by AANEWS
The following article refers to Charlotte, North Carolina, where there
was an effort underway to “sneak” public display of the
Ten Commandments into government buildings
1. MOTIVATION
IS TO PROMOTE RELIGION
Interviews in the Charlotte Observer and other media show that the proposal
was inspired by the preaching of an evangelical minister. The proposal is
not being put forward by any legal association, historical society, or arts
group to promote law, history or art.
2. FOUR OF TEN COMMANDMENTS WHOLLY RELIGIOUS
IN NATURE
The first four commandments: no other gods, no graven images, not take
name in vain, and remember the Sabbath are wholly religious in nature
unrelated to any civil or criminal law. It is not government’s business
which god or gods a person worships if any, whether a person makes or
worships graven images, whether a citizen takes god’s name in vain, or
whether a citizen observes the Sabbath. That is 40 percent of the
commandments promoting only religion not civil or criminal law.
3. TWO OTHER COMMANDMENTS SEMI-RELIGIOUS
SOCIAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL NORMS WITHOUT LEGAL STANDING
The fifth commandment, honor thy father and mother, may popularly be
conceived as a semi-religious social or psychological norm which has no
civil or criminal standing. Joseph Lewis in his book The Ten Commandments
(New York: Freethought Press Association, 1946) notes that honor is not a
term of endearment, it is a form of tribute; and Martin Luther said,
“‘Honor thy parents’ does not refer to fellow men, but to vice-regents of
God. Therefore, as God is to be served both with honor and fear, his
representatives are to be so, too” The tenth commandment, not to covet,
is against a state of mind which has no standing in civil or criminal law.
Furthermore, Lewis claims it is really against an “evil eye” practice of
witchcraft rather than against jealousy as we know it today.
4. SEVENTH COMMANDMENT AGAINST BIBLICAL ADULTERY
DIFFERS FROM NORTH CAROLINA LAW
The Bible calls unmarried adults, man and woman, adulterers. In North
Carolina, one of the “sinners” must be married to a third party for their
dalliance to be legal adultery.
5. SECOND COMMANDMENT AGAINST GRAVEN IMAGES
NOT ACCEPTED BY ROMAN CATHOLICS
The second commandment against graven images has been omitted or falsely
been explained away since the Seventh General Council, 787 C.E. The
crucifix was introduced as part of the worship of the Church only in the
latter part of the sixth century, and finally authorized by the Council of
Constantinople, 692 C.E. When Constantine embraced Christianity, he found
that the incurably superstitious would not relinquish their idols, and so
the Church, after a feeble and unsuccessful effort, merely incorporated
image worship as part of its ritual.
6. FRESCO ITSELF WOULD VIOLATE SECOND COMMANDMENT
PROHIBITION AGAINST GRAVEN IMAGES
Display of Moses in a wall display would clearly violate the second
commandment’s prohibition against graven images.
7. SECOND COMMANDMENT COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT
ARTS POLICY
The prohibition against graven images could prevent support for
representational visual art regardless of the controversial or
noncontroversial nature of its content and limit support to abstract
modern art only.
8. BRUTAL PENALTIES AND PUNISHMENTS FOR
VIOLATING COMMANDMENTS
Robert Ingersoll noted in Some Mistakes of Moses (Buffalo: Prometheus
Press, 1986) that when Moses descended from Mount Sinai three thousand men
were butchered for practicing idolatry before the commandment against it
had even been given to them. The Bible also prescribes death for cursing
one’s parents, and for adultery. How can the City Council hold up the Ten
Commandments as exemplary law?
9. NINTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS ONLY
PROTECT “NEIGHBOR”
The ninth commandment against false witness, and the tenth commandment
against coveting explicitly express a clannish concern for “neighbor”
rather than full equal protection of the law.
10. SIXTH COMMANDMENT PROTECTS ONLY ISRAEL
According to Joseph Lewis, the sixth commandment against killing is a taboo
based on a superstitious belief in animism against spilling blood because
of blood pollution which would prevent the earth from yielding fruit.
Numbers Chapter 35 verse 34 states: “Defile not therefore the land which ye
shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of
Israel.” This means, of course, that blood could be spilt or shed outside
the tribe of the Israelites, which is not full equal protection of the law.
Naturalism and Religious Experience 