The Ten Commandments monument in front of the Clarke County Court House. PHOTO © 2010 by Terry Lynch.

Recently a very nice monument to the Ten Commandments was placed upon the Clarke County Court House lawn and dedicated “In loving memory of Tom Hailes Jr. by his family 2010.” The monument was dedicated on Oct. 2, 2010 in a ceremony upon the courthouse lawn.

I went by the courthouse to see the monument and while there took some pictures. After getting home I noticed that the word “Commandments” nearly ran off the top of the monument on both sides, given that stone had been removed to produce an arch to give a tablet-like appearance.

As a master graphic artist, designer and photographer, I have over 22,000 designs to my credit, including tributes to the Ten Commandments. I have traveled widely and photographed many monuments, including Decalogue monuments nation-wide. This includes monuments in our nation’s capitol and such major cemeteries as Arlington and Getteysburg. I’ve also observed and photographed other Ten Commandments monuments, such as that which Gov. Roy Moore had designed and placed in the rotunda of the Judicial Building in Alabama. I’ve often marveled at how perfect such monuments have been crafted with letters in stone that do not give much leeway for errors or omissions. Also I was one of the first people to put the Decalogue on the Internet at www.godslaw.byteland.org so that everyone could freely print out copies for display in their home, church, school, office, or anywhere else, despite what some federal or state courts might dictate in this regard.

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Many variations of The Ten Commandments have been produced by various artists and designers. A few are shown in the graphic above and in every case the phrase "bear false witness" was properly used. Each of these Ten Commandments monuments also accurately quote Exodus 20:13 as "Thou shall not kill." Also it is obvious from observing these examples that the artists and designers took great care to properly space, frame, align and provide esthetically pleasing margins, font styles and other graphic ornamentation. In other words, they took pride in their work which is reflected in the mastery of their craftsmenship and presentations. Would not it be wise for communities, churches and other who wish to exhibit and display The Ten Commandments to follow in this established tradition of striving for perfection when creating monumental works?

Therefore when I took a second look at the photograph of the monument I noticed that the title “The Ten Commandments” was not properly centered; that the word “Commandments” almost ran off the stone. Then while speaking with Mrs. Kristen Oates on the telephone to point this out and make inquire about this, I asked if anyone else had made comments about the monument. She replied, “Do you mean about bare?” Taking another look at the photograph I then realized that it said “bare false witness” instead of “bear false witness.” That is a BIG grammatical error, because last time I looked there were no bare naked people or spirits on the Decalogue; that although this commandment is in reference to lying, it makes no reference bare naked lies. People often make this same grammatical error when quoting from the Bill of Rights which says, “A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Close up of The Ten Commandments monument in front of the Clarke County Court House, Quitman, Mississippi. The title of the monument "Commandments" extends to the edges and is not framed with a margin. Also the monument says "bare false withness" when it should say "bear false witness" which is grammatically correct English. Also commandment VI. has been rewritten to say, "Thou shall not murder." It is this author's opinion that this is a corruption of Holy Scripture and that the Ten Commandments should properly quote the Holy Bible which says in Exodus 20:13, "Thou shall not kill." Changing that one word from, "kill" to "murder" has permitted a whole hoard of atrocities throughout history and was even used to justify such capital punishment as crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Rewriting the Ten Commandments itself may be viewed as a violation of God's law which breaks a number of the commandments: it dishonors ones parents who may have had faith in the Lord and scripture and believed that "Thou shall not kill;" it bears false witness to what the true scripture and word of God says; and it creates a false graven image to worship and idolize which is not the true word of God, but a false interpretation of God's word. Hence to place such a perversion of God's work upon public property that it be idolized may be offensive to many Jews, Christians and others who believe in God and his commandments as they are scribed in Exodus 20.

