LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
My Queer Life: Thou Shalt Not Have Any Common Sense |
by Michael Thomas Ford |
So, the House of Representatives has passed an amendment making it legal for publicly-funded schools to post that hallmark of Christian morality, the 10 Commandments, within their halls and classrooms. Never mind that this goes completely against the whole separation of church and state principle. The wise old white men who run our country think that if kids can see the Commandments every day, it will stop the increase in youth violence. As a friend of mine was told by his representative when he called to ask how the man could possibly vote for such a thing, "It can't hurt." Have you read the 10 Commandments lately? Apparently the members of the House haven't. Or maybe they're so faint from all this fasting they're doing to atone for turning away from God that they can't quite comprehend their meaning. Because if you look at the holy 10, they have very little to do with kids killing each other. And the fact that they're being set forth by politicians as a model of ethical behavior is stunning. Observe. 1: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Okay, fine, the 10 Commandments were a covenant between the Israelites and their God. Of course he didn't want anyone else honing in on the action. But what about all those Hindus and pagans and Buddhists out there? Do they have to nervously pretend to go along with the whole one God concept or face being blamed for everything that goes wrong? It wouldn't be the first time, but it's a lot to ask. 2: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images. Well, I don't think anyone has suggested melting down the contents of the U.S. Mint to make a golden calf or anything, so this probably isn't a big worry. But I suppose some kid will sacrifice a chicken beneath a Marilyn Manson poster one of these days, and then we'll never hear the end of it. 3: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain. Damn it. This takes all the fun out of everything. But we still always have "shit" to get us through. 4: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. No work on the weekend. Big deal. It just gives them more time to build bombs in their garages. 5: Honor thy father and thy mother. Finally, five commandments into it and we have an almost sensible one. But since every single parent of a kid who's gone on a shooting spree has looked into the camera and said, "He was such a good boy, and never gave us any trouble," I have my doubts about familial respect tempering antisocial behavior. Maybe they should take away Nintendo privileges instead. 6: Thou shalt not kill. This, of course, is the big one, and who could argue with it? But I can't help but find it ironic that the government of the last country in the Western world that still allows capital punishment really thinks hearing this repeatedly is going to make a difference. Maybe they could amend it to say that thou shalt not kill someone unless they come from a minority group and/or can't afford good lawyers. 7: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Well, let's see. Our current president doesn't seem to have a problem with this one, so why should we? This reminds me of the infamous Michael Bowers, the former attorney general of Georgia who fought tooth and nail to uphold that state's anti-gay sodomy law while simultaneously carrying on a ten-year adulterous affair. And honestly, if all these angry kids were getting laid more often, they probably wouldn't feel the need to off one another. 8: Thou shalt not steal. I guess what they mean is that kids shouldn't steal the guns they use to kill each other. Good thing there are pawn shops and Wal-Marts who will sell them to them cheap. 9: Thou shalt not lie. Wow, the government and religious figures lecturing us about lying. Just look at the fine role models they've given us over the years. 10: Thou shalt not covet. I'm told by a priest friend that this means that we should all be happy with the lives that we have, and not be envious of what our neighbors have because it leads to ill-will. But since so far the vast majority of teen shooters have been middle class white boys from the suburbs, I'm not sure what it is they're supposed to be coveting. Poverty and discrimination? In the end, I'm afraid, most of the infamous ten don't really provide much in the way of useful instruction. Not that it matters much. If these politicians who think religion is going to save us looked back in time, they'd find that the greatest horrors in human history were perpetuated by people who claimed to be living out Christian principles. Slavery. The Crusades. White supremacy. Homophobia. They were (and still are in some cases) all justified using biblical principles. Still, it's good of them to try and teach kids solid morals. Perhaps they're just looking in the wrong place. Ironically, given the current hysteria being waged by certain members of the house against pagan groups practicing on military bases, they might do better to take a look at the Wiccan Rede, the fundamental tenet of witchcraft. "And it harm none, do as you will," says the Rede simply. Sounds good to me. Can you see it on posters all over America's schools? Couldn't hurt. Michael Thomas Ford won a Lambda Literary Award for his book Alec Baldwin Doesnt Love Me. His new book, Thats Mr. Faggot to You, is in stores now. He welcomes e-mail at Shopiltee@aol.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 9, No. 10, July 30, 1999 |