A FOOL'S ERRAND

From My Perspective - - -

NewsMax headlines a story: “America’s First Atheist Monument: A 1,500-Pound Granite Bench”. The article states: “The nation's first atheist monument to be erected on public land is to be unveiled this month in staunchly Christian north Florida. The monument - a granite bench, engraved with secularist quotes - is to be dedicated June 29 outside the Bradford County Courthouse in Starke. The bench will stand in contrast to a display of the Ten Commandments put up last year on the same patch of land…Last year, Bradford County established a Free Speech Forum outside the courthouse, which permitted private groups to erect monuments at their own expense. Following the ruling, the Community Men’s Fellowship, a local Christian group, placed a 5-foot, 6-ton slab engraved with the Ten Commandments. American Atheists sued the county, arguing that the Ten Commandments statue violated separation of church and state. A settlement allowed the Ten Commandments slab to stay and allowed the atheists to put up their own monument, a 1,500-pound granite bench engraved with quotes from prominent secular thinkers such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin…” 

The Atheists, being a resourceful lot, have indicated some detail about their monument: “The monument…will include a quote from the Treaty of Tripoli, a 1796 pact between the United States and North African Muslims. The treaty is a seminal document for atheists because of its declaration that ‘the government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion…’ We have maintained from the beginning that the Ten Commandments doesn't belong on government property…There is no secular purpose for the monument whatsoever, and it makes atheists feel like second-class citizens. But if keeping it there means we have the right to install our own monument, then installing our own is exactly what we’ll do. The atheists' monument will feature Biblical quotes listing harsh punishments for breaking the Ten Commandments. The inclusion is designed to make it clear that the Ten Commandments are not the 'great moral code' they're often portrayed to be…”

In contrast to the Secularist’s view, The Scriptural declaration is that the Law of God represented to the people two primary purposes: (1) What mankind is to believe about God, and (2) What duty God requires of mankind. Table 1 of the Law causes one to focus on God and God Alone – how He is to be revered and honored; Table 2 of the Law regulates interactional behavior God wants practiced among people. If an Atheist opposed God’s Law, the Scriptures indicate the display of God’s indignation toward those who ignored Him. An interesting moment occurs with the Philistines after they capture the Ark of the Covenant (which contained the 10 Commandments). In I Samuel 5:1-8, “After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place.  But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon's temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.  The Lord's hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation upon them…” The Philistine’s decide to send The Ark back toward Israel.

The Scriptural view also states the purpose and benefit of God’s Standards for an individual in particular and His people in general. In Psalm 19:7-11, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.More to be desired are they than gold…than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.” Make the wise choice – God and His Word Alone. Consider these things with me.