Tuesday, March 1, 2005

Bill of Rights and the Ten Commandments
I am always completely appalled at American Christians who want to inscribe the Ten Commandments on the halls of public buildings while they ignore the real "ten commandments" of freedom which protect their right to treasure and believe in the Biblical ten commandments – that is the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution which we call the "Bill of Rights."

As a conservative Christian, I believe that the Biblical Ten Commandments are the main precepts of life for all the children of God. Nevertheless, the right to learn, meditate and apply these maxims in our beloved country is only protected by the "first commandment" of the Bill of Rights. That "commandment" is very clear – "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…." To pass a law or regulation allowing the Ten Commandments to be posted in our public buildings rather than sayings from the Koran, the Bahatva Ghida or the teachings of Niche, not only establishes a religion but prohibits the right of these valuable minorities to freely exercise theirs. Our government doesn't have the right to impose Christian or Jewish religious beliefs on Americans who may be Muslims, Hindus, Deists or even atheists (several of the latter two signed the U.S Declaration of Independence and the Constitution). In fact, even amongst Christians there is debate as to the spiritual significance of these ten great principles, and our fellow Jewish citizens attach a different significance to the Ten Commandments than any form of Christianity – which interpretation should a "religious" government promote?

I am not suggesting that the Bill of Rights should replace the Ten Commandments in the spiritual life of Christians. But Christians need to wake up and smell the roses of political reality. That is, the only thing that protects our (that is American Christian's) rights to revere the teachings of the Ten Commandments, in the first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which also protects the rights of Moslems to treasure the Koran or Jews to love the Torah – or even for atheists to have no use for any of them.

It is a bit humorous to me to hear new-age pundits talk about how the Constitution and Bill of Rights are "antiquated documents that aren't really relevant to our life today." And yet, just as a state-sponsored brand of Christianity threatened our forefather's right to worship freely over two hundred years ago, today we are facing again the evils of state-sponsored religion in our world. Yes, our country was founded predominately by Christians seeking freedom from the tyranny of European governments influenced by religious tyrants. Yes, Christian principles are woven into the fundamentals of the Constitution and other founding documents. Yes, the primary concern of the majority of the U.S. founding fathers was to allow protestant Christian sects to practice their beliefs unhindered by state protected bullies. Nevertheless, modern American Christians must understand the great paradox that is the God-given wisdom of our founding fathers - to protect our right to worship and act openly as Christians, we must assure that the state never endorses Christianity in any way.

What are well-meaning Christian citizens trying to accomplish by posting the Ten Commandments, anyway? One would hope that it would be to demonstrate the desirability of the Christian faith. Yet, when Christ was asked what was the greatest of the Ten Commandments, he replied with an eleventh, "to love your God with all of your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself." And yet today many Christians, who are supposed to be the first to practice this "law of love," are the first to try to politically impose their beliefs on others. Perhaps, if Christians allowed non-Christians to live comfortably in an environment which is free from any form of coercion, and they could also see Christians practicing the Ten Commandments freely in their own lives, then non-Christians might freely choose that which God impresses on their hearts.

No good thing has ever come from man-made government imposing, sponsoring, promoting or favoring any religion or religious beliefs. Therefore, let us be "political fundamentalists" by fanatically practicing the ten "commandments" of freedom which is the Bill of Rights - the first ten amendments to our Constitution. If we do this, then these great principles will continue to protect the rights of all of us to seek a higher calling according to the "dictates of our own hearts," for – God willing – another two hundred or more years.

By Ray Darnell at 2:10 PM | Permalink
Category: Constitutional Rights | Comments (2)