RRN Online Volume 381

September 20 '03

Volume 381

Ten Commandments A Church State Issue

Having benefited Relevant Then Relevant Now from church attendance and Bible study the greater part of my life, I've learned the basic beliefs of the Christian faith and what sets Christianity apart from the great religions of the world. I've never studied religion in the world of academia, but the great number of years of my having been exposed to sermons and Bible teachings have not left me ignorant of the world's religions.

Of all religions, I believe that Christianity alone holds the key to ones salvation. Christianity is distinct from all other religions in recognizing that mankind is incapable of attaining righteousness, apart from receiving it as a gift. And, as far as I can tell, Christianity offers its adherents greater freedom than that found among the other religions. Most religions are comprised of rules and regulations that one must follow if one seeks a spiritual relationship with their chosen god.

Christianity is rooted in Judaism, but Judaism imposes the laws of Moses, commonly known as the Ten Commandments, upon those who seek to follow God. Christianity frees God-fearers from the tyranny of legalism, not by abolishing the law of Moses, but by accepting the Galilean carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth, as the Son of God. Christians are expected to be faithful to the law, but the law of Moses does not condemn them to eternal damnation if they fail to perfectly keep the commandments of the law.

By the time Jesus appeared on the world scene, legalism was rampant among the Jews. The several centuries separating the giving of the laws of Moses and the appearance of Jesus before multitudes of followers provided ample time for the application and interpretation of the Ten Commandments by Jewish religious leaders to entangle and ensnare the average Jew with demands too numerous to include here. But, a good example would be the fourth commandment, that of keeping the seventh day of the week holy. Jews were not allowed to work on the Sabbath Day (Saturday), so any meals that were to be eaten on Saturday had to be prepared a day early. Travel involving a distance of more than a mile (perhaps a mile and a half) constituted work and was therefore not legally permissible. By personal example and by his teachings, Jesus set the stage for Jews (even all men) to be free of legalism.

Today, Americans live in a free society. Few of us can appreciate the freedoms we enjoy, because we've always had them. For most of us, our appreciation of freedom is relative to our understanding of the plight of persons living in nations whose citizens are deprived the basic freedoms that we take for granted.

Where, but in America, can persons petition for removal from office a political figure, as is the case in California at the present time, without fear of being imprisoned or killed? Who among us lives in fear that our government will punish us for speaking against our nation's leader? Are any of us afraid to be a part of a peaceable demonstration denouncing that which we find unjust? Are our best newspapers categorized as underground? Are we imprisoned because we choose to worship differently than our leaders direct?

In this land, this nation, this America, our founding fathers helped assure the freedoms we now enjoy by amending the newly adopted Constitution of the United States of America. The pilgrims and others who settled our country came to this land with a hope for a better life. Many were driven to our shores not so much for monetary gain as for religious freedom or political freedom. Those who drafted the Bill of Rights placed a high priority on establishing freedom.

In fact, the first amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

America's justice system has interpreted, expanded, and expounded greatly on the First Amendment since it's inclusion in the Bill of Rights to a point that rivals (if not surpasses) the Jewish interpretation of keeping the Sabbath holy. . In what is obviously a simple, straightforward statement our forbears made it perfectly clear that our new nation would not endorse a national religion, but in the more than two hundred years since ratification of the Bill of Rights our courts have diverged from the simple to the complex. In doing so, a generation of Americans has grown up believing there is a constitutional provision for the separation of church and state, and while I agree with the principle of separation of church and state, I am perplexed by the extremes applied by the courts and the objections expressed by religious organizations and individuals.

In recent weeks a Federal panel of judges has ruled as unconstitutional the continued display of a monument consisting of the Ten Commandments in an Alabama Federal courthouse. The monument has since been removed from display, while it is known that other monuments are similarly displayed on public grounds or in the justice buildings of other states, and even the building containing the U. S. Supreme Court has a frieze of Moses and the Ten Commandments.

