Oklahoma Idol

Interestingly enough, God's people in ancient times (the Hebrews) fought tenaciously to prevent any representation of the Invisible God. He was beyond all understanding and representation. Only when God became Incarnate and permitted us to see His face in this world did we have any way of applying physicality to the Transcendent One. I have blogged about this before, and remain disappointed in the outcome. 

Seems just this week U.S. Judge White has ruled that Haskell County's Ten Commandments monument may stay on the courthouse lawn in Stigler, Oklahoma. I wonder if they fixed the misspelled Seventh Commandment, or perhaps no one is concerned enough to actually  look at the engraved stone pillar.  It is just an Oklahoma Idol, to be erected and ignored. Sigh. Symbols mean more than our lives.  So easy, put up a pillar, then your done, forget the One Who cries, weeps and bleeds for the poor and downtrodden.

According to data from the Barna Research Group, 60 percent of Americans can't name even five of the Ten Commandments. Five, that is just half.  Does it somehow roll back the Fall to erect a stone pillar? Does sin reduce in counties protected by such a pillar?

So, here we are. The modern people of God feels like we must erect stone pillars in direct contradiction to His word not to, and the witness we give to the world is that we care more about cold granite than we do about living right and reaching out our hands to serve those with wounded lives as the Christ Who served us with His wounded hands. 

I pray that we, rather than erecting cold, granite pillars could see the face of Christ in everyone we meet but most of all, I pray that that everyone we meet could see the Face of Christ in us.

Comments

[rick davis]

Monk friend,

Good post; well timed.

[Adam P. Newton]

And the sad thing is, in my opinion, is that, out of the FIVE commandments that people do actually remember, it's probably the "Thou Shalt Not's" in the latter half. Do people really realize what Commandments 1 & 2 are about? God specifically mentioned these because of the culture/religions that were all over Canaan & Egypt. And what did Moses find when he came down from Sinai? A golden calf to represent God, because people wanted to see something physical as their God.

I look at it this way -- the Israelites themselves probably never saw the Ten Commandments in physical form after the first few days. They stayed inside the Ark of the Covenant, which was so holy that only the priests could touch it. Thus, they had to HAVE FAITH that they remained and live according to them. They didn't need to walk around seeing it posted in each campsite -- they knew them, lived by them, and taught their children about them. They didn't rely on their physical representation -- the Jews take Commandments One & Two VERY seriously (why else do they have injunctions against even writing the word "G-d"?).

Ahhhh.... The Deep South -- such a scary place sometimes....

[Jason]

why, why do people make such a fuss over a slab of rock? or get so suprised when there's an uproar over the 10 Commandments? that's their version of persecution. the aclu is the anti-christ. woe to us Christians because of separation of church ands state! dont' they know that things have been, and are going to get, much much worse? sheesh. everyone wants to be a martyr but dont know what that means.

[gavin]

sigh, will this ever end. if we must insist on some rememberance stone how bout something kingdom building like the beatitudes... i suppose it doesn't relate because it doesn't say 'blessed are the judges.' the 10 commandments are just guidelines for people living in community, not a justice system.