There is no denying that this country is God-fearing, loving, and that it is prefaced on religious tolerance. Whether one endorses the Ten Commandments or not, the law has transcended time and is a veritable symbol of law and order. Although it should not be used whimsically, distastefully and unilaterally zealous as did the Kentucky judge, it is not simply a bastion of the Judea-Christian belief , but universally accepted principles — but for a few items that I had pointed out in an earlier blog .
1. I am the Lord, thy God, who has brought thee out of bondage so that thou shalt comprehend the meaning of freedom under law.
2. Thou shalt extend credence to Me as the sole author of Nature’s elements that have consummated in humanity.
3. Thou shalt not idolize the governance of men, or cults that do not reflect reverence for humanity.
4. Thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain, nor mock divine intentions.
5. Preserve the Sabbath to worship thy God and in thanks for the gifts of life.
6. Honor thy parents and protect them in their old age.
7. Honor thy belovéd and thus not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not kill, nor steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness.
10. Thou shalt not covet any other’s property, nor lust after any person.
Of course there will always be the reflective and the iconoclast as well in the midst of a complex society that preclude hard and fast rules. This is as it should be, but that does not preclude their having respect for the other, just as the others who believe must show respect for those who do not. The in-your-face trend of believers should be curtailed as well as the non-believers’ in-your-face opposition. There cannot be a rash movement to splash the Commandments all over town, for what then is the curtailment of Wal-Mart’s displaying the Ten Commandments at every check-out counter? Schools have their own rules of behavior and do not need the Commandments displayed in every classroom as are the portraits of Washington and Lincoln, which suffice as traditional reminders of historical presidential leadership and decency; for what is to prevent those enthusiasts of Reagan or Kennedy mandating their portraits? A school district is free to mandate a hall of presidents in the lobbies of its schools but all portraits should be displayed.
However, this is not the same as suggesting that Islamic Laws equally be displayed than to expect that the Ten Commandments be displayed in a Mosque. “When in Rome …” applies here despite the principle of tolerance for other faiths; besides, the pertinent argument is that of the symbolic foundation of a people who arrived here first.
Appropriate reverence is not to be scoffed at; religious zeal, however, should be constrained in public places. An accepted traditional festivity such as Christmas that has been firmly implanted commercially in the American psyche should be thought of , however offensive to some, as no more than the glittering fanfare of Oscar night whereby even the atheist may kneel to the goddess Hilary Swank.
Copyright © 2005 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: March 3, 2005.
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