Wow! I don't feel so alone anymore. My school is public, by the way and in the sort of place where we have more churches than stores. I am the lone atheist pretty much. There are others in my school who have doubts about god, but are afraid to be as vocal about it as I am. I have started classroom debates about the commandments being posted and I had only one other person on my side. She is, however, not as adamant as I am about taking them down. Whenever I have actually tried to get some support from my peers that "have doubts" they basically tell me to look the other way and ignore that they're hanging everywhere.
1st off, i assume you attend a public school. if you're in a private school, then the school can do whatever it wants.
that being said, i would find this situation completely unacceptable. the 10 commandments are, unambiguously, a religious doctrine that carry all of the religious, moralistic stratifications inherent in any belief.
people are making fun of you - that's a direct example of how the school's decision to hang the 10 commandments is hurting someone. the school should not be placing you in a position where you have to defend your religious/philosophical beliefs. if students wish to place the 10 commandments on the wall, that's one thing. but then you should be afforded those exact same rights.
i personally would find a philosophical discussion outlining views consistent with your moral beliefs and hang them next to every single 10 commandment list. i would suggest selections from aristotle, sarte, locke, mill, etc. personally i would select ayn rand, thomas paine, and specific portions of Dostoevsky's and milton friedman's works. then, and only then, would i accept the placement of the 10 commandments on the wall.
force the school into phrasing the debate in concrete terms: is the school specifically endorsing specific religions and their associated beliefs or are they simply allowing students to voice their beliefs. don't let them cop out of a real answer by asking "who is it hurting?" that's the coward's way of dodging responsibility for a stance. force the school to tell you their stance and then act accordingly.
quote:Okay, first of all, "I am the lord thy god" and "Thou shall put no other gods before me" are rules that only Christians go by.
....Not true, it's the jewish bible, the Christians just added more stuff they wanted and opened up a new religon, but I'm just being petty. I'm not found of the ten commandments either. "I'm your god", plus you're not allowed to want anything someone else has? But I don't think there's much you can do about it, unless you know of some other people who are against it. Talk to people you don't know so well- when I was really younger I didn't know anyone who didn't believe in god. I got to know other people, and other people grew up and stopped believing, or started having doubts. Is your school private or public? Private schools are allowed.
quote: Okay, first of all, "I am the lord thy god" and "Thou shall put no other gods before me" are rules that only Christians go by
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quote: I don't believe in hating anyone for any reason. I don't believe in war. I do believe in kindness. I do belive in helping others. I do believe in the freedom of religion. That's why I don't believe the ten commandments should be hanging anywhere other than a church or someone's home.
I'm an Atheist, as well, but the ten commandments are no different from regular humanist morals. You say that you believe in being a good person, to sum it up. The 10 commandments is just a written document reminding Christians they they should be good people, too. If your school has the written version of the commandments hanging up where you can see them and they offend you in some matter, they are OBLIGATED to take them down (considering you go to a public school, otherwise circumstances would be different). But if you respect other religions, respect the beliefs of Christians, Jews, Musliums, etc. And as far as people beliving Atheists to be bad people, they're ignorant. You must learn to ignore them, like I have.
Maybe you should speak to some of the school's administrators and explain to them that one of the basic concepts of democracy is the idea of majority rule with minority rights. While the majority of your school may support the commandments, you, as the minority, have the right and duty to request a compromise. You could ask them to remove the commandments that deal specifically with the belief in the Christian god, such "I am the Lord your God...," "You Shall Not Make Graven Images," "Do Not Take God's Name in Vain," and "Keep Holy the Lord's Day," while keeping the rest of the commandments up to serve as a "list of rules for life."
I must agree, instead of placing the ten commandments on the wall, why can't there simply be a list of rules that don't mention the Christian god? It always seemed to me that when it was decided that the ten commandments could be placed in schools it was a sort of compromise to please those who were upset that group prayer in schools was illegal (note that I said group prayer, individual prayer in schools is quite legal). Many of the ten commandments are good points, such as not murdering, not stealing, and other things of that nature, but the commandments do make a reference to a specific god. Many people would be upset if a list of Muslim or Buddhist rules were placed on a wall in school and some of those rules happened to endorse the god of that particular religion. I go to a public school that is mostly Christian (mostly meaning about 99%), and I'm really surprised that the ten commandments haven't been put up on our walls yet. If the administration was willing to remove the commandments that made specific references to the Christian god I wouldn't really have a problem with them being in my school, although I doubt they would really benefit anyone. Most people my age have already decided on their values and what is morally right for them, and I don't think seeing the ten commandments on a wall would make a difference. If someone has already made a habit of stealing, that person has already made the decision to do something that many feel is morally wrong, and therefore is unlikely to stop such a habit just because they see a commandment on a wall telling them to.
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