I find it troubling that our society is becoming less tolerant with respect to freedoms expressed within the Bill of Rights. I find it troubling that some persons would have all references to God removed from the public eye, from the taking of an oath in the courtroom to the recognition of God we find printed on our currency. I am troubled by the actions of some religious persons who seem to want a national church, as long as it represents their religion. There may be some middle ground between the extremes expressed here, but if there is, anyone standing in the middle is in danger of being destroyed by whichever side he or she angers the most.

Personally, in light of my own interpretation of the First Amendment, I don’t see anything wrong with displaying the Ten Commandments in any public building, and I don’t consider it unconstitutional. However, I would not have voted to display the Ten Commandments had the issue been on a ballot. Likewise, I would not vote to have the Ten Commandments removed from a public building, either, which sounds a lot like I have stepped onto the middle ground mentioned earlier.

As a Christian, I believe that any displays and any teachings concerning the Bible or the Ten Commandments are best left in the capable hands of the church and the home. If kept there, my religious freedom will remain intact, and the religious freedom of those of other faiths is not compromised.

Apparently it is terribly important to some folks that America be considered a godly nation, and by that designation it be understood that America is a Christian nation. However wishing doesn’t make it so, nor will governmental legislation enact it. Americans wishing to create a Christian nation would be more successful to that end by seeking to change the hearts of men rather than working themselves into a frenzy over a monument.

Christians are bound by duty to obey the law, even laws with which they disagree. The only exception is when asked to obey a law that compromises ones duty to obey God. Thus far, I've not heard a good argument that removing a monument containing the Ten Commandments from a courthouse is being disobedient to God.

Sleeping Sickness Cause And Effect

There is a disease whose common name is "sleeping sickness." It is also known as African sleeping sickness and is transmitted to animals and to humans by the tsetse fly. The disease is often fatal to humans. While, I've not heard of any cases reported in Mississippi, I've taken to wondering if certain members of my family may have been bitten by a tsetse fly. I comment in jest, but with all the naps my wife and my sister require to make it through a week, I can't rule out a mild case of sleeping sickness.

In my sister's case, sleeping has been one of her favorite pastimes since her youth. Even then, she had the ability to sleep away the mornings when she didn't have school. It always bothered me that she couldn't seem to get out of bed until almost noon, but I attributed her fondness for sleep to her not having to work in the fields, garden, or yard, or activity that required one to rise up early. Plus, our Mom had little patience with her only daughter, and when it came to housework, Mom chose to do it herself rather than steer a reluctant child to the task.

Sarah will be the first to admit her dislike of any form of farm work, and in candid moments she can recall the various "excuses" she contrived to avoid such activities. She found Dad an easy touch and managed to whine her way out of most chores under his jurisdiction. So, with a mom who chose to do the cooking and housework herself, and a malleable dad, Sarah pretty much had it made until she left home to make her own way in the world.

Sarah keeps house, but she's no housekeeper. She has done her mother proud in sewing and cooking, but Mom's love of washing dishes didn't transfer to Sarah. In recent years, Sarah has had to struggle in helping her two children get a college education and now works not only as a high school English teacher but also as a part-time employee at our local hospital. Thus, it's understandable that after teaching all day, then working at the hospital until nine at night, and then back to a full day of school the next day, such would drain ones energies quickly and some "catch-up" sleep and rest would be required.

All work and no play makes for dull boys, or at least in the case of Jack, but all work and no play makes Sarah sleepy. Barbara and I may be unwitting contributors to Sarah's sleep habits by seeking to help feed her, for if we didn't call her to supper most nights, she'd be up preparing a meal or dining out. Of course, we're glad she chooses to dine with us, but efforts to contact her in the early evening hours to let her know that supper is ready are often futile, as she is such a sound sleeper that she cannot hear the phone ringing.