How can one easily remember when to use bear vs. bare? I like to use this anology. Bears are large, heavy animals, a type of mammal covered in fur with big snouts and claws which sometimes attack campers, hikers, hunters or fishermen. I’ve seen a few bare naked bears in my time, both black bears and grizzly bears. When you see a grizzly bear with six inch razor sharp saber claws you don’t soon forget what a bear is, as it can take your life in an instant. One such bear is on display at the museum in West Yellowstone, Montana; it is quite impressive, even in death, standing upon its hind legs towering over people who gaze in awe at its majesty. If you keep in mind what a bear is, that’s an easy way to remember that “bear witness” or “bear arms” should be spelled the same way as this most majestic of animals which is very well armed with deadly claws and a powerful jaw that can crush a man’s skull -- that one must respect such a powerful lord of the mountains when in the wilderness, and keep ones distance, just as one should give reverence and respect to the Almighty Lord!

As one who is very reverent of both the Ten Commandments and bears, I appreciate the need for properly educating our children in this respect. Hence I think the Ten Commandments monument placed upon the Clarke County courthouse lawn should be corrected and made as esthetically beautiful as possible. The title should be properly centered and framed with fonts inset 3 to 4 inches from the edge and the phrase “bear witness” meaning “to give, offer or supply,” should be properly used, as “bare” is archaic and the alternative past tense of bear.

But if you don’t want to take my word for it, I quote from the Holy Bible, Exodus 20: 16, “Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” In review of many, many historical and masterly crafted Ten Commandments monuments around the nation, I have always found that the spelling is the same, using “bear witness” NOT “bare witness,” plus great care is often given to space fonts and scripture well centered and framed upon tabular monuments of the Ten Commandments.

I believe taking these matter into serious consideration and making these corrections is very important given this monument is set upon public property in front of the Clarke County courthouse where it may be viewed by thousand upon thousands of people during the future. We don’t want anyone thinking we are ignorant, do not know our Bible, and do not care about teaching our children by the good examples we set. Plus this is a matter of reverence and taking pride in how we worship and praise the Lord. Every effort should be made to present The Ten Commandments perfectly, in as grammatically correct and esthetically pleasing to the eye and mind as humanly possible.

This photographs shows how the Ten Commandments monument might look if it was fixed by centering the title with an esthetically pleasing margin.

I do not believe this was done; hence corrections should be made. Moreover, I believe this should be a project that is properly funded by the general public, and NOT be a burden to any one person or family. As such the monument should carry a more appropriate dedication that is universal in nature as, “In loving memory to all veterans and citizens who have served both God and Country.”

No one person’s name should be on the Ten Commandments monument, especially if they did NOT die in war on the battlefield while in service to their God and Country. In all due respect, Tom Hailes Jr. was a war veteran and served in the US Navy aboard the U.S.S. Montague, an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship which saw action both toward the end of W.W. II and during the Korean War. However, Tom Hailes Jr. did NOT died in war upon a battlefield; he came home from the war and lived to be a senior citizen, dying of cancer. Traditionally monuments upon the courthouse lawn have only listed the names of veterans who made that ultimate sacrifice and died in combat or in war while on duty and in service to their God and Country. Thus why should this tradition be changed now? If you change this now it sets a bad precedent. Down the road someone may come along and want to erect a menorah, a giant Buddha, a monument to the Koran, or God only know what, dedicating it to a veteran or just anyone who did not die in action while in service to their country.

You see, it makes a BIG difference that this honor is reserved for a soldier who actually gave their life in service to their country. That means no one is ever going to put a monument to Allah on the courthouse lawn! Also a universal dedication will strengthen any legal position to maintain the monument should someone make objection to its placement upon the courthouse lawn.

