Bob Cornwall/Faith in the Public Square/Commentary

A small group of conservative religious activists (mostly Christian) have declared today “Ten Commandments Day.” Proponents hope to “counter the secular agenda and help restore the Ten Commandments and Judeo-Christian values to their rightful place in our society.”

They see themselves as protectors of “traditional values” and opponents of secular humanism. Though I believe in the Ten Commandments, I also believe that using the government as their promoter and enforcer is contrary to their divine purpose and is constitutionally dubious.

Despite my resistance to the public posting of the Ten Commandments in schools and court houses, I believe that if we truly followed these commands, our country would very different, but perhaps not in the way proponents of Ten Commandments Day envision.

Martin Luther correctly suggested that if we keep the first commandment - have no other God but God -- we will keep them all. The same can be said for the 10th commandment, the one that bans covetousness. While the first nine commandments speak of actions - don't make idols, keep the Sabbath holy, don't kill, steal, commit adultery, or bear false witness - the 10th speaks of an attitude and way of thinking. The sin of covetousness is, therefore, an issue of the heart, but the public display of the Ten Commandments won't change hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

As we ponder the value of the Ten Commandments, it's appropriate to consider the modern consumer culture that drives American life. This culture is built on the principle of covetousness or greed. Consider the first principle of advertising -- instill in the heart of the consumer the desire for something they don't need. Advertisers encourage us to “keep up with the Joneses” - if my neighbor buys a new car, then I must do the same, and if I can't afford it, I'll charge it, or if necessary steal it. The culture of greed can have a dehumanizing effect on both consumer and producer. Our desire for cheap goods (I'm a bargain shopper myself) has led to sweat shops, while our insatiable thirst for bigger and more powerful cars, trucks and SUVs, contributes to the degradation of the environment and to our dependence on foreign oil. This dependence in turn leads to American troops fighting in far off lands to protect American interests.

Ultimately, the solution to the problems facing our nation is a change of heart that will lead to a change of actions. As I contemplate my overwhelming desire for things I don't have or even need, I appreciate the words of biblical scholar John Killinger: “Life is in God, not in things,” so that when God has preeminence “we are happy regardless of our homes or our bank accounts or anything else.”

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The Ten Commandments can be summed up as a call to love God and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The cure for greed is to leave dominion in the hands of God and to place the needs of my neighbor equal to if not above my own. Although I won't be celebrating “Ten Commandments Day,” I believe in the principles in the commandments, especially the first and the 10th. Greed and the lust for power stand front and center as driving forces behind the problems of our day - gas shortages, global warming, disputes over water rights and land rights, immigration, lack of food and medicine, terrorism, militant aggression and war, incivility and polarization. If we are to tackle these problems then we must have a change of heart.

We are a diverse and pluralistic land that is remarkably religious. Our founding principles provide for a public square that is neither barren of religion nor is it dominated by religion. If faith is going to contribute to the welfare of our nation, it won't come in the form of coercive legislation to support one religious tradition, exclude courts from deciding important legal issues, or by requiring public display of the Ten Commandments. Neither will it come by way of a war on secularism, by fleeing from public schools nor by trying to dominate the schools and political institutions. It will only come as we let go of our desire (covetousness) to control God, our fellow humans, and the universe itself.

Dr. Bob Cornwall is Pastor of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Lompoc (www.lompocdisciples.org). You may contact him at lompocdisciples@impulse.net or at First Christian Church, P.O. Box 1056, Lompoc, CA 93438.

May 7, 2006