Deacon Brigid Waszczak

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord… When Moses… told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” Moses… wrote down everything the Lord had said… [and] read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”
—Exodus 24: 1, 3-7

Sisters and Brothers, 

Moses wrote down the laws God gave him on Sanai, rules governing the newly liberated Israelites. This framework formed them into community, into one big family. 

My family had rules, as well. They weren’t written, but understood or intuited. Some were imparted verbally or demonstrated by our parents; others were communicated by facial expression. (What we called Mom’s “withering glance.”)

My family’s rules and my husband’s rules co-mingled, resulting in rules tailored to our own little family—some the same and others different from those imparted to us in childhood. 

While originally given to our Israelite ancestors, the principles presented in the 10 Commandments—honesty, integrity, care for each other and the vulnerable, and speaking truth—transcend time, and have admittedly influenced our evolving legal system and, hopefully, our personal and communal behavior. As the “family” grew, the rules evolved to fit new circumstances and different dynamics.

The Ten Commandments are at the center of an ongoing national debate. Recent legislative efforts in several states want to mandate their display or instruction in public schools. 

However, many religions have ethical frameworks like the Ten Commandments: The Five Precepts in Buddhism, Yamas/Niyamas in Hinduism, Islamic commandments in the Quran, and The Golden Rule (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.) that emphasizes treating others as you wish to be treated.

We are a religiously pluralistic nation. Preferencing the 10 Commandments creates a breach of the religious freedom guaranteed under the First Amendment, including the right not to believe or participate in any religious doctrine. Posting the 10 Commandments endorses Christianity over other faiths, and marginalizes those faiths. The mandating of one set of rules over another is like forcing our families to live under rules created by our family of origin. And which family of origin in a marriage wins that battle? Jesus embraced both Jews and Gentiles who had differing communal frameworks, not insisting on His understanding of Covenant. Cannot we do the same?   

Peace,

—Deacon Brigid