Thou shall not kill OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF MISSISSIPPI AND CLARKE COUNTY My fellow citizens, The Ten Commandments monument placed upon the Clarke County courthouse lawn in Quitman, Mississippi reads, "Thou shall not murder." However, the Holy Bible in Exodus 20:13 states, "Thou shall not kill." I do not think it should be the privy or whim of anyone to rewrite God's given law just to suit themselves. The Ten Commandments say "Thou shall not kill." They do not say it is permitted to kill someone for this or that justifiable reason. They do not say it is permissible to kill someone so long as you do not murder them. They do not say it is not an offense against God to kill someone who broke the law; i.e., capital punishment. Nor do they even say it is okay with God for you to kill people in time of war. The Ten Commandments say, "Thou shall not kill," period! This does not mean that sometimes killing may be justified by the laws of state or man; it means that according to God's Law, killing is a violation of His commandments! I am fully aware that some may have interpreted scripture differently, that they may argue that perhaps something was lost in translation, or that perhaps to the ancient Moslems or Jews killing was not forbidden, that only murder was forbidden by the Ten Commandments. Certainly this issue has been debated by Biblical scholars for thousands of years. However, I believe that the vast majority of people interpret scripture as saying that "Thou shall not kill," meaning that one shall NOT take or destroy human life, regardless of the circumstance or arguments of whether or not one group, sect, or body of people are regarded as human or not. Certainly in other countries, especially Moslem nations, killing of "infidels" may be justified by God's law, by Allah, but I do not believe Christians regard themselves as infidels. For this reason if none other, I do NOT believe the Ten Commandments should be interpreted to mean that killing is permitted just so long as we are not murdering what we consider to be human beings, because in some people's minds historically groups of people, such as Jews or Christians, have be regarded as less than human, justifying their genocide. This was done by the Third Reich and has also been done by Islamic fundamentalist. One could easily take such a loose and perverted rewrite of scriptures to mean those who believe in the Koran or the supremacy of the white race could come along and chop off the heads or exterminate masses of people in gas chambers, because they are Jewish, Christians, or because they are "infidels," NOT white, or not Aryan; to Nazis, Islamic fundamentalists or others justifying genocide, this would not be a crime against God. Hence I think in the modern Christian world, the Ten Commandments should be interpreted and displayed in public to say, "Thou shall not kill." Otherwise the perversion of scripture may be used to justify genocide of those very Jews and Christians who founded the Jewdeo-Christian religion in the first place. I do NOT believe it is proper or should be permitted for anyone to just come along and rewrite The Ten Commandments to suit themselves in this fashion, then to place such a monument with the rewritten Ten Commandments upon public property. This is an insult to God and to all who hold God's commandments in sacred trust, honor and reverence! Plus, rewriting scripture to suit one's own selfish interest is like opening Pandora's box and letting loose all sorts of evil upon the world. Rewriting scripture to permit killing is how dictators and despots have justified genocide. It is how Islamic fundamentalist justify terrorism, as killing infidels is not murder for in the eyes of Islamic fundamentalists infidels are less than human. To Islamic fundamentalist that means Jews and Christians are infidels, sub-human, and their extermination is justified! If such a rewrite of scriptures is permitted it teaches that killing is okay, as long as you do not murder. Then along comes an Adolph Hitler, Ayatollah or Osama bin Laden and says its not murder to kill Jews or Christians because they are infidels! So we have weapons of mass destruction used to blow up American cities in the name of Allah, as the Ten Commandments were rewritten and even displayed in public upon courthouse lawns justifying killing so long as it was not murder! This is the very type of perverted logic that our enemies will use to destroy us, should we not safeguard scripture and the Ten Commandments as give to Moses and humanity! I therefore urge that the Ten Commandments monument that was placed upon the Clarke County Court House lawn in Quitman, be revised, redesigned, and corrected to accurate represent scripture and say, "Thou shall not kill." If the public wishes for there to be a Ten Commandments monument upon the courthouse lawn, this should be redesigned to agree with what is written in the Holy Bible, the design approved by a committee which should include members of the clergy from various denomenations, and paid for by private contributions raised through a nonprofit organization or trust established specifically for this purpose. At the same time the committee should approve a design and construction of the monument such that it does NOT make any grammatical errors, omissions and is esthetically pleasing to the eye and produced in as professional a manner as possible, letting any contract for such a monument to be granted after bids are taken and the