As I write this, a certain 5,300 pound granite monument has been in the news. From
what I could tell in the many photos and videos of the monument, it was very beautiful.
It had engraved on it a precious message: the Ten Commandments. I empathized with
all the people who gathered to protest the removal of this monument from the Alabama
Judicial Building where it had been on display. In spite of their efforts at non-violent
civil protest and prayer, the protesters could only watch helplessly as the monument
was removed by order of a federal court.

We should not be discouraged one way or the other. After all, there are more
enduring and practical ways to honor and spread abroad the word of God found in
the Ten Commandments, without breaching that extremely important wall of separation
between church and state.

Did not Jesus tell us, "If ye love me, keep my commandments"? (John 14:15) Most
of us would agree that Jesus is telling us to keep these commandments in our hearts
and minds and to obey them. This is what is needed.

I am reminded of a moment in the Old Testament where a fellow tried to help God
by steadying the ark that contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments (See
II Samuel 6:6-7 or I Chronicles 13:9-10). When Uzza noticed that the oxen carrying
the ark of the covenant was stumbling, he decided to put forth his own hand to stop
the ark from falling, rather than trusting God to protect the ark in His way. It seems
this lack of trust was not a small matter, for Uzza instantly died beside the ark.

To me, one meaning of that story of Uzza might be that the revelation of Truth to
the world is being unfolded and protected in God's own way. It always has been.
Our job is to be obedient to that revelation, to live it, and share it with others who
are ready for the message. But we need to act with humility under God's direction,
rather than pushing forward willfully on tasks that have not been given to us.
Sometimes God's mission for us will include steadfast obedience and action in the
face of opposition. But merely being stubborn, or trying to act on God's behalf, if
we don't think He will be fast enough, or wise enough, to do what is right at the
right time, as Uzza seems to have done, is not usually the best route. How would
we know the difference? Through daily prayer and humble communion with our
Father-Mother God. Through understanding God as Principle, and how He governs
all creation.

The events in Alabama, for all we know, may have helped to bring into focus the
need to analyze what the Ten Commandments mean to all of us. Just because the
folks failed to persuade the courts to keep the granite monument in the public
display area, doesn't mean that the hand of God was not there steadying the ark in
His own way! Perhaps it is time for us to consider that it is up to each individual
to be a monument to the Ten Commandments. One synonym of the term "monument"
is "exemplar." An exemplar is a person or thing regarded as worthy of imitation, a
model, or pattern. To me, a person making his or her life a living monument to
the Ten Commandments would be far more persuasive than a piece of stone.

When you think of it, wouldn't paying homage to a granite monument -- even though
it is carved with the Word of God -- be disobedient to the Second Commandment?
That Commandment tells us not to make any graven image. God is be worshipped in
spirit as Spirit. He does not need us to make carvings and statues to make His
presence and power known. God is not in these things. God is infinite Spirit and
Mind, as Christian Science teaches. He is not localized in a thing, a building, a
ritual, or an engraving of His message.

This web site is devoted to the "first lessons" that are taught to young or beginning
students of Christian Science: the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and the
Lord's Prayer. I am posting essays and lessons on each of the Commandments and
Beatitudes, as I get the time. These essays have many ideas for those who wish to
"carve" their own "Living Monument" to the Ten Commandments. Below, I have
summarized themes that are included elsewhere on this web site, or in my book on
the Ten Commandments.

Bear in mind that I'm not sharing these ideas from a pedestal of personal perfection,
but from my own "prodigal daughter" experience as a young woman. Even though I
was taught these lessons in Sunday School as a child, I've had to learn the hard way
the value of obedience to these laws of God. Please accept these lessons as a gift.
They are based on the Bible and Christian Science, as taught by Mary Baker Eddy,
the author of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. We can ponder these
ideas together, and then put them on "public display." We can let our Living
Monuments inspire others who may pass our way.


FIRST COMMANDMENT: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

Do others see that you put God first in your life? Do you truly know and behave as
if God is the only power, supreme over all beliefs in the power of evil, sin, hate, or
materiality? Do you recognize that God is the only Mind -- the true source of wisdom
or intelligence, or do you put your trust in your personal brain and abilities? Do you
give God the credit for your talents, your health, your life? Anytime we believe there
is a power or intelligence or life or truth or substance in anything besides God, who
is infinite divine Mind and Spirit, then we are having "other gods."

 

Are you fearful of other people or situations? Then you are giving those people and

situations more power than ever-present divine Love. Are you giving in to physical

and mental addictions? Then you are letting another god, or power, take control.

Recognize there is no pleasure in anything other than spiritual good, and that good is

more powerful than evil.

 

To be a Living Monument to the First Commandment, we must refuse to give power

to anything, and that means anything, that is not of God and His spiritual nature. We

express this in a life devoted to spirituality, rather than materiality.

SECOND COMMANDMENT: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image."

