10 Commandments

Re “Ten Commandments Aren’t Gun Control,” Commentary, June 20: Alan M. Dershowitz states, “Not only are the Ten Commandments explicitly religious, they favor one kind of religion, monotheism, derived from the Bible and accepted as sacred only by the Abrahamic triumvirate of Judaism, Christianity and Islam over the hundreds of other religions practiced by minorities in our heterogeneous nation.”

There is no reason why books of all religions--Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Taoism, Sikhs and various primitive religions, among others--cannot be placed on exhibit, along with the Ten Commandments, in school libraries throughout our land.

I have seen such exhibits, both here and abroad, and they provided positive, thought-provoking analyses by high school and college students. After all, isn’t religion as important as science and math?

JESSIE G. DeMASSA

Huntington Beach

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Kudos to Dershowitz for his column. Instead of voting to permit states to allow the posting of the Ten Commandments in schools, the House should have voted to permit the posting of penal statutes governing murder, rape, robbery, grand theft and perjury, among others. After all, when minors commit serious crimes, they’re sentenced not to church, but to prison. As for the rest of the commandments, juveniles are not being charged, at least currently, with atheism.

KATHLEEN KNOX

South Pasadena

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The House of Representatives has voted to place the Ten Commandments in each classroom (June 18). It would be more productive if the legislators made sure that the children could read.

LOUIS B. FOX

Beverly Hills

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In a frenzy of speculation with no solid proof that school violence stems from entertainment and media violence or a dearth of moral values, Congress blindly ensconces the Ten Commandments from a blood-soaked Bible into our classrooms.

So here’s some more speculation: Yugoslavia is America without the 1st Amendment.

WILL WYCHE

Palm Springs

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These are commandments (not exactly 10, but the Bible has at least 19 in various places) to be posted alongside those the idiots in Congress want posted in public schools:

A. Think for yourself. Be wary of those who would wish to intimidate you into accepting their beliefs or curse you for what you do believe; pity these people, as neither they nor anyone else can explain the great mysteries of creation.

B. Speak gently, love much, work hard, do no harm, give freely and be kind.

C. Laugh a lot. Make life pleasant for those around you every day.

D. Worship any god, goddess, guru, witch, shaman, idol or combination that you want to--or worship nothing at all if that is your preference. This is America, land of the free!

E. Always work for a better world where all people can enjoy health, happiness and prosperity in peace and freedom.

BOB and LILA LOVELL

Huntington Beach