Thou Shalt Not: The Ten Commandments and American Society

Thou Shalt Not: The Ten Commandments and American Society

Paul George

The principal of a Colorado high school had security cameras installed in the cafeteria to catch students who were leaving their trays at the tables. On April 20, 1999, however, those cameras captured the chilling images of two students with guns shooting other students. At the end of the day, Columbine High School would be forever known as a school where fifteen students, two teachers, and two gunmen died (Vail). Naturally, the event created a flurry of debate over what went wrong. One of the ideas proposed by conservative Christians was that children are not being taught the Ten Commandments. These ten laws, attributed to God, come from the Bible book of Exodus (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:2-17). Conservative Christian groups suggested that the Ten Commandments be posted in public schools. One conservative writer suggested that posting these rules would “nudge toward God an unknown number of youngsters who might otherwise become moral monsters not far different from the killers of Columbine High” (Rusher). The assertion, consistently put forward by conservative Christians, is that the Ten Commandments are the foundation of American law and the ten best rules for living. A poll revealed that 68% of Americans felt that the Ten Commandments should be posted in public courthouses (Osler). Clearly the majority of Americans feel strongly about these rules. However, other research has shown that 60% of Americans cannot name even five of these ten laws (Grossman). So while Americans claim to have deep respect for these laws, they actually know very little about them. The Ten Commandments are not conducive to the foundations of American law; furthermore, they do not reflect American morals or ethics.

Before examining the claim that the Ten Commandments are the foundation of American law, it is necessary to briefly study the history of these ancient laws. After escaping slavery from Egypt, the Jewish leader Moses brought the Jews a set of laws that, according to the account, God gave to him (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:1). However, much of this law code came from older Egyptian ethics. According to author Richard Gabriel “the ethical precepts of the [Ten Commandments] were extant in Egypt at least two millennia before Moses” (Gabriel). To claim that the Ten Commandments are important because they are somehow older than other ancient laws is to ignore history.

The claim that American law is based on the aphorisms of the Ten Commandments is not in agreement with American history. American law evolved from British law. British laws developed mainly out of commercial concerns, inheritances and landholder rights. These issues greatly influenced early American law (Green). According to law professor Mark Osler “almost none of the Ten Commandments remains as a functioning part of American law” (Osler). Many conservative leaders continue to insist that American law was founded on these Bronze Age laws. In discussing this issue, writer Frederick Clarkson expresses his concern that the agenda of conservative Christians is to create “a revisionist view of American history - one that, if it gains wide currency, threatens to erode the culture, and constitutional principle, of religious pluralism in the US” (Clarkson). An examination of the Ten Commandments will demonstrate that many of these laws are invalid in light of the Bill of Rights. Other commandments simply do not reflect modern values.

The first command states “I am the LORD your God…you shall have no other gods before me” (New. Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:2-3). When a Bible translation uses the word “LORD” in all capitals, it is important to note that the original Hebrew text contained the personal name of the Jewish God. This is translated in some English Bibles as “Jehovah” (Am. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:2). The purpose of the Ten Commandments was to establish a covenant relationship between Jehovah and the freed Jews (Seeksin). The next command elaborates on the first by saying that they were not to make idols or commit idolatry (New. Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:4-5). Why was this so important? Because Jehovah describes himself as jealous (New. Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:5). The very first right that the Bill of Rights gives to Americans is freedom of religion. It clearly forbids congress from making any law that would establish any religious practice as superior to any other religious practice (US Const., Amend. 1). To say that the Ten Commandments are the basis of American principles would be to eschew the principles behind the Bill of Rights. Ironically, the conservative Christians who want to push the Ten Commandments into public schools could easily be accused of breaking these commandments. The second command forbids idolatry. Many Christians pray in front of crosses or images of the virgin Mary. Clearly these are acts of idolatry. According to William Rusher, who advocates posting the Ten Commandments in public schools and courts, the first effect of posting these commandments would be to “[acknowledge] the existence of God” (Rusher). Posting the Ten Commandments in public schools would send a message to children that the only acceptable religion is the Judeo-Christian one. By their very nature, the first two commandments exclude Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Wiccans, and atheists.

The next command is to “not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God” (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:7). Again, to say that this is a foundation of American ethics is to endorse the worship of a specific God. However, the First Amendment also protects the right to free speech. The fight for free speech in the United States has included expressions using the word “god” or stating anti-religious views. Many states had laws against blasphemy, however courts have frequently judged them as unconstitutional. John Adam considered blasphemy laws an embarrassment that prevented the improvement society (Osler).

The next law is to remember the Sabbath day (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:8-10). The Jews were to do no work on this day. Many New England states had, until recently, blue laws. These laws prevented places of business from operating on Sunday. Is there anything about having a day declared as sacred and dedicated to Jehovah that is appropriate for school children or Americans in general? While most conservative Christians talk about the importance of the Ten Commandments, few of them actually dedicate an entire day to God. What was the punishment for breaking the Sabbath? While Moses and the Jews were roaming in the wilderness, a man was gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. The punishment for this travesty of the fourth commandment was simple, he was to be put to death by stoning (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Num. 15:32). If advocates of the Ten Commandments believe that these are the most important rules for people to follow, then they cannot simply ignore the punishments that were attached to these rules. Therefore, by their standards, any Wal-Mart employee, doctor, police officer, or charity volunteer who does their work on Sunday should be dragged out of town and have stones thrown at them until they are dead. The first four commandments are entirely religious in nature. Specifically, they point to a jealous god who demands that all worship be given to him. They are, by nature, opposed to the constitutional principles that Americans consider vital to a free democratic society.

