Moore's Law: The immorality of the Ten Commandments. (Hitchens)

[Az]

http://slate.msn.com/id/2087621/

Excerpts:
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The row over the boulder-sized version of the so-called "Ten Commandments," and as to whether they should be exhibited in such massive shape on public property, misses the opportunity to consider these top-10 divine ordinances and their relationship to original intent. Judge Roy Moore is clearly, as well as a fool and a publicity-hound, a man who identifies the Mount Sinai orders to Moses with a certain interpretation of Protestantism. But we may ask ourselves why any sect, however primitive, would want to base itself on such vague pre-Christian desert morality (assuming Moses to be pre-Christian).


The first four of the commandments have little to do with either law or morality, and the first three suggest a terrific insecurity on the part of the person supposedly issuing them. I am the lord thy god and thou shalt have no other ... no graven images ... no taking of my name in vain: surely these could have been compressed into a more general injunction to show respect. The ensuing order to set aside a holy day is scarcely a moral or ethical one, unless you assume that other days are somehow profane. (The Rev. Ian Paisley, I remember, used to refuse interviewers for Sunday newspapers even after it was pointed out to him that it's the Monday edition that is prepared on Sunday.) Whereas a day of rest, as prefigured in the opening passages of Genesis, is no more than organized labor might have demanded, perhaps during the arduous days of unpaid pyramid erection.

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[lanlady]

1. am I alone--

--in thinking that Hitchens is overrated as a writer but underrated as a shit-faced British drunk?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

6. Nope.

I don't think that there is much ambiguity that remains, regarding his world-class ranking as perhaps the premier world-class British drunk hackneyed wordsmith(living on his reputation division).

I am sure that there are few people left in journalism who doubt that he starts his day with a hearty breakfast of Wheetabix, floating in cheap scotch. The breakfast of broken and fallen champeens.

A Dr. Hunter S. Thompson for the anally-retentive times. Moral Scold Gonzo.

[dwckabal]

2. hehe, this is great

I watched Crossfire yesterday, and the ACLU person made a great point, because Tucker Carlson kept bringing up MLK and civil disobedience. She said that MLK was NOT a government employee, and he was trying to right an egregious wrong, where as Judge Moore simply wants to preach. She said he was also offered the option of putting up monuments to other great religious and secular leader and codes, but he flat-out refused.

The Rev. Barry Lynn was right when he said, "Perhaps Roy Moore will soon leave the bench and move into the pulpit, which he seems better suited for."

[FlashHarry]

3. This is opinion, not LBN.

As a 1,000+ poster, you should know that. Plus, it's highly inflammatory. (That being said, I think it's a good piece; it should, however, be posted in the Editorials and Other Articles section

From the rules:
Please be aware of the following restrictions when posting in Latest Breaking News:

1. NO opinion pieces, editorials, or other stories that are not news.

[FlashHarry]

4. Whoops.

Funny, I tried to edit my above message, because the thread had been moved to the correct forum, but it says 'the editing period has expired,' even though I posted it about 3 minutes ago.

In any case, my above comments are now moot. Sorry for the inconvenience.

[Dhalgren]

5. Great article!

This is almost exactly how one should approach these dimwits. Now, if you believe in some sort of alien giant that controls everything from the far reaches of space, that's fine. More power to you (and to your alien). But, it seems to me that the time has come to ask these "Bible is the infalable word of God" yahoos to put up or shut up. If someone were to actually set out to impliment the edicts and proscriptions mandated by the Bible, he would be laughed at, ridiculed, put in jail, and/or placed in an asylum by any rational society.

If you wish to believe something - even something that is patently absurd - that is your business, but if you wish to foist it off onto everyone else then you should be put to the test of your convictions. Not many Christianists, today, would pass that test.

[sujan]

7. here's the best part

Too many editorialists have described the recent flap as a silly confrontation with exhibitionist fundamentalism, when the true problem is our failure to recognize that religion is not just incongruent with morality but in essential ways incompatible with it."

[qb]

8. I like Hitchens' religion articles.

Anyone remember the Nation article where he called Mother Theresa a "Hell bat"? Priceless.

Too bad he's a sycophantic backstabber (regarding Clinton, Blumenthal, et al).