My research revealed some items of interest. For example, I did not know that Protestants and Catholics have different versions of the Ten Commandments. Essentially they are the same, but there are a couple of differences.
So question one was: are schools required to post the Catholic version or the Protestant version?
While there are more Catholics than any other affiliation in the legislature overall, there are way more other Christian groups among Republicans, so my guess is that is why the Protestant version won out.
This leads to the second question: there are numerous translations of the Bible out there, and that’s where the Ten Commandments come from — they are, after all, Bible verses.
There’s the New International Version, the English Standard Version, the New Living Translation, the New American Standard Bible, the King James Version, the New King James Version, and others. Which version of these Bible verses are we requiring schools to display?
I consulted the bill (SB 10) to see if it specified a particular version, and boy, did it. The actual wording of the Ten Commandments to be posted are in the bill, right there in King James English.
So what’s the big deal? Why shouldn’t we require Texas schools to post these Bible verses on every classroom wall?
Opponents object to the display on religious grounds — the First Amendment prohibits the state from establishing a particular religion.
But the proponents all say the purpose of displaying them is not religious.
I’m going to say something here, and I don’t mean to insult anyone, but it is something I have noticed. Walk through the halls of the Texas Legislature and you will find lots of self-described Christians among our elected officials.
I know some personally, and I have found that even the most dedicated Christians, once elected to political office, can shovel horse hockey as well as their most jaded, ultra-secular colleagues.
They may even be better at it, because they somehow have to convince themselves that what they are saying is true, and thus can deliver the disinformation in full, Christian earnestness.
And that’s exactly what is happening in the reasons given for requiring the posting in classrooms.
In a press release, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said “From the beginning, the Ten Commandments have been irrevocably intertwined with America’s legal, moral, and historical heritage.”
Other proponents say they offer “historical context” and “promote values that shaped the nation.”
To test the reasons given, we’re going to look at The Ten Commandments one-by-one (King James Version) and see how well they have been “irrevocably intertwined” with our legal, moral, and historical heritage.
By definition, the first commandment can’t be irrevocably intertwined with our legal system because it is a religious prescription specifying which god to worship. That’s a big “no-no” under the First Amendment. Having government tell you who and how to worship is what many early settlers came to these shores to escape.
Graven images are described as “physical representations—idols—carved from wood, stone, or metal to be worshipped as deities.”
Back in the day this may have been an issue. I will admit there are not a lot of idols being carved in the U.S. for the purpose of worshiping, so maybe we can say this is intertwined, though I have never seen a law against it in our legal system.
The Commandment, not to take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, doesn’t seem to be widely observed, from widespread mutterings of “Jesus Christ!” to curse words including God’s name, to texting acronyms. I don’t think we can really say that this commandment is “irrevocably intertwined with America’s legal, moral, and historical heritage.”
Keeping the sabbath holy is taken seriously by some, but not many. I don’t have stats on this, but my best guess is that “keeping the sabbath holy” is not top of mind late on Friday afternoons when the weekend is about to start.
But stats do tell us that about 30 percent of Americans attend religious services regularly. Thirty percent doesn’t stand as a value that shaped the nation.
Besides, that 30 percent would be even less if you take out the Mormons, 67 percent of whom do worship regularly.
Ok, I’ll say “honor your father and mother” may have taken some root. At least we have one day each year to honor moms, and another to honor dads.
“Thou shall not kill” has at least made it into American law, so I’ll give it that, but stats again tell a sad story. While not killing is the law, it’s not particularly a practice here in the U.S., where we have one of the highest homicide rates in the world.
Super-secular Europe has a murder rate of about two per 100,000 people. That number in the U.S. is more than five.
Not committing adultery is something else Americans are not particularly good at. In the colonial era, adultery could be punishable by death. In modern America, adultery is technically a crime in some states, although ironically not in Texas, which explains why Ken Paxton is not in jail.
Texas is, however, one of “America’s infidelity hotspots,” according to PR Newswire.
In the country as a whole, about 25 percent of married Americans admit to having committed adultery at some point in their marriage.
Not stealing also at least made its way into American law, but again, we’re not that good at following the law or the commandment. Theft rates in the United States are about double that of Europe.
Not bearing false witness is another commandment that at least made it into law — it is illegal to lie under oath. It is also illegal to lie on most legal documents. But bearing false witness is also sharing gossip or other information that is not true. And the old adage that a lie makes it halfway around the world before the truth puts on its shoes never met social media, where lies go all the way around the world several times before truth gets it socks on.
The entire American capitalist system is based on selling you stuff, and to do that, companies have to make you want things. Advertising entices you with that new car, the Rolex watch, the big-screen TV, that patio furniture you saw at Costco; our entire economy is based on coveting.
Besides that, I don’t have a manservant or a maidservant, and I’d like to have one.
The bottom line is that our American legal, moral, and historical heritage is not irrevocably intertwined with the Ten Commandments. We are terrible at observing and keeping them. The values they promote, while admirable, did not shape our nation.
So, the question then becomes “why?”
Why did the Texas Legislature pass a law to require posting these Bible verses in Texas classrooms.
To get that answer, as in all answers regarding politics, you have to follow the money.
The owners of the Texas Legislature (or at least the Senate) are on a crusade to impose their version of Christianity on all aspects of life - education, government, business, and others.
Requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms is just the first step — there are more to come.
My question is “what would Jesus do?”
Jesus never sought to impose himself on anyone — it was always an invitation that others had a right to accept or reject. He stands at the door and knocks — he doesn’t batter it down like an ICE agent in Minnesota.
I believe that in our system of government, and even in Christian ethics, any aspect of religion, including the Ten Commandments, should be offered by their adherents, and people should have the right to accept or reject the offer. The heavy hand of state government has no place in this process.
Randy Keck is the owner and publisher of The Community News. He currently serves as president of the National Newspaper Association Foundation.
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