Barn displays biblical message

The barn owner selected a design by a local painter.
DELLROY, Ohio (AP) -- Thou shalt not miss this message.
That's what Jay Power hopes will happen after having the Ten Commandments painted on his barn about 500 feet away from state Route 542.
Power, 66, a farmer who considers himself a biblical scholar, placed an ad in July for help painting the Ten Commandments on his barn. Five people responded, and he asked the potential painters to submit a design. He chose one submitted by Dave Wagner of nearby Alliance, and the painting was finished about a week ago.
"I'd asked them to make it look like two tablets, and Dave did a fantastic job," Power said.
Power, who describes himself as a nondenominational Christian, said he hopes his painting project will help emphasize the nation's religious ideals.
"This is the most blessed nation there is," he said. "Look at what we've accomplished in only 200 years. It's not because we're any more intelligent than other people; it's because we were set up 'Under God.' That's why we're such a blessed nation."
Controversy
Power said he is aware that attempts to depict the Ten Commandments in public places, such as courthouses, have resulted in controversy. That didn't hinder his decision to complete the painting on his private property, in a rural area about 80 miles southeast of Cleveland.
"I've had nobody say anything unpleasant about it," he said Friday. "Everyone seems to appreciate it's there. I've seen traffic come up to the barn and people taking pictures."
He said he prefers to stay in the background on his 1,000-acre farm, where he grows grains and raises cattle.
Jeff Gamso, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, said there is no apparent infringement on anyone's rights because Power is expressing himself on private property.
"If he wants to put Ten Commandments on his property, since he is not the government he can do that, and in the ordinary course of things we would defend his right to do that," Gamso said.