Hundreds protest shrouding of Commandments
About 350 protesters went to the Chester County, Pennsylvania, courthouse Monday to protest a court-ordered covering of a Ten Commandments plaque. (The Associated Press puts the number at "more than 100.") "You can't cover the truth!" they shouted. Four of the protesters were taken away by the police but not arrested, says The Philadelphia Inquirer. One was 22-year-old Michael Marcavage, who declared, "This is God's law, and no man can remove it." Others swore to maintain a vigil at the courthouse until the cover was removed. The plaque has been on the courthouse wall for 82 years.

Sally Flynn, who is suing for complete removal of the plaque, says she stayed away in fear. "The protesters do not realize that they are denying my civil rights," she told the paper. "We want to keep God out of government." Hmm. Weblog thought that protesting was an exercise of civil rights. Thanks for the civics lesson!

Meanwhile, another Inquirer article notes, a massive painting of Moses chiseling the stone tablets continues to stand above the chief justice's bench in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. "The painting is part of a larger mural with other references, some of them historical. Therefore you put it in a different context," explains the executive director of the ACLU's Philadelphia office. "In Chester County, a specific religious group supported and paid for the plaque's installation. Clearly it was religious; it was not historic or artistic."

Talk about a megachurch Check out this photo of the Easter service at L.A.'s Faithful Central Bible Church, which now owns the Great Western Forum. About 13,000 worshipers attended the three-hour service (and that doesn't include the long walk from the car). ...