In Alabama, voters will decide whether or not to allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed on government property. This was a big deal with Roy Moore. It always struck me as an odd cause. Only two of the Ten Commandments are actually illegal–murder, and stealing. Some would actually be illegal to enforce.
1. “You shall have no other gods before me.” It would be illegal–unconstitutional–to enforce this one. To display it on public property, without similar nods to the beliefs of other religions, implies something the Founders most definitely didn’t want.
2. “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything.” It would be an unconstitutional infringement on religion to prevent people from making idols as part of their religion. Catholics might even be in trouble, or anyone who wears a cross. There would be court cases to determine what is and isn’t an idol (or graven image).
3. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.” This is not currently illegal; the President does this, though evangelicals don’t seem to mind. Should we put a Buddhist or atheist in prison for what Christians would regard as misusing God’s name?
4. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Who is going to enforce this one? We all violate this commandment, at least as it was observed during Bible times. Are we gonna shut down all restaurants on Sunday? Better yet, consider that the Sabbath is technically Saturday.
5. “Honor your father and your mother.” This Commandment is not illegal.
6. “You shall not murder.” This one’s illegal, though we have laws which, arguably, allow the state to murder (war, death penalty, cop shootings). “Stand your ground” laws can be used to justify murder (Trayvon Martin, for example).
7. “You shall not commit adultery.” Not illegal. Again, the President. Do we really want to begin arresting people for adultery?
8. “You shall not steal.” Definitely illegal for most people. The richer you are, the more legal it is.
9. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” Consider the daily Tweetstorms. In some legal contexts, lying is illegal or actionable. But generally, it’s perfectly legal to tell lies about people.
10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, wife, or property.” Not illegal. In America, we tend to worship the idea of wanting more than we currently have.
Like I said, I don’t see the point of what Alabama voters want to do. But I can see how it would be easy to get people all worked up about it.
