June 4, 2013

• The Ten Commandments and Schools

  I very much hate to read the comments section of any article where a school has removed the ten commandments. I think it’s a great step forward for the school, but the comments sections are such revolting loads of ignorance. “What’s wrong with telling kids not to kill?” they ask. “Why can’t we teach kids morals?” So, once and for all, here is what’s wrong.

  There is nothing wrong with don’t kill, don’t steal. Those are fine. Those are also irrelevant, distracting questions, cherry-picked to pretend it’s an issue of teaching good behavior. The most important things come first, and what comes first?

  It is not clear which set is “canon” and in what order (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#Enumeration_of_the_Ten_Commandments), but the plurality of sources seems to be:
  1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
  2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
  3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
  4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
  5. Honour thy father and thy mother.
  6. Thou shalt not kill.
  7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
  8. Thou shalt not steal.
  9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
  10. Thou shalt not covet.
  (I’ve bolded the problematic ones.)

  Any schoolchild knows that the ten commandments are a Christian thing. Any schoolchild knows they refer to the Christian god. And in schools, Truth itself is written on the classroom walls.

  When I was in elementary school, I had a friend who was a practicing Hindu. One day when I was at her house, I picked up a little figurine of a Hindu god from her shelf. She was upset with me, and I realized that her gods meant a great deal to her.

  You can’t tell a little Hindu schoolchild to hold the Christian god first (commandment 1). That is her religious freedom, and no one can tell her otherwise. You can’t tell her not to have graven images (commandment 2). Different religions worship differently. Some cultures use graven images of their gods, and their idols are important to them. The Christian god is not “the Lord thy God” to everyone. Sometimes parents have to work weekend jobs to support their children (commandment 4), and there is nothing wrong with that. Little kids have no idea what “adultery” is (commandment 7). Or for that matter, what “covet” means.

  Schools are the very Halls of Truth, and schools teach things like reading and math. They don’t teach religion because that is up to the child and the family. The alphabet goes on school walls, as do multiplication tables and the water cycle, and perhaps the spelling words of the week. Those are what is true and correct. Kids should learn those things on the walls and remember them. If you put the Christian commandments on the walls, you are saying that they are true and correct things all kids should learn. At least four of them are not.

  By all means put the rest of them on the wall if you want, but don’t associate them with Christianity or the Bible. Here’s a modified version (made to be clear to small kids) that anyone can use:
  1. Be nice to each other. Don’t hurt people.
  2. Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
  3. Be honest. Don’t tell lies.
  4. Don’t be jealous of your classmates’ things.
  5. Respect your parents, classmates, and teachers.

  Aren’t these better? These can be in schools, and I’d guess no one, atheist or otherwise, would have any problem with them.

  P.S. Another common thing: “exposure to religions and cultures is good for kids.” This doesn’t apply unless you have a whole wall of things from lots of religions!
  

  • 7:42 pm
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