Moses v. Jesus: Why do Conservative Christians Prefer Moses’ Commandments to Jesus’ Beatitudes?
Why are conservative Christians so concerned about displaying the Ten Commandments in public and especially in courtrooms?
Conservatives and their lawyers claim that the Ten Commandments are (or, should regain their position) at the heart of American jurisprudence because the Electrolux END44500X Decalogue represents our commitment to Rule of Law. And, they have made these arguments in cases like McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky[1] (in which the ACLU challenged the legality of displaying framed copies of the Ten Commandments in two Kentucky courtrooms) and Van Orden v. Perry[2] (involving a challenge to the legality of a Ten Commandments monument displayed as part of a statehouse exhibit). Immediately after the Supreme Court decided these two cases, Mat Staver, the conservative Christian attorney who argued the McCreary County case, stated
The Ten Commandments have become a universally recognized symbol of law because of its [sic] influence on our law and notions of right and wrong. The Court should recognize the Ten Commandments are more than an historical relic. The Founders would be outraged that we are even debating the constitutionality of the Ten Commandments. That the Ten Commandments would be deemed unconstitutional is an insult to the Constitution, to our shared religious history …[3]
While the Supreme Court decisions released this week in these two cases did little to resolve the issue of religious displays, they elevate the issue in the American culture wars while obscuring a broader set of questions that we should consider: Are the Ten Commandments really a building block of American society, and a representation of our preference for order? If they are, should they be? Given our culture, tradition and values, should we display the Ten Commandments publicly as a sign of reverence for our institutions?
Frankly, I doubt it.
I Liebherr WTes 4176 am certainly not against religious displays in public.[4] But, I would be much more in favor of the idea if conservatives were arguing for the public display of what should be the set of tenets at the center of Christianity and its influence of society - the Beatitudes. In pursuing this discussion, it is easy to get off track, and onto a kind of argument that is not particularly productive - the appropriateness of displaying religious documents in public forums,[5] or appropriate standards of review for governmental policies implicating religion.[6] I hope we don’t, because I want to raise an issue related to the questions I posed above, one that I find much more interesting. It’s time for conservative Christians to decide – who do you like better, Moses or Jesus?
It can’t possibly be both, because as we know from St. Paul’s letters that Jesus freed us from the Law (promulgated by God through Moses, in the Christian and Judaic traditions). Jesus’ Beatitudes are a “new law” of redemption leading to freedom, peace, charity and happiness. The word beatitude itself comes from the Latin beatitudo (meaning happiness). Jesus’ mission to the world was to preach that “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” He did not tack on “and, God is really angry so there’s going to be hell to pay.” In short, Jesus’ message was not one of retributive justice carried out by a set of state institutions that enforce a religious code for living. So why are conservative Christians, the heirs of Jesus’ mercy and love, supporting Moses over Jesus?
Rejection of the Ten Commandments by courts has contributed to disaffection with the society, belief that Christian values are under attack, and sustained political and legal action on the part of the conservative Christian social movement. Certain, not all conservative Christians would side with Moses on this score, but they are the exceptions to the rule. If others thought about it, they would realize that they are backing the wrong horse, and could make a better argument using the Beatitudes. I would like to see courts argue against a public display of words like “blessed are the peacemakers,” or (even better) “blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” I’m certain courts would insist that such words would have to be placed within an historical context. But, can you see courts today objecting to consideration of the beatitudes and “blessed are the merciful” before sentencing, as they did recently when they overturned the decision of a jury that considered the Old Testament during deliberation?
So, why then is the punitive justice of Mosaic Law equated with Christian principles when Jesus himself preached peace and mercy, not “an eye for an eye?” The answer is not that conservative Christians are uncomfortable with a legal status that places them on the outside. Conservatives of all stripes actually feel much more comfortable on the outside of the system then the inside. Once they gain political power they have just as much trouble as any other winners in managing the state and maintaining their principles. The strange part is that they would want to win at all. The images of Mosaic Law are the armies of Israel conquering Canaan, and later the armies of Christian Europe conquering Jerusalem. The image of the Beatitudes is of the suffering Christ o
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