Date: April 5, 2026
To: Public Letter to Amarillo City Commission
From: The Amarillo Unitarian Universalist Fellowship – John Flynn, President
Council members:
The Amarillo Unitarian Universalist Fellowship would like to register our strong opposition to your decision to allow a monument to the Judeo-Christian ten commandments to be placed on city property.
We understand that this monument is privately funded, but we still view it as providing tacit preference of one religion above the numerous other faiths that are practiced in our community. It flies in the face of the establishment clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and dishonors the numerous Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and non-religious members of our community.
Unitarianism arose out of the Christian tradition, but our principles give honor to all expressions of faith. We recognize “the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” and value “a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” This monument does not further these ideals.
Although the term “separation of church and state” is not found directly in the U.S. Constitution, our founding fathers were explicit about the need for a “wall of separation” between American law and the expression of any particular religion. The values of humanity and respect are present in all religions; using the words of any one scripture is divisive, not unifying.
We reiterate that, as a community of faith, we oppose religious nationalism and stand with our founding fathers believing that there should be a strong wall between private religious faith and a public entity. Taking this action now is unnecessary and divisive. We urge you to reconsider this unfortunate decision.
Respectfully,
The Amarillo Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo church shares open letter to City Council on 10 Commandments
Reporting by Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
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