, including a satanic church that requested a statue of Baphomet, in the form of a goat-headed demon with horns, wings and a long beard. The new display was unveiled at the beginning of the year, in January.

Reynolds called the monument’s removal historic and said it showed how the Oklahoma Supreme Court refused to abide by the state constitution and ignored the will of the public.

“Now, we know we need to change the Constitution and get rid of one of the articles that was in it originally”, Reynolds added.