Contrary to popular belief, this is not a Christian nation. It is not a Judeo-Christian nation. Granted, among other influences, it was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles, but it would be hypocritical to use its historical basis as justification to disregard these very principles. What do I mean? As all students who paid attention in Social Studies class recall, our government can be boiled down to one concept: freedom vs. security. Your freedom must not tread upon my security, and vice versa. Laws exist to draw the line of demarcation. A society unburdened of laws – anarchy- may be the goal of a few crazies in Idaho and Montana; the rest of us know better. Indeed, the Judeo-Christian ethic: “Thou shalt not kill,” “Thou shalt not steal,” e.g., as well as the more general “Do unto others,” the umbrella philosophy of inclusion, tolerance, mercy, justice, is hardly the exclusive domain of Jews and Christians. Morality is equally the bedrock of other religions, of other citizens of this nation. It guides the behavior of secular humanists, atheists, and agnostics as well. To prominently display a monument of the Ten Commandments as a religious symbol, implying that those of other faiths or no faith are lesser human beings, in a public, non-secular building, is to betray not only the American judicial system but the very religions it represents. Judge Roy Moore’s freedom to extol, if not legislate, his brand of religion in an official, governmental setting tramples upon the security of a non-secular society.
Enter Alabama. I’ve been to Alabama. With all due respect to Alabamans and those with ties to Alabama, it wasn’t pretty. Though I was there so long ago I don’t remember whether I passed through Montgomery, I do remember my assessment of Alabama: a pit. It was barren, swampy, scenery-deprived, with field after field of overgrown, sun-parched grass. Being summer, it was as hot as it was homely, as humid as it was slow and plodding.
Yet I enjoyed the trip. OK, it was worth the trip. I’m glad I went because, with my college friend, now a music teacher, I went for a Sacred Harp sing, and I love to sing. Sacred Harp, in which the names of the musical scale are sung to the corresponding notes preceding the verses, is a favorite form of worship and joyous celebration among Pentecostals. Biblical songs such as “The New Jerusalem” are stunningly beautiful, made more so by loud, boisterous, sincere and exhilarating voices. Enhancing my experience was the small, sparsely decorated, rural church in which it was held, as well as the congregation as friendly and charming as the 25-year-old mothers of 10-year-old children were young.
Afterward came the potluck, as families removed huge platters of Southern-fried dishes from their car trunks. Apparently these dishes had continued to bake, quite literally, under the oppressive southern sun as we sang. Between that and the fact that my friend and I had northern stomachs not conducive to unfamiliar foods, our digestive systems couldn’t digest. All the way home, we took turns stopping on the shoulder of highways to vomit. Still, I was glad I went.
OK. I went to Alabama. OK. My reaction was mixed. I loved the Sacred Harp sing, I liked the people who sang it, but you could have the rest of the state on a platter. Of what relevance is Alabama’s lack of appeal to the current church/state controversy in Montgomery? Maybe none, but here’s my theory. Alabama is the heart of the so-called Bible Belt, which may be no accident. Aesthetically and geographically, Alabama is as far-removed from the Garden of Eden as Mother Teresa is from Sodom and Gomorrah. Stuck in the antithesis of Shangrila, Alabamans understandably may be drawn beyond this life to the next. As fundamentalism flourishes, they welcome, encourage, and insist upon Christian doctrine and artifacts in the public arena as a ubiquitous reminder of their ultimate destination. It’s as natural as it is unconstitutional. Religious minorities take heed! God’s law exceeds man’s. Expel God from any aspect of the culture and the next life may not be preferable to this one. Alabama may be a united state of America but the church encompasses Alabama.
Anyway, it’s a theory.
Christians, particularly of the fundamentalist persuasion, have a vested, emotional interest in keeping the monument front and center . It is interesting to note that The Ten Commandments belong to Judaism as well. In fact, Judaism begat Christianity yet to my knowledge no Jews are demonstrating at the Montgomery, Alabama courthouse.
Then again, Jews aren’t threatened with heaven and hell.