Fortunately, for all concerned, she is normally awake by seven or seven-thirty on those afternoons when she plays catch-up with her sleep.

My wife's case of sleeping sickness doesn't really compare to Sarah's case. For Sarah, the seeds of sleeping sickness were scattered in her youth and childhood. For Barbara, her bouts of the "disease" have only developed within the past several years. As a young child whose mother worked in a factory, Barbara became practiced in the art of keeping house and continues a strong tradition in housekeeping to this day. However, the stresses of work and travel have taken their toll.

I began to notice a gradual decline in my wife's physical stamina about mid-way through our decade of living part-time in the Delta. I would often drive home after a day's work to find Barbara "resting" in a sleep-like state on the living room couch or across the bed. It wasn't an everyday occurrence, but it occurred often enough for me to notice.

"I just need a power nap," she often said before dozing for fifteen minutes or so.

I can't take a power nap. If I nap, I'll be out for roughly an hour and a half. I envy those persons who can go to sleep at the drop of a hat, or nap for a few minutes and feel refreshed afterwards.

I thought that Barbara would require fewer of her power naps once we reverted to full-time residency in Pontotoc, but that's not been the case. If anything, her sleeping sickness has worsened. I know that we all have different biological clocks, but I can't help comparing hers with mine. Our schedules often vary, but, as a rule, I'm the first to awaken in the morning. Whenever I have to get up earlier than normal on successive days, I may need to go to bed early one night in order to do some catching-up of my own, but for me to sleep in the late afternoon or early evening is almost unheard of during weekdays.

There is a positive side to Barbara's sleeping sickness, in that I find myself cooking more evening meals than ever before. I'm not ready to host my own cooking show on the Food Network, but I'm getting there.

By the time most RRN subscribers read this, I'll probably have a full-blown case of sleeping sickness, though I hope it's not the result of being whacked on the head with a frying pan. Instead, I have to leave Memphis at six a.m. and fly to Milwaukee on Monday, September 15, 2003. I don't get back to Pontotoc until around nine o'clock Friday night. I will repeat a similar process for the next week, possibly for two more weeks. One week is sufficient to give me a case of sleeping sickness, so there's no telling what two or more will do.

Bodock Beau Something For Everyone

I knew when I saw the title of the quiz last week, it wouldn't be easy. Sure enough, I was right. A passing score is 4 right answers. I didn't pass. Did you?

ANSWERS TO THE WORLD'S EASIEST QUIZ

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?
Answer: 116 years
2) Which country makes Panama hats?
Answer: Ecuador
3) From which animal do we get cat gut?
Answer: Sheep and Horses
4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?

Answer: November
5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?
Answer: Squirrel fur
6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
Answer: Dogs

7) What was King George VI's first name?
Answer: Albert

8) What color is a purple finch?
Answer: Crimson

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
Answer: New Zealand

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?
Answer: Orange, of course.

Shared by H. P. Prewett, Jr.

Dog Blonde Joke

A girl was visiting her blonde friend who had acquired two new dogs, and asked her what their names were.

The blonde responded by saying that one was named Rolex and one was named Timex.

Her friend said, "Whoever heard of someone naming dogs like that?"

"HelOOOooo," answered the blonde. "They're watch dogs!"

Submitted by Dusty Parker

Favorite Flower

While attending a marriage seminar on communication, Joe and his wife Joni listened to the instructor declare, "It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other."

He addressed the men, "Can you describe your wife's favorite flower?"

Joe leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, "Pillsbury All-Purpose, isn't it?"

The rest of the story is not pleasant.

Submitted by Lisa B. Rolik

Subject: Three Gospel Truths

1) Jews do not recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
2) Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.
3) Baptists do not recognize each other at Hooters or the liquor store.

Submitted by Vickie Murphree

Airline Humor

Supposedly relayed by a flight attendant, "Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."

On a Southwest Airline flight: "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing and if you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em.

On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."

Compliments of Dusty Parker

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