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Rules,
Commandments, & Tenets
By Mona Lease
Hi, all!!! After a lot of contemplation and some digging...I submit the
following to you readers. Consider:
Talk has been going around for a while now that "we" cannot have a copy
of the 10 Commandments posted in public buildings.
For those of you who really know me - you'll have no problem believing
that I called Greenville's City Building. I asked the gentleman who
answered the phone if there was a copy of the 10 Commandments
posted in the City building. He asked me if I wanted a copy posted. I
explained that I write for countynewsonline. I'm doing a column on this
subject. He said no, there was no copy of the 10 Commandments posted in
the City Building.
I told him my name. I asked him his. He is the City Safety Service
Director. I have his permission to state his position - which is all I
asked. He also stated that in all of his tenure - no one has ever asked
him if the 10 Commandments were posted or to remove them if they were
posted. Interesting!! He also stated that in his current position - he
does not consider himself qualified to make a decision to post or
remove said commandments if they are posted. He would have to refer
that decision to a higher board.
I spoke with a member of a motorcycle group. He said that his group
required:
A)You be a male.
B)You have an American made motorcycle.
C)You have a club member sponsor you that knows you.
D)You will not sponsor someone unworthy for membership.
E)You will not disgrace the name of the club or any of it's members
publicly or privately.
I spoke with a member of a Ham Radio Club. They require:
A)You have a desire to be a part of the club and obey it's "rules"
while on the air.
B)You do not disrespect another member or their family either
publicly or privately.
C)You do not use "on air" time for personal gain or to advertise the
club.
I googled the membership form for the Moose. They require:
A)A registered member sponsor you.
B)You be at least 21 years of age.
C)You be of unquestionable moral conduct.
D)You must express a belief in a supreme being regardless of
your religious denomination.
E)You do not qualify if you are a sex offender or a felon.
On the actual Moose application - your signature says you will fulfill
your two primary obligations:
1)Increase the strength of the Order (Loyal Order of the Moose) by
proposing for membership qualified individuals of high
personal
character.
2)Give my energy and substance in support of Mooseheart and
Moosehaven. And pledge myself in service to the Order and
promise to: Endeavor to assist good standing members of the
Order in any matter threatening their families. (There's
more
but, not relevant to this column.).
The Eagles membership says roughly the same things...as do the American
Legion and the AmVets. When I signed my application for the VFW - the
last sentence before my signature said that I further stated that I
believed in God.
The 10 Commandments
1)I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
2)You shall have no other gods before me.
3)Thou shalt not make for yourself any graven image in the form of
anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the
waters
below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them, for
I the
Lord am a jealous God.
4)You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord
will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
5)Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your
God commanded you.
6)Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has
commanded you, so that you may live long and it may go
well
with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
7)You shall not murder.
8)You shall not commit adultery.
9)You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
10)You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not set your
desire on your neighbor's house or his land, his
male servant or
female servant, his ox or his donkey, or anything
that belongs
to your neighbor.
I'm not seeing a problem with The 10 Commandments being posted in
public buildings. Aren't they already posted in every "club?" In
churches they're called "tenets" - a written principle or belief.
Aren't they on the application one signs for the Moose...i.e.
"unquestionable moral conduct"...isn't that the 10 Commandments in it's
entirety??
Isn't "The 10 Commandments" where we got all of our laws in the
beginning - Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou
shalt not give false testimony (lie). In a court of law...that is
called "perjury" - a punishable offense unto itself.
I just don't see a problem here. How long are you in any public
building? The !0 Commandments has no bearing on how high your water
bill is or how much property tax is assessed to your land holdings. How
long does any one stay in any of the "clubs?"
There's even a promise in "The 10 Commandments" - "Honor your father
and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you
may live long and that it may go well with you in the land your God is
giving you."
I have to ask: Are these commandments being taken away...or, are we
giving them away by default?
Thanks for reading and considering:))
Remember the kiddies and our service people. Take good care of the
furry and feathered ones out there. Be safe and healthy. See ya next
time. Ever Toodles!! MONA
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