The 10 Commandments

On NPR this morning there was the first part of a series on Christianity in America. I cringed when I heard about it, then cringed even more as my brothers and sisters opened their mouths and brought shame to the cross. There was a lot of talk about how the US was founded by Christian men, who followed Christian values. They specifically cited the 10 Commandments as the most important document for the founding fathers as they developed this nation and the Constitution.

If America was founded on Christian values, I am not a Christian. I don't think Manifest Destiny is how our Father works. I don't think Jesus likes the idea of committing genocide towards Native Americans. I don't think the Holy Spirit guided the creation of a capitalist system that makes some rich while others starve.

The most difficult part of the broadcast for me, though, was the constant rhetoric about the 10 commandments. "An essential Christian belief" that is "perfect moral code for all people." That's funny: I don't think God ever stopped in the middle of giving the law to Moses and said, "Here's the important part." It was all part of the law. And the law was fulfilled through Christ, who gave us the Sermon on the Mount. This is the most important thing ever written, a beautiful code of conduct that most Christians seem to want to avoid or explain away because it is too difficult to follow and continue worshipping the idols of the surrounding culture. It is more than time for Christians to stop whining about the 10 and start living out the radical challenge Christ laid out for us.

"For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that's Moses, not Jesus. I haven't heard one of them demand that the Sermond on the Mount, the beatitudes, be posted anywhere." -Kurt Vonnegut

Peace,
Matt

Currently Reading: God's Politics by Jim Wallis.