Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Ten Commandments Are Country’s Basic Foundation
Why is there an uproar in America about having the Ten Commandments posted in public view? You might have been told the issue is separation of church and state, but that isn’t true. Some of my friends who call themselves atheists, and with whom I get along fine, don’t have a problem with the Ten Commandments.
Although many faiths could be mentioned in this Reflection, I will mention only Islam, Judaism, and Christianity: Three monotheistic religions.
Let’s briefly look at and comment on the commandments found in Deuteronomy 5:6-21.
1. You must not have any other gods before me. Whatever someone worships or idolizes becomes a god.
2. You must not create an object to worship. Adherents of Islam agree with this; and agnostics and atheists have no problem with it.
3. You must not use the name of God thoughtlessly or loosely. Most people misunderstand this one and ignore it.
4. You must honor the Sabbath day. Labor unions worked hard to give their members a day off from work each week; and the courts who invalidate the commandments won’t sit in session on Saturday or Sunday.
The next six commandments relate to human interpersonal relationships.
5. Honor your father and mother. This command is one of the primary supports for most civilizations.
6. You must not commit murder. We have stiff laws prohibiting murder.
7. You must not commit adultery. Many people have disregarded this one simply because sexual perversion is one of the world’s primary gods.
8. You must not steal. We arrest and send people to jail for this.
9. You must not lie. We have contracts to keep people honest.
10. You must not think of taking your neighbor’s wife, house, land or whatever else belong to him.
We’ve just seen that U.S. citizens are not bothered with seven of the rules, so what’s the problem with the Ten Commandments? Here it is: the sound of “The Ten Commandments” reminds people of the God of the Bible. They may not be against a moral code; they are against God.
I have friends who disagree with me, but I am still convinced these laws are the basic foundation upon which our nation was founded.
When we examine the Ten Commandments, it’s likely that only three of them are offensive to the general public. They are numbers 1, 3 and 7: Many people don’t want God in their lives, and they want to enjoy their evil, sexually-perverted lifestyle.
Some adherents of Islam agree with the ideals included in nine of the Ten Commandments. But they disagree with it all simply because the laws originated from the Judeo-Christian God.
Other people all around the world have their own gods, and don’t change their religion in the face of disagreement or opposition. But we in America are changing our historical, foundational belief in God to accommodate people who disagree with us. What’s the problem here?
I’ll tell you. Many Americans have been convinced that in order to be tolerant, we must set our own beliefs aside.
But wait a second! Haven’t we openly accepted freedom of expression of faith of all religions? So why are we now denying our own citizens the freedom of religious expression?
Think of this: If we destroy our culture, how can we expect to help anyone?
The Ten Commandments are wholesome, life-saving laws. Let’s not lay down our integrity in order to support hypocrisy. If we don’t stand for truth, we will stand for nothing.