Just two months ago, Jeff Landry, governor of Louisiana, signed a bill requiring all state public schools, colleges, and universities to display the Ten Commandments – no smaller than 11” x 14” – in every classroom. My guess is that Landry, like most people, could not name more than three of those ancient commandments. And the only thing of great value which will result from such a display will be that some printer gaining a contract for producing what is to be hung, will make a considerable amount of money.
The evangelical, Christian nationalists whose support Landry and like-minded politicians seek by such absurdly meaningless legislative acts, likely see this as another step forward in the culture wars which they are waging. It is nothing more than another act of symbol over substance; another phony distinction that won’t make any difference.
The evangelical, Christian nationalists behind so much that is nothing more than blowing holy smoke in order to gain power and control, would support posting commandments. But they are seemingly loathe to observe, practice, and come to understand the very commandments whose displaying they would legislate. Two of the Ten come immediately to mind.
If the prohibition against bearing false witness against a neighbor were observed the entire Trumplican Party and its plethora of sycophant candidates would become silent. It would be a welcome sound of silence. But the intentional breaking of the ninth commandment will continue unabated.
Then, there is commandment five. Namely, honor your father and mother that you might live long in the land.
The Sunday School lesson of this commandment begins and ends with some version of obeying one’s parents or at the very least, not talking back to them until one is 21. If an adult person has the care of his or her aging, infirm, or memory challenged parents, the fifth commandment has lost its Sunday School lesson meaning a very long time ago.
The origin of the commandment to honor father and mother was not found in an individualized understanding of caring for old dad and mom. It was a profound cultural understanding that honoring the fathers and mothers of the origin of the nation, for instance, paying attention to original, founding principles and honoring those principles would enable a nation to continue.
Honoring the past by valuing those who blazed the trail giving meaning to the trail which they blazed is essential for living long in the land. Forgetting to honor the past and the past lives who parented the values of the homeland as well as passed them on to the succeeding generation was critical in living long in the land. It has always been noted that honoring the fathers and mothers of our beginnings is what will go a long way to prevent our losing the sense of homeland to untethered, ignorant, trends or understandings.
The fifth commandment is being broken in our divided times. Our homeland is in jeopardy from within as a result of refusing to honor those who paved the way and made a way for our republic, our freedoms, and our national family’s very future. Cultural orphanage will be a most unhappy result.
We do not honor our national parents by putting words in their mouths about a religion they did not practice or mandate. We do not honor our parents by contriving policies and political platforms such as Project 2025 which is in opposition to the aspirational republic our parents designed. We do not honor our parents when we even consider persons for leadership who would model themselves after the very fascists that our national parents opposed to the last full measure of their devotion.
The United States of America is our homeland. To live long in this most privileged and blessed land is a great gift. If we continue to break the commandments some would only have us post on a classroom wall, the future of our homeland will be short-lived.