Dial And The Decalogue: Alabama Senator Pushes Commandments Amendment

[The Night Owl]

Here we go again:

Dial And The Decalogue: Alabama Senator Pushes Commandments Amendment

Forget what the Constitution and the courts say, Alabama State Sen. Gerald Dial knows best.

On Tuesday, Dial introduced for the seventh time in his 10 years in office a bill that would amend the state constitution to encourage display of the Ten Commandments in public schools and other governmental buildings.

According to Dial, the Commandments don’t favor any particular religious belief; they’re just “rules we ought to live by.”

He told The Anniston Star, “If it keeps one person from going berserk or killing folks then it’s worth the effort.”

...

“I think you’d have a hard time saying the Ten Commandments are distinctly religious,” Eidsmoe told the newspaper. “They’re an expression of the basic precepts that just about every society has been built upon.”

I’m not sure all of the 2,000 different religious groups and the 20 percent of nonbelievers in America would agree with that assertion. And it’s clear the courts don’t agree, either.

...

http://blog.au.org/2011/03/03/dial-and-the-decalogue-alabama-senator-pushes-commandments-amendment

The Ten Commandments are not distinctly religious? Seriously?

Anyway, I can't see why anyone, including religious people, would want the Ten Commandments in a courthouse. They're not even that good.

[KansDem]

1. Not the 10 Commandments again!

Okay, let's state the facts one more time.

There are only three "commandments" that are practical as laws: no killing, no lying, no stealing. Civilizations before Christianity have had these laws; centuries before Christ walked the Earth. They are not unique to the Big 10.

That leaves seven:
Four are instructions on how to worship the other guy's God. You know, keep the Sabbath holy, no using God's name in vain, no having other God's before the Real One as "I'm your One and Only God," and don't make idols.

The remaining three comprise a "wish list" -- kids need to respect their parents; don't lust after your neighbor's wife, and don't keep wanting the things your neighbor has.

So we have three laws that has been the foundation for society long before Christianity, four requirements for worshiping, and a three-point wishlist.

Sen. Dial can post these in his home if he wants, but keep them out of public buildings...

[Ian David]

2. ...

[The Night Owl]

3. Classic! Thanks for posting that. {EOM}

[gratuitous]

4. Waste of time and money

If Dial's purpose isn't prosletyzing, and I'll take him at his word, does he really, truly think that a display of one version or another of the Ten Commandments has the power to keep someone from "going berserk or killing folks"? Because if he does, I should think he needs some mental health evaluation far more than he needs to be wasting the Alabama taxpayers' money on pointless shit like this.

Unless, of course, Mr. Dial is lying about his intent. And if that's the case, I seem to recall there being something written somewhere that lying is bad. I wish I could remember where that was . . . .

:think: