On a walk with my daughter this morning in my newish home of Columbus, Ohio, I came across this sign at the corner of 8th Avenue and 4th Street:
Thou shalt not bear false witness? You mean, like lie in public? Like, say that God is speaking on this sign rather than some human with an agenda? You mean bear false witness like that? I am assuming that a human painted this. Otherwise, Jesus! what a rotten paint job, God. Do you see the smudge above the first “shalt”? That’s not a sign of divine perfection, pal. Your omnipotence is nothing if you don’t use it, your royal Himness.
Speaking of God not really speaking, how about another one of those commandments in Exodus 20, one of my favorites, Exodus 20:7? It reads, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” I think God meant by this that you shouldn’t use the name of God for your own selfish purposes.
What purposes might those be here? Oh, right: “Thou shalt not steal.” The “or receive stolen property” bit isn’t in Exodus 20, but considering that this was put up on the side of an apartment building by a landlord, I can guess why it was put there. Can you?
