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The Word's Eye View is a newspaper column written by
"Under Assault... The Ten Commandments" The public display of the Ten Commandments has been under a massive assault by the ACLU and similar organizations for years. They have been forcibly removed from schools, courthouses and public squares in spite of the fact that the vast majority of Americans endorse their presence. These oracles are intended to bring certain restraints upon human behavior, but it seems unreasonable to assume that this is the only reason for the animosity they engender. After all, posted speed limits, stay off the grass signs, no dogs in the park and thousands of other painted warnings are observed daily with little protest. Of course, the commandments are extracted from the Bible (Exodus 20), and that puts God in the mix which raises the hackles on the backs of the attack dogs. Could it be that there is another reason for the hatred that extends beyond the obvious? In the opinion of this writer, the answer is unequivocally YES! The rationale is simple: not only do the Commandments demand obedience which is often resisted, but in parallel fashion they are a declaration of human rights given by God. The launching pad for the Ten is God’s affirmation of His right: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Until there is an acknowledgement of the absolute authority of God, there will always be a debate as to who is the giver of rights—God or government. As dependence upon government increases, a proportionate reliance for its benevolence develops which ultimately results in an aristocracy versus serf society. The middle class is systematically eliminated. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image….thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them;” God has extended to us the privilege of worshipping Him for He continues with “for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.” When high school students meet at the flag pole to pray only to be rebuked by the authorities, we observe a contest as to who is going to be the recognized god---the God of the Bible or government. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain;” Every individual has the right to respect holiness. Millions of times a day Americans ask God to damn something but never swear in the name of President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, or Harry Reid. Somehow, a congressional damnation lacks the necessary punch. When someone curses a person or object they are looking for an ultimate source of authority which serves as the exclamation mark of the conversation. This is in itself an acknowledgment that there is a Deity that deserves esteem. American vocabulary is attacking that right and at the same time rendering more regard for the inhabitants of the White House that the God of the Heavenly House. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” The right to rest is not a license delivered by a bureaucracy but rather a freedom that the same bureaucracy has the obligation to protect. Rest can only be fulfilled when a sense of security accompanies it; hence, the role of a strong military. When our armed forces are constantly being denigrated, liberty is under siege. “Honor thy father and thy mother.” The clear indication is the right of respect. Shouldn’t ordinary citizens be consulted by congressional committees more frequently than celebrities who often are the very ones who disdain Ward and June Cleaver in preference for “Sex in the City?” “There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.” (Proverbs 30:11) “Thou shalt not kill” is a right to life that extends from the womb to the grave. No claim authored by God has suffered more abuse than the sixth edict. A culture of death has been propagated from Roe vs. Wade to thousands of murders being portrayed on prime time television. Jesus’ explanation was startling: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth…” (John 8:44) “Thou shalt not commit adultery” is the right to purity. This prerogative has been targeted for years by the film makers, but the ambush has intensified greatly through internet porn which has become a national epidemic. Someone hates your rights. “Thou shalt not steal” protects the right of ownership of private property. Confiscatory taxation and governmental condemnation of private land lends to the suggestion that Uncle Sam is the giver of rights, not God. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” is actually a right to a fair and speedy trial. Many a person has been victimized by a kangaroo court. “Thou shalt not raise a false report; put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.” (Exodus 23:1) “Thou shalt not covet….” or as Webster says, “to wish for enviously.” The gross violation of this commandment is the root cause of today’s financial quicksand. However, there is a further implication---the right to protect what is legitimately ours. The redistribution of wealth through massive federal spending and taxation would be the greatest assault on the Tenth in the history of this republic. Is there a usurper in the bushes attempting to replace God with another authority? James Madison, the father of the Constitution said, “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of the government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”
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