The next command concerns the honoring of one’s parents (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:12). On the surface, this sounds perfectly fine. However, the law was absolute. As one writer stated “honor cannot be bestowed automatically by an honest intellect” (Gaylor). While the vast majority of parents strive to be loving and responsible toward their children, it is no secret that there are many parents who have abused, beaten, and neglected their children. According to the Ten Commandments, parents are part of an authority structure that begins with God. Under the Jewish law, any child who demonstrated dishonor, for any reason, toward his or her parents was considered cursed by God (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Deut. 27:16). The Jewish law went so far as to say that a son who ignored the discipline of his parents was to be pelted with stones until he was dead. According to the scripture, this action would “purge the evil from [their] midst” (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Deut. 21:20-21). Even if a parent was abusive or neglectful, any action on the child’s part to protect themselves would lead to the death penalty. In light of the context of the fifth commandment and the punishments involved, the fifth commandment is a barbaric command that does not reflect modern society’s morals. Modern society puts the responsibility on the shoulders of the parent to be a responsible caregiver.

Very few people would dispute the value of the commandment “you shall not murder” (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:13). All modern societies have laws that forbid the killing of another person. However, the focus of the Jewish law was the treatment of those within the covenant between God and the Israelites. While traveling on their way to the promised land, the Jewish nation entered the territory of the Midianites, who were also descendants of Abraham. After an issue regarding worship arose between the two groups, Moses ordered the Israelites to attack the Midianites. While the account does not give a count of the casualties, it is clear that a large number was involved. The Israelite men took the women and children captive. Moses was upset that his soldiers demonstrated mercy toward the women and children. He commanded his men to kill all of the children, infants and women. The only exception was the young women who were virgins (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Num. 31:1-20). The account makes it clear that after the slaughter, those young virgin women added up to thirty-two thousand. Half of them were given to the soldiers (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Num. 31:35-36). When the Ten Commandments talk about forbidding murder, it is only among those in that religious covenant. From the example given, and there are many more, those who followed the Ten Commandments were capable of atrocities beyond any sane person’s idea of moral or ethical.

The seventh commandment strictly forbids adultery (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:14). Marital infidelity can be devastating to a marriage; however, many marriages survive unfaithfulness. The punishment provided in the Bible for adultery was death. It is of note, however, that adultery was viewed differently then compared to the twenty-first century view. The punishment of death was required when a man and sexual relations with woman who was married to another man (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Deut. 22:22-24). Later in the Bible, the adultery law was elaborated on and, again, it provides punishment for a married woman who has sex with a man who is not her husband (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Nu. 5:11-31). Clearly, when the Ten Commandments state “you shall not commit adultery” (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:14), it is talking about an act committed with another man’s wife. It was a property issue, not a moral one. There is nothing in the Hebrew law that prevented a married man from sleeping with other women. As a matter of fact, Israel’s king Solomon was reported to have seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines (New Rev. Stand. Vers., 1 Kings 11:3). The Bible never accuses him of adultery. However, had any one of those women taken a second husband, they would have been executed for unfaithfulness. These details demonstrate that the Ten Commandments were written at a time when women were considered property and had no rights. Thankfully, modern America does not retain this poor view of women.

Like murder, the commands against stealing and bearing false testimony have value (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:15-16). Like murder, however, these commands were applied to those within the covenant arrangement. According to the Bible account, when the Israelites slaughtered the Midianites, they took as spoil nearly a million heads of livestock (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Num. 31:32-34). Clearly the Israelites did not feel that taking property belonging to other nations was a violation of the eighth commandment. As previously stated, there were civilizations before the creation of the Ten Commandments that had laws against lying and stealing. There is nothing special about the Bible’s commands to not steal, murder or lie.

The tenth commandment is another example of an outdated and sexist attitude. The command is to not covet your neighbor’s house, wife, slave, ox, donkey, or “anything that belongs to your neighbor” (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Ex. 20:17). Like the seventh commandment, this demonstrates the attitudes of a Bronze Age patriarchal society. Here, the Bible tickles the ears of women by giving them a value between a house and a slave. Ultimately, this puts women squarely into the category of chattel. It is offensive in our modern society to tell women that the best set of rules for living are ones that view them as slightly more valuable than oxen and donkeys. The scripture also implies that slavery was acceptable, something the Thirteenth Amendment strictly forbids in the United States (US Const., Amend. 13). The entire concept behind the commandment against coveting is contrary to American capitalism. There is nothing wrong with desiring the things your fellow citizen possesses. In the United States, all have the right to pursue happiness. If a person desires the same things his neighbor has, he or she is free to open a business, pursue a better education, or seek a better career in order to obtain what they desire.

The Ten Commandments are clearly a set of religious laws that include a few unspectacular standard laws. Those behavioral laws are nothing original and there’s nothing about them that stands out when compared to other laws of the time. Conservative Christians push the Ten Commandments as being the best set of rules ever created; however, many of these commandments are contrary to the foundations of the United States and are offensive to modern values. These commandments are a set of outdated rules from the Bronze Age, a time when people believed the earth was flat, a wound could be cured by spitting on it, the constellations in the sky were living beings, and “sea monsters were considered a legitimate hazard” (Religulous). The sayings attributed to Jesus show that, even in the first century attitudes were changing. When Jesus was asked what the two greatest commandments were, he said to love God and to love your neighbor (New Rev. Stand. Vers., Mt. 22:36-39). Early Christians moved away from the apodictic structure of Jewish law and embraced casuistry. Many modern Americans, no matter their religious beliefs, have embraced the concept of living by principles and not by rules. This has allowed them to make informed decisions rather than obeying blind dogma. Any reasonable person could make a list of ten principles to live by that would be far wiser, kinder, and more positive to society than the Ten Commandments.

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Copyright 2009 Paul George