WASHINGTON, -- The only Ten Commandments monument visible on Capitol Hill has been toppled face-down to the ground by vandals (photo). The 850-pound steel reinforced sculpture sits in the front garden of the Honorable William J. Ostrowksi House on Capitol Hill, the headquarters for Faith and Action, a Christian outreach ministry to top-level government officials in Washington, DC. The 3-foot by 3-foot granite monolith was installed in 2006 after a five-year legal battle with numerous government agencies. The damage occurred sometime between Friday night, September 20, and Saturday night September 21. A stolen "For Rent" sign was also stuck in front of the area.
"After all we went through to place this beautiful tribute to God's Law in full view of the Supreme Court and US Capitol buildings, it's heartbreaking to see it in this condition," said the Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced "Shank"), president and lead missionary of Faith and Action. "But we're as determined to repair and re-install it now as we were seven years ago when we did it the first time. The Great Words of Sinai will be seen again here on Capitol Hill."
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, who collaborated with Rev. Schenck and with the Reverend Dr. Kenneth Johnson of the Adams County (Ohio) Ten Commandments Committee to bring the monument to Washington, said of the vandalism, "Any time a symbol of faith is attacked it must be deemed a hate crime. This is the same as defacing a synagogue or mosque. It's outrageous and must be condemned by all people of conscience."
Rev. Schenck said he and his colleagues will have a surprise announcement for the perpetrators at the news conference tomorrow.
Who: Sponsors of the damaged Ten Commandments monument on Capitol Hill: The Reverends Rob Schenck (Evangelical), Patrick J. Mahoney (Presbyterian), and Kenneth Johnson (Methodist)
What: News conference in front of felled Ten Commandments monument
Where: The Honorable William J. Ostrowski House on Capitol Hill, immediately behind the US Supreme Court, 109 2nd St, NE, Washington, DC 20002
When: Tuesday, September 24, 2013, 12:00 PM
