Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 8/21/2010 4:20:00 AMThe Marion City Council in Illinois has heard a familiar voice as it considers setting up a Ten Commandments monument on the town's Tower Square.
While Marion officials and citizens are enthusiastic about the idea, atheist Rob Sherman of Chicago appeared at a recent council meeting where he denounced the monument and espoused his beliefs. Carterville TV station WSIL was on hand as Rabbi Moshe Laurie quickly rejected Sherman's anti-God message.
"My problem is an atheist says he has no religion, and yet he demands that I forsake my religion," the rabbi voiced.
But despite Sherman's opposition, Marion's Ken Kessler, the resident who came up with the idea, explains that he was pleased by the turnout and was "surprised...and very encouraged by it."
Kessler proposed selling a portion of Tower Square to a private party to relieve the city of legal responsibility, but atheist Sherman countered that idea, saying, "You might end up with me purchasing that segment, and then I could put up a monument that says God is make-believe or there is no God."
He suggests the monument be placed on church or private property, warning that the city will face a long, expensive, and losing battle if they follow through with the current plan. So several Christian-based legal organizations have pledged to fight for the city's religious freedom. Because Sherman is a Chicago resident, he has no legal standing but has partnered with a Marion citizen who has agreed to be the face of the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Ken Kessler appears indifferent to the threats, noting that he is "a little nauseated, but not intimidated."
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