How often do you let a disturbing or sensational image from the television or a movie
mesmerize you long after you have watched the original scene? You are letting these
images created by the five physical senses engrave themselves upon your thinking.
These engraven images then take on a hypnotic power to influence you, whether you
realize it or not. This happens over and over again in our daily lives. Certain
human events convey impressions that become more real and powerful to us than the
sweet whisperings of God's angel messages which would seek to purify us.

 

Whenever we allow the aggressive mental suggestions of the five physical senses, or

what the Bible calls "the carnal mind," to govern our thinking, we have disobeyed the
Second Commandment by creating an idol to worship. We might worship a beautiful
physique, or take offense at one not-so-beautiful; either way we are letting ourselves
create idols to worship or fear.

 

Another way to break this Commandment is by letting religious icons or rituals stand

in place of a more spiritual worship of God. We can become Living Monuments to the

Second Commandment by taking the time to reevaluate what we need for our spiritual

growth and our methods for worshipping God. In the Bible, Jesus summarizes it this

way: "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the

Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a

Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (

John 4:23-24)

THIRD COMMANDMENT: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God

in vain."

This is not just a law against "swearing." It is about hypocrisy -- especially using
God's name in an attempt to hide what is otherwise a vain, empty, or fruitless commit-
ment to the truth. We want our lives to be ones of integrity, honesty, sincerity. In my
book on teaching the Ten Commandments to children, I offer an explanation of the
Third Commandment for the very young, which I think will be meaningful to grown-
ups, too:

 

"'Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain' means that we
should not use God's name as if it had magical powers, for good or bad, just by being
spoken. For instance, it is wrong to call out the name of God if you are angry at
something or someone. That is called 'swearing' or 'cursing,' and it not only
dishonors God, it is also unloving and impolite to others. We do not use God's
name lightly or jokingly. We do not speak certain favorite words about Him over
and over again, thinking that just saying the words will help us or heal us. Our goal
is to have what we think, what we feel, what we say, and what we do, all flow from
the same truth." (First Lessons, Volume One: The Ten Commandments, pg. 23)

We can start carving our Living Monument to the Third Commandment by striving to
speak of God only when we are ready to speak from our heart, and to appreciate the
ideal of a life lived with integrity, helping and expecting others to live up to that
ideal, as well as setting a good example ourselves.

FOURTH COMMANDMENT: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."

Do you ever take time to get off the treadmill of your daily routine and activities, to
refresh yourself? Do you seek quiet time alone or with your family to pray or simply
think about God during the week? This Commandment is not just about going to
church on a regular basis, although that is a fine commitment that provides the
discipline we may need, to pause and hand our lives over to God. The "sabbath"
is not a certain day on a calendar, but can be any time that we set aside time to pray
to God, to listen to Him, or to render service to Him and our fellow man.

 

The spirit of this Commandment, it seems to me, requires a heart willing to do God's

work -- to earn a sabbath rest -- and then be willing to set aside that struggle, to find

refuge in God's kingdom: the consciousness of the presence of heaven on earth that
constitutes true harmony and happiness.

 

To become a Living Monument to the Fourth Commandment means more than being

a regular church-goer; it means being a regularGod-goer. We must not leave Him

out of our busy lives, but set aside as sacred (that's what "holy" means) our special

quiet moments of communion with our Father-Mother God. This can be done any-

where at any time. It does not require a special building or a set of physical rituals.

You can take your church with you wherever you go. Mary Baker Eddy defines this

kind of church as follows: "The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and

proceeds from divine Principle." (S&H, pg. 583)

FIFTH COMMANDMENT: "Honour thy father and thy mother."

This is the only commandment with a promise. The full version reads: "Honour
thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy
God giveth thee." We are promised a long life. That is an interesting benefit, when
you consider that the original Commandment was meant to warn families not to
abandon their elderly parents in their old age, but to care for them. There was a
habit of leaving the old and decrepit out in the wilderness to be eaten of the wild
beasts. From this we learn that we are never too old to show respect to our parents.
As children of any age, we must be grateful for all they do for us, or have done for
us. It is true that some parents do not seem to deserve respect, but this Command-
ment at least should prod us to do the best we can to overlook their faults and be
forgiving.

 

This Fifth Commandment is also one that can be seen as referring to God. It comes

after the first four Commandments, which are about our relationship with God, and

before the last five, which seem more to do with our relationship to our fellow man.

In Christian Science, we are taught that God is our only real Father and Mother, the

only Cause and Creator. It is to God, Spirit, that we owe our honor and respect. It is

God whose commands we obey. It is to God we give thanks. That is not to say we

use this as an excuse not to honor our earthly parents -- we are expected to do both!

A loving heart devoted to God will honor all creation.

 

So, to become a Living Monument to the Fifth Commandment, pay attention to how

you treat and think about your parents; if you are a parent, work to deserve the honor

and respect of your children; and give honor and gratitude to God, your true Maker,
by obeying His commandments, seeking His guidance, and doing your duty by Him.

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