The diagram above illustrates a local community of citizens united as an association. The diagram illustrates citizens belonging to different social and religious groups according to their right of conscience. It shows how these citizens can be united as a community while belonging to organizations that promote different cultures,viewpoints, and values based upon their beliefs. Although it was originally designed to allow citizens of different Protestant beliefs to unite together as a politic for security and the common good, the principle also applies to all religious and secular associations,
To understand how members of the 3 religious groups mention on page 1 can live together peaceable while promoting their own values concerning conduct, we must first look at a breakdown of God's Commandments. The first four Commandments deal with man's relationship to God, the fifth deals with one's relationship to his parents. The remaining five describe the unacceptable conduct within any society under God's rule.
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honour thy father and thy mother. 6. Thou shalt not kill. 7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 10. Thou shalt not covet.
Our founders designed a "Wall of Separation" that would protect all religious groups. The People of the individual States designed their State constitutions in such a manner that their State governments only had the limited right or responsibility to create and enforce those laws that were injurious to others such as the 6th, 8th, and 9th Commandments. By doing so, the citizens within each local community of their State retained their right to exercise their "liberty of conscience" while increasing their ability to remain safe and secure as a State. Because of their common reliance upon God to keep them honest concerning oaths and their division of His Commandments as the standard for the foundation of their liberty and justice, they had created a system that promoted liberty, justice, domestic tranquillity and security for all. (See Declaration of Independence 1776)
