Ten Commandments
A new poll shows that 76% of Americans believe that the Ten Commandments should be displayed in public places like courthouses.
http://www.pollingreport.com/religion.htm
This is why I disagree with this notion.
First, only three of the ten commandments describe things that are illegal, namely,
Exodus 20:13, Thou shalt not kill.
Exodus 20:15, Thou shalt not steal.
Exodus 20:16, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (which could be construed to mean lying under oath in court)
One other commandment involves a legal contract but is not generally seen as actually breaking the law, that is,
Exodus 20:14, Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Many of the others are really religious and not of interest to a secular court, namely
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exodus 20:4, saying that making a graven image or idol is not allowed.
Exodus 20:7, no taking the Lord's name in vain.
Exodus 20:8 - 11 : Sabbath is not for the work. Be like the orthodox Jews and do all your cooking the day before.
A couple more commandments really fall more into the 'good advice for living' category, and are not really legal issues:
Exodus 20:12 Honor thy father and mother/
Exodus 20:17 Covet not thy neighbor's possessions, including but not limited to his wife and his maidservant.
So, let's recap:
Category one = genuine crimes - murder, theft, lying under oath are out. No problem there.
Category two = religious stuff - do we really want to imply that in a court of law of the United States, that the government cares whether you take the Lord's name in vain or keep the Sabbath? I think not, and this is blatantly against the founder's intentions.
Category three= good advice for living - again, sending your mom a mother's day card is nice, as is not ogling your best friend's wife, but not really any business of the US government.
Conclusion- There's nothing wrong with following the 10 commandments, but the appropriate place for such a statue is at a church, not a court of law. Our legal code was based on principles enshrined by Roman civil law and English common law, and Enlightenment principles, but purposely steered clear of religious stuff. Western Civilization has had Church Police before (think Spanish Inquisition), and I think we don't really want to conflate our legal system and religious laws, which are not a matter for the government.
My two cents.
Over and matt.
http://www.pollingreport.com/religion.htm
This is why I disagree with this notion.
First, only three of the ten commandments describe things that are illegal, namely,
Exodus 20:13, Thou shalt not kill.
Exodus 20:15, Thou shalt not steal.
Exodus 20:16, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (which could be construed to mean lying under oath in court)
One other commandment involves a legal contract but is not generally seen as actually breaking the law, that is,
Exodus 20:14, Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Many of the others are really religious and not of interest to a secular court, namely
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exodus 20:4, saying that making a graven image or idol is not allowed.
Exodus 20:7, no taking the Lord's name in vain.
Exodus 20:8 - 11 : Sabbath is not for the work. Be like the orthodox Jews and do all your cooking the day before.
A couple more commandments really fall more into the 'good advice for living' category, and are not really legal issues:
Exodus 20:12 Honor thy father and mother/
Exodus 20:17 Covet not thy neighbor's possessions, including but not limited to his wife and his maidservant.
So, let's recap:
Category one = genuine crimes - murder, theft, lying under oath are out. No problem there.
Category two = religious stuff - do we really want to imply that in a court of law of the United States, that the government cares whether you take the Lord's name in vain or keep the Sabbath? I think not, and this is blatantly against the founder's intentions.
Category three= good advice for living - again, sending your mom a mother's day card is nice, as is not ogling your best friend's wife, but not really any business of the US government.
Conclusion- There's nothing wrong with following the 10 commandments, but the appropriate place for such a statue is at a church, not a court of law. Our legal code was based on principles enshrined by Roman civil law and English common law, and Enlightenment principles, but purposely steered clear of religious stuff. Western Civilization has had Church Police before (think Spanish Inquisition), and I think we don't really want to conflate our legal system and religious laws, which are not a matter for the government.
My two cents.
Over and matt.
posted by Matthew at 1:01 PM
2 Comments:
Matt, I can't resist: check this out and laugh.
C Ya
Eduardo
http://masteroni.student.utwente.nl/hu.html
Actually, Matt, I disagree with you. I think that the Ten Commandments should be displayed in every court along with excerpts from the Book of Mormon, the Koran, L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics, the Bhagvad Gita, Science and Health by Mary Eddie Baker, and Budhist scriptures. I'm all for our citizens being more aware of the religious background of our country!
We need more religion in our government, and more government in our religion. Certainly we can all agree that the separation of church and state is highly over-rated. After all religious fundamentalism has worked so well in that other bastion of democracy, Saudia Arabia.
Okay, seriously, I agree with you. What the left has to recognize, however, is that most Americans are devout Christians. If we lefties want to stay politically viable, then we're going to need to reclaim the language of religon. Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders relied on the language of the Bible and on religious music to get people motivated. There has been a long traditon in America and internationally of religion and the liberalism working together for change. We need to tap into that tradition if we want to appeal to mainstream America.
In short, as an American I want the ten commandments out of courthouses because I don't think they belong there, but as a nonreligious liberal I think liberals in general need to start asking themselves "How can we make faith part of our program and how can we reach out to religious people?"
Post a Comment
<< Home