qualifications of the monument company are reviewed by a committee of professionals to insure that it has the experience and expertise to produce a monument of the highest quality to represent the God fearing and God loving people of Clarke County. This is NOT a matter that should be taken lightly. Also, the dedication of any new Ten Commandments monument should be universal in nature and NOT be limited to any singular individual who did not die in time of war and/or while in direct service to their country. A proper and suggested dedication might read, “In loving memory to all veterans and citizens who have served both God and Country.” On the back of the Ten Commandments monument in Quitman the above loving and sentimental dedication is made to an individual who was a veteran. However, this person did not die on a battlefield in combat while in the military; rather he died many years later at the age of 83 from cancer. Many veterans served their country and returned home from war. They were the lucky ones; the honored heros they left behind died upon the battlefields, upon foreign soil or at sea while upon duty in service of God and Country fighting and dying to keep America free. Traditionally monuments upon public property are made collectively to those honored veterans who died in action while serving their country; hence, to dedicate a monument to a singular individual who did not die on the battlefield or at sea while serving God and Country breaks from this established tradition. This author advocates redesigning the Ten Commandments monument and dedicating it universally to all veterans and citizen who made that ultimate sacrifice for God and Country. In all due respect, a Ten Commandments monument dedicated to a singular individual who did not die during war is more appropriate for usage as a tombstone to mark a private and personal gravesite, than it is for usage upon public property in front of the courthouse. A universal dedication is important given that traditional monuments placed upon the courthouse lawns in public places have been reserved for soldiers, police officers or other public figures of great acclaim who made that ultimate sacrifice for God and County; this tradition should not be changed just because it is convenient, expedient or there is no money to establish a properly funded, constructed and dedicated monument. Rather, a nonprofit or public trust should be created and the funds raised from the general public to build and establish a properly designed, produced, and dedicated monument, with said dedication being approved by a monument committee which should supervise all aspects related to the monuments design, construction, placement and dedication. When a monument is established to be in a public place or upon a battlefield, it is very important that this be done by a nonprofit group or public trust under the direction and supervision of a committee of qualified and experienced professionals. When just anyone is permitted to establish a public monument of such vital importance as the Ten Commandments monument, and there is no supervision by professionals and experts, then it is easy for mistakes, omissions, flaws, or even grammatical errors to be made. In this particular case not only were grammatical errors made; i.e., using the term "bare false witness" instead of the correct term "bear false witness," but the Ten Commandments was rewritten! This is NOT acceptable! I therefore urge that members of the public who want a Ten Commandments monument of the highest quality and reflective of God's Law as written in the Holy Bible, urge that Clarke County take immediate action to consider this vital issue and correct the errors of grammar, omission, scripture or design that were made; that this be done through establishing a nonprofit organization or trust, such that this not be a burden to any one person or family; that no one be held liable or at fault in these regards, as people are only human and should be forgiven for their mistakes; but that although mistakes may be forgiven, that does NOT mean they should allowed to persist; rather, mistakes should be corrected, especially when they are in respect to an issue as important at the public presentation of God's Laws. This appeal is made with due respect for all individuals, parties and persons concerned in that our community and the people of Clarke County may be best represented and portrayed in the future and for all posterity. It is given with my sincere blessing unto everyone that we may all live healthy, long and prosperous lives, that by the grace of God there go I, and our children's children may learn from our mistakes to live better lives and not repeat our errors, lapses of memory, failures to attend to important details, or just plane apathy or laziness. Respectfully, Terry Lynch 5 Oct. 2010

Public monuments should be publicly funded projects or funded by nonprofit groups, with time and attention taken to details that the result reflects well upon the community for all posterity. Unless this is done our children’s children may not look so well upon us as they might, and our omissions may not engender the respect we deserve.

I will gladly contribute my time and efforts to helping make this possible, hoping others might help and contribute what is within their means, that this can be done as a nonprofit enterprise and not burden any singular individuals. I would like to know what others think in this regard. Replies to terry@byteland.org are welcome.