Memo to Louisiana and other states: Thou shalt not force your view of the 10 Commandments upon others
There are always new and interesting developments in the culture wars in this country. The latest addition gaining newsworthy status involves the Ten Commandments (seen above in Hebrew in a public domain image posted on wikimedia commons).
Apparently, many believe a more conservative Supreme Court will re-evaluate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, and allow states to promote this central set of laws from Judaism, by requiring them to be posted in every public school classroom. Louisiana has signed such a requirement into law, and Texas, Oklahoma and Utah are waiting in the wings to do the same.
Of course there are groups who believe in religious freedom and the separation of church and state, ready and willing to take Louisiana to court. We can be confident this dispute will be part of our reality for months, perhaps years into the future.
I don’t have a problem with the Ten Commandments. As a set of principles for ethical and moral activity they are quite helpful. One could prefer they were stated in a more positive way, rather than “thou shalt not.”
Telling children not to do something they often see as an invitation, at least an opportunity, to ask “Why not?” Jesus states ethical principles in a more positive way in the Sermon on the Mount, but nobody is talking about posting that material.
The other problem with holding up any set of absolute “rules” for our children in school, is they eventually see the hypocrisy. They might begin to wonder why those commandments are on the school wall, like “thou shall not kill,” when our country is at war around the world, helping Israel kill children in Palestine.
And the country dropping the bombs on tent cities and doing the killing is the inheritor of the laws Moses brought down the mountain. It’s interesting to me that Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana, who wants the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom, also signed a bill this year allowing two more forms for killing death row prisoners, with nitrogen gas and electrocution. That’s in addition to lethal injection.
There are currently at least 58 people eligible for execution in Louisiana. Of course, that’s the way it has always been! Follow the rules if you are powerless. Make the rules if you are powerful.
One only has to look to Biblical history to see it played out again and again. Even after Moses brings the people of Israel the laws of God, they continue to kill the profane peoples around them and steal their land. They “stone to death” those caught in adultery.
In the same way, in the New Testament, it is the religious authorities in collusion with the Roman government (the people in power) that put Jesus to death. Those in power always seem to have a good reason for disobeying one, or many, of the Ten Commandments. It’s one of the reasons the idea of Christian Nationalism in this country is so frightening and heretical.
Christ is not owned by any country, nor is it possible to legislate him into the hearts and minds of everyone. You don’t legislate loving the neighbor, you live it. But you can help set the conditions with laws that insure equal access and respect.
There are about 3.5 million Muslims in the United States. There are 6.3 million Jews. There are 3 million Buddhists and 1.7 million Hindus. In 2020, 30% of the population had no religious affiliation, a number that has been growing significantly. The number of people who identify as Christians, more than 50% of the population, has been declining; perhaps a reason why the Christian Nationalists are anxious to bail out the sinking boat, rather than swim for shore with their inter-faith kin.
When I was in seminary years ago, there was a professor who believed the Christian church was in crisis. He believed there needed to be a crucifixion before there could be a resurrection. He encouraged students to be pastoral with a dying institution and open the eyes of people to the new life and love affirming message of the founder.
Perhaps that time of dramatic change has come. Maybe the continuing loss of church life in this country will bring in a new day; not with commandments issued by governments in schools, but by love of neighbor, works of mercy and living the gospel in word and deed.
Carl Kline of Brookings is a United Church of Christ clergyman and adjunct faculty member at the Mt. Marty College campus in Watertown. He is a founder and on the planning committee of the Brookings Interfaith Council, co-founder of Nonviolent Alternatives, a small not-for-profit that, for 15 years, provided intercultural experiences with Lakota/Dakota people in the Northern Plains and brought conflict resolution and peer mediation programs to schools around the region. He was one of the early participants in the development of Peace Brigades International. Kline can be reached at carl@satyagrahainstitute.org. This column originally appeared in the Brookings Register.
