I think that the fuss and fury initiated by that judge (how did he ever get to be Alabama’s CHIEF Judge?) is another example of what is right and wrong with America. Let me explain it in this way.

Some people never ate a bagel in their lives. They also have believed Jews living today are guilty of killing god (sic) because Romans executed Jesus 2,000 years ago.  Here in America you are free to believe anything you want.  So, these bigots gobble supposedly “Jewish” bread (actually an Eastern European commonplace) appropriate another “Jewish” symbol (this time correctly ascribed to the gift given by GOD to the ancient Hebrews) the ten commandments and make them as important or more important than the civil list of commandments located in the Constitution of the United States. They seem to be unaware there are redundancies and endless repetitions of this list throughout the Bible and other religions have versions, too.

These are people who know their Bible well – the Testament, referred to as “New”. They have tacked it on to the Hebrew Five Books of Moses.  They (let me introduce them – the Bible Belt Fundamentalists) have made a cause celebre of a codification of ancient rules to live by that first appeared in the Book of Exodus. In ancient times, folks back then were trying to make civilized people out of savages and barbarians. Largely ignored, although revered, the fanatics deplore removing an idiosyncratic block of stone with the ten rules of the Jews carved on it.

The Christian Fundamentalists are in error here.  They have come by the thousands to stand by their hero, the judge who plunked that monument down in the Alabama courthouse.  They see no inconsistency in making this stone and its ten rules a rallying point and a battle flag in their fight against the forces of evil – including the Devil, Muslims and others. Their fight is also against the government that tries to separate their church and state. In their lexicon, Church = State

I think rules are great and have tried to live by them and instruct my children and students that living by them is better than not. I like these particular rules that I witnessed being parodied in a Church one Sunday morning as “Dasn’t Do’s”. It is easy to poke fun at the list because they refer to commonplaces in the ancient world that do not resonate in the present “modern” one.  I think that “honoring” one’s elders and, in particular, one’s parents are a good single rule. They did not dishonor you by giving you life.  Murdering others is not a good idea and the rules against it have been codified in civilian statutes. So, too, are rules against stealing; for we have laws against this.  Coveting, however, goes on and on. You cannot make civil laws against envy.  You also cannot command belief.

We need rules to live by. But, deifying them is ridiculous.