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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion March 13, 2006 When Did The Ten Commandments Become Illegal? |
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FRONTLINE DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2006 by Fritz Foltz
Most of us have no trouble with taking prayer out of our public schools. Prayer is obviously worship. Students in our schools come with every conceivable kind of religion, some with none at all. We do not want to force any form of worship down their throats.
Most of us do have trouble with removing the Ten Commandments from all public buildings and parks. It is true we are no longer all Jews and Christians who share the commands, but words of ancient wisdom, whether Buddhist or Christian, religious or secular, do not impose worship on anyone. In fact, the commands are a very important part of our history as a people. They serve as foundation for much of our legal system. To deny them is to be dishonest at the least.
Just as important is their role in our modern society. They along with concepts of justice from other traditions grant us a vision of the good society we crave and a norm for the laws we enact.
We cannot build a society on freedom alone. To pretend “what is just” is only a matter of individual opinion is very dangerous. People who live together in peace share values. Without shared values they can end up a very educated people who use the great powder of their knowledge in immoral ways.
Read the lesson a second time. Review the Ten Commandments regularly. Teach them to your children. Quote them among your friends. You can make sure they are part of the public discussion. Just make sure you don’t stop before you get the part about coveting.
Let us pray: Father, we thank you for the wisdom you granted to our foremothers and forefathers. Help us to preserve their vision and to pass it on to the next generation. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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