Last week a 5,280-pound granite marker which included The Ten Commandments was removed from the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building—but not before protestors, well, protested.

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who installed the monument two years ago, said he was "profoundly disappointed" with the action. "It is a sad day in our country when the moral foundation of our law and the acknowledgement of God have to be hidden from public view to appease a federal judge," Moore said.

Moore had refused to comply with a federal judge's order to remove the monument, so eight associate justices voted to have Moore suspended.

While I have no doubt in the sincerity and good intentions of Moore and the protestors, I'm not sure two tons of granite will make a dent on the morality of the United States. Having those who believe in God actually obey God's top ten would probably make a much greater impact. Here are the rules and the results from various Barna Research, Ltd. studies:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Desiring to have a close, personal relationship with God ranks sixth among the 21 life goals tested among "born-again” believers, trailing such desires as "living a comfortable lifestyle."

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image

As the Ten Commandment monument was being removed, one of the protestors yelled, "Get your hands off our God, God haters!" A block of rock is our God?! I hope it was just something dumb blurted out without thinking, but it did make a damning sound byte!

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain

4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy

Less than half of those who consider themselves Catholic and Protestant attend church in a typical week (49 percent and 47 percent respectively).

A 1997 American Bible Society study reported that only 16 percent of regular churchgoers read something from the Bible every day. Another 10 percent claimed to read several times a week. But three-fourths rarely read the Good Book. Yep, 42 percent read less frequently but at least once a year while the remaining 32 percent hadn't read it outside of church services during the last year.

5. Honour thy father and thy mother

6. Thou shalt not kill

While over 90 percent of conservative Christians oppose abortion, an Ellison Research documented that 88 percent of pastors from churches belonging to the National Association of Evangelicals support the death penalty.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery

Recent statistics have revealed that 50 percent of partners in marriage have committed adultery. Thirty-seven percent of pastors have done the same.

On a somewhat related topic, born again church members are more likely to get divorced than non-church members! Some 25 percent of all adults have been divorced, but 29 percent of Baptists and 34 percent of non-denominational church members have divorced. Mainline churches had a similar rate to the general public. Only Catholics and Lutherans were below the national average with 21 percent each.

8. Thou shalt not steal

Don't get me going on fraudulent TV evangelists bilking their followers out of millions of dollars?!

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour

Nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of the "born again” population believe that lying is sometimes necessary

10. Thou shalt not covet

Protestants are 50 percent more likely than Catholics to say they are "in debt” (40 percent to 26 percent, respectively) The total number of adults in the general population who say they are in debt is 37 percent. Not a lot of difference between believers and unbelievers.

Nearly one out of five (19 percent) Christians and non-Christians (20 percent) believe "you can usually tell how successful a person is by examining what they own.”

Most surprising, in 2002 Barna reported that only 6 percent of born again adults gave their church a "tithe” or 10 percent of their income.

It appears that many who subscribe to the Ten Commandments have let their subscription expire! Better than a granite monument would be those who profess to follow God to actually follow God's "Top Ten.”

© Copyright 2003 James N. Watkins

Comments

By some coincidence, a church I sometimes visit was teaching from the 6th chapter of Daniel last Sunday. (If you believe in coincidence). I note however that Daniel did NOT "openly and defiantly" disobey the King's command. He quietly and privately disobeyed the king's order, keeping his conscience but not making a spectacle of it. The reason it became a legal issue is that Daniel's enemies invaded his privacy, spied on him, and reported to the king what he was doing. Daniel respected King Darius. He was saddened that his conscience required him to disobey the command. Daniel recognized that Darius was a pretty good king, as kings went — partly because he had enough sense to turn things over to Daniel to run.

Judge Roy Moore had every right to pray privately to his God. And, since we have a constitutional right to privacy, as well as to the free exercise of our religion, no power in the land would or could have interfered. It was his impulsive desire to show off that got him in trouble. He has an uncontrollable complusion to pray in public, like the pharisees, where he can be seen of men, rather than pray quietly in his own room, as Jesus admonished us to do.

I would have asked Roy Moore why he defiled something so sacred as the Ten Commandments by dragging it into the halls of government. Political offices are falliable, profane, human institutions. I'm not worried that they might get an infusion of divine inspiration sometimes. I'm worried that people might credit a government agency with being an agent of divine inspiration, which it is not. There are good reasons NOT to render unto Caesar what belongs to God: those who work for Caesar might let it go to their head, and get the false notion that they are agents of God, which they are not. Not in the capacity of government employment.

Charlie jsiarlys@juno.com (September 2003)

Thanks for your tome on the ten commandments. Well done. I have to laugh. Most CHURCHES do not have the ten commandments posted. Most Christians can't say them from memory. Of those who can, many don't observe them. I know I don't always. But let's by all means make sure a block of granite is erected on state property so we can say to all the "brown people and their religions" that America belongs to Jews and Christians. (Mostly Christians.)

Only thing in your great essay I disagree with is the notion that Moore is probably sincere and well-intended. I have no doubt in my mind that he is evil. Not sure that he's very dangerous. But no doubt he's evil, IMO. In any regard Jim, keep up the great work! I am proud of you!!

Your brother, Jim S . JSojourner@aol.com (September 2003)

I just wanted to offer an opposing view to your comments. As someone who took the time to travel to Montgomery and heard Justice Moore speak first hand, I have a very different view than you presented. I have attached a short editorial about the difference of two key men in this issue and I will include a link that has a vast amount of resources regarding this as well. Thank you for being vocal and for speaking your mind.

Paul pvaughn@icgold.net (September 2003)

Thanks for the link. And, yes, I agree that the current courts have completely missed the whole point of religious liberty guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The phrase "separation of church and state" is not in the Constitution but in a letter from Thomas Jefferson who strongly opposed orthodox Christianity, calling it "dross".