Hypocrisy of demanding Ten Commandments in public places

[McCulloch]

Certain Christians have demanded and defended the erection of monuments depicting the Ten Commandments in public places, often with public funds. In the USA, this violates the separation of church and state. But most Christians don't even believe that the Ten Commandments should be the basis of civil law.

As a reminder, here they are:
Then God spoke all these words, saying,“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
5. Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor

The first, second and fourth would violate the freedom of religion clause of the First Amendment. The third would violate the freedom of speech clause. Most Christians don't follow the fourth commandment, holding the first day not the seventh as being set apart. As for the seventh, many Christians practice or tolerate the practice of unrepentant adultery, according to Jesus' meaning of the word. And the final commandment implies that servants (and wives) are property like oxen and houses, contrary to the thirteenth amendment.

Why are some Christians so supportive of the public display of the Ten Commandments?

[Tired of the Nonsense]

Certain Christians have demanded and defended the erection of monuments depicting the Ten Commandments in public places, often with public funds. In the USA, this violates the separation of church and state. But most Christians don't even believe that the Ten Commandments should be the basis of civil law.

As a reminder, here they are:
Then God spoke all these words, saying,“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
5. Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor

The first, second and fourth would violate the freedom of religion clause of the First Amendment. The third would violate the freedom of speech clause. Most Christians don't follow the fourth commandment, holding the first day not the seventh as being set apart. As for the seventh, many Christians practice or tolerate the practice of unrepentant adultery, according to Jesus' meaning of the word. And the final commandment implies that servants (and wives) are property like oxen and houses, contrary to the thirteenth amendment.

Why are some Christians so supportive of the public display of the Ten Commandments?

The first four Commandments are concerned with making sure we all kiss the part of God that God allowed Moses to, very weirdly and uncomfortably in my opinion, have a look at. Number five requires us to honor our parents, with no exclusion clause for abusive parents who clearly do not deserved to be honored. The final five could all be easily kept by simply following the golden rule. Put up copies of the golden rule in public places. I would have no problem with that.

[There and back again]

For me my argument would rest heavily on my belief that the Ten Commandments and other such "violations" of church and state are grand fathered in because of the history of this nation.
Rewriting history because some one is offended or points out a legal technicality isn't a good enough reason to start blowing up our monuments in my opinion. Half of the monuments in DC would have to be demolished if you follow that line of thinking.
I don't see that a statue of a confederate soldier equals support for slavery nor do I think that a plaque of the ten commandments in a court house forces anyone to believe in God. It just happens to be a tradition.

Now if the tradition is no longer seen as appropriate then don't put up new ones.

When the courts ask me to tell the truth and nothing but the truth if you want to get technical that violates my freedom of speech and jailing me for purger violates my civil liberties. Taken to far ideas become silly.
Am I to be forced not to say marry christmas if I am a state worker while at work?

[bluethread]

When the courts ask me to tell the truth and nothing but the truth if you want to get technical that violates my freedom of speech and jailing me for purger violates my civil liberties. Taken to far ideas become silly.
Am I to be forced not to say marry christmas if I am a state worker while at work?

Your main point is the president that the Supreme Court used in those cases, i.e. cultural construct, not theistic endorsement. However, you go too far with your examples. Requiring you to tell the truth does not violate your freedom of speech. Though you do have the right to say whatever you like, you are not free from consequence and you are not free to not testify, without consequence. The exception is your right to remain silent to protect you from self incrimination. Even then, if you are granted immunity, you then can be compelled to provide incriminating testimony. Also, there is no civil liberty associated with perjury.

[terrydactyl]

[Replying to post 1 by McCulloch]

One thing I will say is the framers of the first amendment directly repudiated the first commandment. "You shall have no other gods before Me" is in direct contradiction of freedom of religion.

[2Dbunk]

[Replying to post 3 by There and back again]

For me my argument would rest heavily on my belief that the Ten Commandments and other such "violations" of church and state are grand fathered in because of the history of this nation.

That is an amazing statement! Nothing was "grandfathered in" the construct of the US Constitution with the exception for relevant secular parts of English law. No kings, gods, or religious-speak form any part of it.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by McCulloch]

Are people asking them to be displayed or inshrined in American law?

JW