Are The US Government And Constitution Based On The Ten Commandments? How About No!
Sorry weirdo AZ fake elector state senator man Anthony Kern!
Arizona’s House Education Committee has advanced a bill that — heavy sigh — would “allow” public school teachers and administrators to post copies of the Ten Commandments in classrooms around the state.
The lead sponsor of the bill is state Sen. Anthony Kern, who swears this is just about history and the fact that the United States Constitution and our entire system of government are based on the Bible and “Judeo-Christian values” … despite very clearly not being able to explain how, because they aren’t. In fact, the estate of Marvin Gaye could probably do a better job explaining that the United States Constitution and our entire system of government are based on the lyrics of “Let’s Get It On” in an effort to get said lyrics plastered on the walls of classrooms across Arizona.
And hey! At least that wouldn’t violate the Establishment Clause.
As we reported in January, Kern is currently being investigated by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes for his role as a “fake elector” for Donald Trump in the 2020 election, as well as by the FBI for being exactly where you’d think he was on January 6, 2021. While you would think he’d have his hands full with that situation, he had a lot of time this week to not explain how the United States Constitution and our system of government are based on the Bible, the Ten Commandments and “Judeo-Christian values.”
Via Courthouse News:
“Our history is the Ten Commandments,” the Republican from Glendale told the committee Tuesday afternoon. “Our history is Judeo-Christian values.
“It is because of the Christian religion that we have allowed other religions to come in and be known,” he added. “It’s because of us being very tolerant.”
So, so very tolerant.
Apparently Kern wishes to be rewarded for this supposed tolerance by having everyone pat him on the head and tell him that he is very special and that everything in the world, up to and including Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” is based on him and his religion.
Of course, it’s not entirely clear that he fully understands either his own religion or the United States Constitution:
Kern said his bill wouldn’t violate the First Amendment because it doesn’t require the Ten Commandments to be posted, rather, it gives teachers the option.
“It’s not favoring one religion over another,” he said. “It is simply an opt-in.”
Kern also said that he would not vote for teachers to be allowed to put up anything from any other religions.
Public schools are, of course, state actors — meaning that putting up the Ten Commandments in a classroom would be “establishment of religion.” This is especially so because we know they are not trying to put up the damn Ten Commandments for the benefit of students who are themselves Christian, but for those who are not. Their purpose is to offer opportunities for evangelizing and also to, more or less, piss on a fire hydrant to declare their territory. They want even students who are not Christian to accept that they live in a country where Christians are the boss, so that when they grow up and people like Anthony Kern want to do horrible things, they will say, “Well, I guess we should just let them! After all, it is their country!”
Kern said the foundation of the U.S. government, including the three branches of federal government and the structure of legislative districts, are based in the Old Testament of the Bible.
“Could you tell me what founding documents the Ten Commandments appear in?” asked state Representative Judy Schwiebert, a Democrat from Phoenix.
Kern conceded that they are not found anywhere in the nation’s founding documents, but he argued that representative government is inspired by Moses in the Old Testament.
The separation of powers comes from Montesquieu’s Spirit of Law, which Kern might have learned in high school had he not been busy pining away for a slate of Ten Commandments to stare at. Representative government goes back to the Roman Republic, where most people were polytheists who believed in Jupiter and Venus and Mars and Neptune and other gods that were not the namesake of any planets.
“Our way of life and our system of government and the reason why America is America is because of the Ten Commandments,” he said.
No, it’s really not. It’s because of Enlightenment era philosophers who, like most of the Founding Fathers, were deists who did not believe in any organized religion. You know, like ones that involve the Ten Commandments.
I mean, there are only two (2!) commandments that are the law in this country — murdering and stealing — and they also happen to be the law in pretty much every other country on earth regardless of what religion (or lack thereof) the people there practice. Otherwise, we’re all free to covet all over the place, we are free to put other Gods before the Christian God if we so choose, we can take any Lord’s name in vain we’d like. We can also build idols if we so choose … even in Arizona!
Not to mention the fact that much of our justice system hinges on police and prosecutors getting people to bear false witness against their neighbors.
If Kern wants to put up signs in school saying, “Hey kids, don’t murder anybody or steal anything, be nice to your parents, don’t lie about people and don’t commit adultery or covet your neighbor’s wife, animals or slaves,” that would be fine. A little weird, given the audience and the fact that slavery has been abolished for a couple-two-three years now, but fine. But if he wants to tell the children how to do religion, he will have to start his own cult.
PREVIOUSLY:
For the millionth time, LEAVE US JUDEOS OUT OF IT! You just mean Christian, and only the “correct” Xtians at that!
“For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course, that's Moses, not Jesus. I haven't heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere. 'Blessed are the merciful' in a courtroom? 'Blessed are the peacemakers' in the Pentagon? Give me a break!”
-Kurt Vonnegut