OKLAHOMA CITY — Horseback riders from a cowboy church in Texas on Friday delivered a stone tablet engraved with the Ten Commandments to Gov. Mary Fallin and bemoaned the court-ordered removal of a large granite monument from the state Capitol grounds they said represents rejection of God’s law.

Eleven riders, led by the Rev. John Riggs of the Texoma Cowboy Church in Wichita Falls, Texas, delivered the tablet to Fallin during an impromptu ceremony on the Capitol’s south plaza attended by more than 40 members of Christian churches in Texas and Oklahoma who followed the group’s progress during their trek and greeted them with applause.

Said Riggs: “We fully believe that this country was founded upon the principles of God’s word. It breaks our hearts to see where this country is headed and to see the removal of the law of God from our land, from our buildings.”

Fallin accepted the stone tablet, measuring about 2 feet long and 1 foot wide, and said she will place it in her office.

“You’re certainly standing up for our Christian values and the Ten Commandments, which is very important to the state of Oklahoma,” Fallin said.

“We want to let you know that we are here to encourage you and let you know that we stand with you all as well,” Riggs replied.

Earlier this month, a 6-foot tall, privately funded Ten Commandments monument erected on the Capitol grounds in 2012 was removed after the state Supreme Court ruled it violated the state constitution’s prohibition on the use of public property to support “any sect, church, denomination or system of religion.”

Authorized by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2009, the monument had been challenged in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Bruce Prescott, a Baptist minister from Norman who complained it violated the state constitution.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.