THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. . .And of course that’s Moses Sermon on the Mount, not Jesus

 BEST OF THE BEAST

GOP Pushes Ten Commandments but Ignores Jesus’ Teachings

READ THE OTHER BOOK, TOO

Matt Lewis
Published Jun. 21, 2024 4:45AM EDT

I have no problem with the Ten Commandments in public schools. 

But Jesus taught charity, forgiveness, and peace—not smiting sinners.

". . .while I am fine with posting the Ten Commandments in school classrooms, it’s also hard to ignore the blatant hypocrisy exhibited by so many on the right (this Louisiana law was pushed by Republicans) when it comes to Donald Trump—a man who publicly flouts many of these same commandments.
Along those lines, I also think it’s telling that many Christian conservatives these days seem very interested in the Old Testament, but not so interested in Jesus’ teachings, including the new commandment he gave us.

As Kurt Vonnegut observed in 2005’s A Man Without a Country, “For some reason, the most vocal Christians… demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.”

The modern right, it seems, are much more at home with a more judgmental God who smites His enemies than they are with the God who tells them to turn the other cheek, welcome the stranger, and care for the widow, the poor, and the hungry. . .

So yes, I’m concerned that too many of our school children lack a grounding in the moral lessons that can be found in the Ten Commandments. But I’m likewise concerned that so many of our leaders—people who ostensibly are fighting to restore traditional values—are so unfamiliar with the new covenant delivered by Jesus.

Perhaps we could mandate that the Sermon on the Mount be posted at the Republican National Committee, Mar-a-Lago, and the Fox News green room.

What could it hurt?