turp182's Journal: Analysis - Oklahoma, the Ten Commandments, and Satan

In 2012 a Ten Commandments monument was placed outside the Capitol building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Since then Temple of Satan has proposed another monument to complement the Ten Commandmentâ(TM)s one.

In response to the Satanists, some Oklahoma state Representatives have come forward to comment on the situation.

From the above linked CNN article:
* Oklahoma state Rep. Paul Wesselhoft told CNN that he doesn't think the Satanists' statue will be approved. âoeWhat will disqualify them has really nothing to do with Satan as such; it's that it has no historical significance for the state of Oklahoma,â he said.
* An Oklahoma lawmaker told CNN that the Satanists' message wouldn't fly in the Bible Belt state, where nearly two-thirds of the population is Christian. "Any monument displayed on state property should reflect the values of Oklahoma or memorialize those who built or defended our freedom," Rep. Bob Cleveland said Tuesday. "In my opinion, this Satanist monument does not meet with the values of Oklahomans."

In a roundabout way, they are positing that the State of Oklahoma adheres in some manner to the Ten Commandments.

What follows is a lightweight analysis of Oklahomaâ(TM)s consistency and adherence to the Ten Commandments.

First, letâ(TM)s decide which of the Ten Commandments should be reviewed.

Iâ(TM)m not concerned about honoring moms and dads, nor having to work on Sunday, or the name of the lord being taken in vain, or false images or other gods. These are minor Commandments in my opinion.

Letâ(TM)s focus on the big ones.

Commandment Fail - Thou shalt not kill

Oklahoma uses capital punishment to kill prisoners. They last did so, brining in the New Year, on January 9, 2014. They have killed 109 prisoners since 1976.

So Oklahoma fails at what I consider to be the most important Commandment on the list.

Multiple Commandment Fail - Thou shalt not steal; Thou shalt not covet your neighborâ(TM)s house; Thou shalt not covet your neighborâ(TM)s male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighborâ(TM)s

Oklahoma is a big fan of âoecivil forfeitureâ (they are among the âoeworst abusers in the nationâ), and property can be taken without charges, much less a conviction, and then retained or sold for profit.

Thatâ(TM)s stealing, so another Commandment broken.

Commandment Fail - Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor

âoeBearing false witnessâ is effectively lying, and in the realm of State/Local officials and staff the key things to look for are corruption and a lack of transparency.

Oklahoma, as a State, ranks 38th out of 50 with regards to their Corruption Risk per the website StateIntegrity.org.

In 2010 The Daily Beast ranked Oklahoma 10th in their list of The Most Corrupt States, citing many cases of corruption, extortion, fraud, etc.

So we have another Commandment breached.

Conclusion

I see a minimum of Five Failed Commandments that Oklahoma doesnâ(TM)t live up to.

So, it appears Rep. Paul Wesselhoft was incorrect in citing the âoehistorical significanceâ for Oklahoma with regards to the Ten Commandments. Significance would mean compliance in this situation, and that certainly isnâ(TM)t the case.

Rep. Bob Cleveland stated that âoemonuments displayed on state property should reflect the values of Oklahomaâ. Given that statement alone it makes sense that the Ten Commandments should NOT be on display at the Capitol building.

Iâ(TM)m not sure what type of monument would truly reflect the âoehistorical significanceâ and the âoevaluesâ of Oklahoma, but it is pretty clear to me that the Ten Commandments is not an appropriate choice.