Let’s display the unabridged 10 commandments in schools
Commentary by Walter Hesford | FāVS News
At Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry recently signed a law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in all the schools of his state. Other conservative states are likely to try to follow suit as part of the effort to assert that the U.S. is a Christian nation.
I side with the ACLU and other organizations that oppose such a display. It violates the separation of church and state foundational to our country. However, if conservative states have their way and the Ten Commandments are posted in our country’s classroom, I suggest the full version of these commandments as presented in Exodus be offered. It would be a real education.
In the interest of space, I will just discuss the fourth, second and first commandments as presented In “The Pentateuch and Haftorahs.”
Note that in Jewish tradition, the commandments are ordered somewhat differently than in Christian traditions. As James Downard reports in his June 23 FāVS News column, the plan in Louisiana is to display the King James Version of the Ten Commandments. This promotes the Christian nationalist agenda. It is more respectful and educational to use a Jewish translation of the Hebrew Bible.
The Fourth Commandment
Let’s take a look at the fourth commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor any daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor any stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11).
The full version of this commandment makes clear the roots of the Sabbath in the Hebrew creation story. It also makes clear that absolutely no one is to work on this day. I honor my Jewish and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints friends who do not shop on this day lest they cause others to work. Imagine if no one, including immigrants and others who do the jobs that the rest of us do not want to do, actually had the day off. Considering this possibility would help us appreciate them and their work.
The Second Commandment
The full second commandment also would cause us to reconsider common practices: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likenesses, of anything that is heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down unto them; for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love me and keep My commandments” (Exodus 20:3-6).
Shouldn’t Landry, a Catholic, speaking at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School, wonder if this commandment calls into question all the beautiful graven images and statues venerated in Catholic churches? And how about all those lovely stained glass windows depicting Jesus and his disciples one finds in many Protestant churches? Would not the God of this commandment be upset by these depictions?
The First Commandment
The first commandment in Jewish tradition is even more far-reaching in its implications: “I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Exodus 20:2).
Rabbi Hertz makes clear the historical and on-going significance of this commandment: “The reference to the redemption from Egypt is of deepest significance, not only to the Israelites, but to all mankind. The primal word of Israel’s Divine Message is the proclamation of the One God as the God of Freedom … In the light of this truth, history becomes one continuous Divine revelation of the gradual growth of freedom and justice on earth.”
In this commandment’s evocation of the deliverance from slavery we find a foundation of Black theology. Hearing it as a call for freedom and justice, we find a foundation of liberation theology, and a call for all of to work for a just society. Our students would indeed be learning something important if this commandment were posted in their classrooms.
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
Well done, Walter! Even small pushbacks against what I trust will be declared an unconstitutional action are welcome (even to those of us who don’t live in Louisiana).
I love this.
As a Seventh Day Adventist, it is exactly the way I read the 10 Commandments.
The Sabbath has as much to do with the way we treat others as the way we view and approach God. If the Jews had kept and shared this commandment with the world, treating all comers as equal, we would be living in a different world.
The man that was caught picking up sticks on Sabbath was not guilty of picking up sticks, nor were Adam and Eve guilty of picking the wrong fruit. They were all guilty of rebellion. Their choice demonstrated that they did not trust God.
God demonstrated His power in Egypt. The people saw what He was capable of. He kept His promise to keep alive the first born of all that followed His instruction for both Jew and Gentile. (A mixed multitude from many nations followed Moses out of Egypt.) God opened the Red Sea, gave them water, shaded them by day and gave them a pillar of fire by night and gave hem food. God provided for His children. Defying the command to stay home on the Sabbath was to say that “I do not trust God to provide.”
Same today. Do you HAVE to work 7 days a week to provide for ourselves (God will let you if that is what you want, but do not be asking Him to provide for you.) or are we trusting in Him? (See Ex 16:18)
The 2nd is not to make any image so much as to find something to replace or put in front of God. Who or what do you trust to give you what you want or feel you need? Is it your education, strength, good looks, money, job, retirement account? Is it your government? Or is it your God Who gave these things to you?
And #1, who are you slave to? Self is our default mode. Whatever will make “ME” the best, the most, the greatest. Pride. That has brought us to the world we have, the world we have created.
If you are god and I am god, we will get along as long as both of us are SATISFIED with what we have. But if you have something I think I need and you will not give it to me, I will kill you. This is our world.
We teach nationalism to our children: “I love my self, my family, my school (think school pep rallies), community, state and country (political party) and it is better than yours.” Rather than patriotism: “I love my self, my family, my school, community, state and country and want it to be the best it can be and desire the same for you and yours.” (If you think that who you are or what you believe is better than the others, then you are part of the problem. Are you willing to kill those that oppose you to get what you want?)
The greatest gift God has given us is freedom of choice, freedom of conscience. Did He know what choices we would make when He gave us that freedom? Yes, He did. And He knew the mess that would result and yet He allowed it. He is looking for His children to give that same choice to others. To allow them to make choices, even destructive choices, to demonstrated to themselves the results of those choices.
The choice is between self and God. Who do you trust?