[GCFL-discuss] Top Ten

[Discussion of the Good, Clean Funnies List]

This is from the James Watkins web site. I thought it was insight worth
passing along.

Siarlys

- ‘SHALT THOU’ OR ‘SHALT THOU NOT’ DISPLAY TOP TEN?
 
[Monday the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the Supreme Being’s Ten
Commandments being displayed on government property.  Here’s what I wrote
in September 2003 concerning the controversy.]
 
Last week a 5,280-pound granite marker which included The Ten
Commandments  was removed from the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial
Building--but not before  protestors, well, protested.
 
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who installed the monument two years
ago,  said he was
"profoundly disappointed" with the action. “It is a sad day in our 
country when the moral
foundation of our law and the acknowledgement of God have  to be hidden
from public view to appease a federal judge," Moore said.
 
Moore had refused to comply with a federal judge's order to remove the
monument, so eight
associate justices voted to have Moore suspended.
 
While I have no doubt in the sincerity and good intentions of Moore and
the protestors, I’m not sure two tons of granite will make a dent on the
morality of the United States. Having those who believe in God actually
obey God’s top ten would probably make a much greater impact. Here are
the rules and the results from various Barna Research, Ltd. studies:
 
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
 
Desiring to have a close, personal relationship with God ranks sixth
among the 21 life goals
tested among “born-again” believers, trailing such desires as "living a
comfortable lifestyle."
 
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
 
As the Ten Commandment monument was being removed, one of the protestors
yelled, "Get your hands off our God, God haters!" A block of rock is our
God?! I hope it was just something dumb blurted out without thinking, but
it did make a damning sound byte!
 
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain
 
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy
 
Less than half of those who consider themselves Catholic and Protestant
attend church in a typical week (49 percent and 47 percent respectively).
 
A 1997 American Bible Society study reported that only 16 percent of
regular churchgoers read something from the Bible every day. Another 10
percent claimed to read several times a week. But three-fourths rarely
read the Good Book. Yep, 42 percent read less frequently but at least
once a year while the remaining 32 percent hadn’t read it outside of
church services during the last year.
 
5. Honour thy father and thy mother
 
6. Thou shalt not kill
 
While over 90 percent of conservative Christians oppose abortion, an
Ellison Research documented that 88 percent of pastors from churches
belonging to the National Association of Evangelicals support the death
penalty.
 
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery
 
Recent statistics have revealed that 50 percent of partners in marriage
have committed adultery. Thirty-seven percent of pastors have done the
same.
 
On a somewhat related topic, born again church members are more likely to
get divorced than non-church members! Some 25 percent of all adults have
been divorced, but 29 percent of Baptists and 34 percent of
non-denominational church members have divorced. Mainline churches had a
similar rate to the general public. Only Catholics and Lutherans were
below the national average with 21 percent each.
 
8. Thou shalt not steal
 
Don’t get me going on fraudulent TV evangelists bilking their followers
out of millions of dollars?!
 
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour
 
Nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of the “born again” population believe
that lying is sometimes
necessary.

10. Thou shalt not covet
 
Protestants are 50 percent more likely than Catholics to say they are "in
debt” (40 percent to 26 percent, respectively) The total number of adults
in the general population who say they are in debt is 37 percent. Not a
lot of difference between believers and unbelievers.
 
Nearly one out of five (19 percent) Christians and non-Christians (20
percent) believe “you can usually tell how successful a person is by
examining what they own.”
 
Most surprising, in 2002 Barna reported that only 6 percent of born again
adults gave their church a “tithe” or 10 percent of their income.
 
It appears that many who subscribe to the Ten Commandments have let their
subscription expire! Better than a granite monument would be those who
profess to follow God to actually follow God’s “Top Ten.”
 
© James N. Watkins