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Posted on December 5, 2007 | Category: Christmas, Holiday
Yesterday workers at the Rhode Island state house were busy setting up for the upcoming Christmas holiday. They placed one large Christmas tree in the very center of the state house, which they were getting ready to put the lights on; and numerous other Christmas trees are on display, from around the world. Also there are many wreaths, mangers, and other holiday displays placed in various locations around the state house.
The state house is built in the traditional Greek and Roman style marble architecture. The Rhode Island state house boasts the 4th largest self supporting marble dome in world. The reason for the Greek architecture is likely because Greece has long been though of as the first nation to successfully practice democracy for any real length of time, although evidence is now coming to light which suggests that we do not own as much credit to the Greeks and Romans as was once through. The Greek system was of course not without its flaws, and some rather major flaws at that. One such flaw which has become apparent in our democratic system is the disproportionate power the courts have been given. In the Athenian system the courts consolidated power to the point where the assembly had very little power and in our system we see some of the same problems with judges appointed for life that are above reproach from the citizens. With the practice of judicial review many of US judges have reinterpreted the constitution by reading many things in or out. Things such as a wall of separation between church and state that was never inserted in the 1st amendment, have been added, as where things such as the right of all citizens to bear arms without infringement have been removed. They have turned a comma into a wall between the establishment clause and the free exercise clause when they were both intended to provide freedom of religion and not freedom from religion. Despite the lack of balance power in principle the Greek democratic model does give us a principled, but not so well practiced model for choosing our leader based on merit and not nobility.
Today the state house recognizes influences from all over the world. Inside, there are of course Christmas displays from many different countries which have all contribute a little something to our American culture. Below you can the Swedish tree and Tomte or Christmas elf that supposedly lives under the floor boards of the house, also from the Swedish tradition. The Swedish share much in common with the Christian Christmas and the State house has done a wonderful job rightfully showcasing the Christian origins of Christmas while also showing it in a multicultural way. We are a nation founded on Christian principles and do ignore or try to change that fact is like trying to ignore the fact is like trying to ignore the source of your logic.
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