Decalogue

On June 22, Lousiana’s Ten Commandments Law became a trending news. I posted the screenshot on my Facebook, and my LGBTQ friend commented on how blatantly unconstitutional it is. [S]He quoted the US Constitution Amendment I (Proposed September 25, 1789, Ratified December 15, 1791) that

“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.”

The separation of church and state, coined by Thomas Jefferson, was mentioned as a support for the argument. I pointed out that the Ten Commandments can be summarized into two simple yet significant points: love God with all your being and love others as yourself. How could this kind of love be the seed of persecution and against the First Amendment? I continued by mentioning that The Ten Commandments do not specifically belong to one religion. Abrahamic religions (Jew, Islam, and Christianity) share the Decalogue in their beliefs (Talmud, Quran, and Torah). The second meaning of the Decalogue in the English dictionary, a basic set of rules carrying binding authority, aims for the universality of the commandments. Not only is it universal, but the Ten Commandments are timeless. Jesus gave a perfect example of obeying Heavenly Father and earthly parents in Luke 2:49–52. Abandoning the Ten Commandments from school systems and states is throwing the baby out with the bath water.