Beginning Tuesday, the Dalai Lama will be spending six days in Bloomington, Indiana to visit the Tibetan Culture Center and to lecture at the University of Indiana. (Cincinnati Enquirer.) To mark the visit, Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan placed an exhibit in Ciy Hall. It includes photographs and craft work of Tibet, religious cloth paintings, a Peace Tree and statues of Buddha. A group of Christians however claim that they should be permitted space for a similar display. Friday's WorldNet Daily reports that they showed up at City Hall with two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments and set them up on a table in front of the display of Buddhist artifacts. One participant read a statement saying: "These commandments are our symbol of peace, and we want to include them with the city's display to promote religious enlightenment. We ... do not agree with the ideology of the Dalai Lama or Buddhist beliefs – we are Christians and believe in one God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
In response to the city's contention that its display of Tibetan objects is cultural, not religious, Christian activist Amy Bernitt said the Ten Commandments also are cultural and artistic because they are carved from limestone for which the Bloomington area is famous. The city quickly removed the Ten Commandments after the brief ceremony.
