Shattered Tablets: Why We Ignore the Ten Commandments at Our Peril [Hardcover]

David Klinghoffer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 2007

Is morality based on some essential truth or is it defined by society? In this highly original critique of American social mores and popular culture, David Klinghoffer argues that the Ten Commandments are essential to maintaining a morally healthy society. With the meticulousness of a scholar, he begins by excavating the meaning of the Commandments. Drawing on the millennia-old rabbinical work Mechilta, he explains that the Decalogue was written on two tablets to show that when a country neglects the Commandments written on the first tablet—those having to do with the relationship between God and peoplethe interpersonal relationships described on the second tablet suffer irreparable damage as well. By shrugging off the Bible as a guide and turning toward secularism, America has created a crude, cruel, and dishonest national life.

Addressing such timely topics as the controversy over public displays of the Commandments and the battles over Intelligent Design, Klinghoffer demonstrates that Christians and Jews are united in their opposition to the pagan aspects of our culture. In the tradition of Hebrew prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah, he describes our failings with humor and compassion, but also with anger and disappointment. An unusual, incisive perspective on the role of religion in society, SHATTERED TABLETS is sure to spark debate. In the end Klinghoffer arges that by shrugging off the Bible as a guide and turning toward secularism, America has created a crude, cruel, and dishonest national life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Contrary to Mel Brooks's humorous presentation of Moses and the 10 Commandments on film, Klinghoffer (The Lord Will Gather Me In) does not think these biblical laws are a laughing matter. A writer and senior fellow at the Discovery Institute in Seattle, Klinghoffer warns that America is ignoring the commandments and sinking deeper into a quagmire of immorality. Using the Northwest's urban environs in which he lives as a case study, he warns that Seattle suffers from an advanced case of moral retardation that could easily spread to the rest of the country. The main culprit is secularism, says Klinghoffer, a modern and resurgent paganism. Although this seems somewhat overstated, in light of religion's ascendancy in much of America, the author's argument that the U.S. has slighted a communitarian ethic in favor of increased individualism is compelling. Klinghoffer writes with passion and is genuinely concerned with the moral state of the union. However, he often slips into acerbic commentary that distracts from his more salient points. For every example given regarding the moral ineptitude of some residents of Seattle, there could be 10 provided about those who are fighting the good fight and living by God's word. (Aug. 21)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for Why the Jews Rejected Jesus

“Few writers on religion are as fearless as [David] Klinghoffer.” —Esther Schor, Times Literary Supplement

“Klinghoffer’s frank conviction lends his material urgency and narrative verve.” —Mark Oppenheimer, Washington Post Book World

Praise for The Discovery of God

“Exhilarating . . . Stories that are not only beautiful but edifying.” —Noah Millman, Commentary

“I was simply bowled over by the beauty of David Klinghoffer’s prose and the lucidity of his expression. A fantastic achievement.” —William F. Buckley, Jr.

“Electrifying and immensely important. Klinghoffer presents the most effective possible case for the idea that the traditional believers are right in their approach to the Bible.” —Michael Medved

Praise for The Lord Will Gather Me In

“An arresting spiritual autobiography . . . David Klinghoffer has issued a prophetic challenge.” —Mark Silk, New York Times Book Review

“A fascinating, admirable, honest and honorable book.” —Cynthia Ozick

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion; 1 edition (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385515677
• ISBN-13: 978-0385515672
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hits the secularism nail on the head., August 31, 2007

By 

K. Unger (Bellevue, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shattered Tablets: Why We Ignore the Ten Commandments at Our Peril (Hardcover)

David Klinghoffer clearly and incisively articulates why our American culture has gotten so off track. By ignoring--better throwing out--the decalogue we have allowed secularism to define our morality. Klinghoffer is not afraid to speak in cutting and sometimes politically incorrect terms about the devastating consequences of secularism on our culture. By dissecting each of the commandments and showing how they relate to one another, he shows why religious belief is essential in maintaining a moral culture. While the book predominantly deals with the Jewish Rabbinical interpretation of the Ten Commandments, he was also sensitive to the common experience of those in the Evangelical Christian tradition. His book is quite engaging and thought provoking. I couldn't put it down and will heartily recommend to my friends and family.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truth or Consequences, September 17, 2007

By 

Michael L. Lapin (irvine, california United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shattered Tablets: Why We Ignore the Ten Commandments at Our Peril (Hardcover)

What a great read! In "Shattered Tablets" David Klinghoffer has taken a common pastoral theme and brought it to life with an impressive historical and theological account of the basis of each of the Ten Commandments - producing a compelling and persuasive case, with vivid illustrations, for his thesis that we ignore the Decalogue at our peril.

For example, in his treatment of the Second Commandment prohibiting idolatry, Klinghoffer takes the reader on a theological tour de force through impressive discussions of "American style" idolatry, Christian tolerance versus pagan tolerance, American polytheism and cultural relativism, all culminating in the ultimate manifestation of the "little 'god' that lurks within the self." And that is just the second chapter!

Although he warns his readers early on of his "intent to measure in the book. . . .the ideological view that would enshrine materialism as the official quasi-religion of American culture and government," I wondered if Klinghoffer had suspected that his research would lead him to so many examples of outrageous behavior, grotesque beliefs, and twisted values. I am still recovering from learning that the U.S. armed forces recognize Wicca (a type of witchcraft and paganism) as an official religion.

For Klinghoffer and others, the Ten Commandments are more than a historical theory. They are a true, living blueprint of what we should and should not do, think and expect. It is not a list of suggestions but theological certainties that are as unassailable as the law of gravity. Stepping off the moral precipice of the Decalogue has the same sure consequences (individually and to civilization) as stepping off the edge of the roof of a building.

"Shattered Tablets" is beautifully written, well-researched and well-reasoned. It is an important contribution and is highly recommended.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sobering socio-cultural analysis, September 6, 2007

By 

B. L. Gordon (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shattered Tablets: Why We Ignore the Ten Commandments at Our Peril (Hardcover)

Using the Ten Commandments as a diagnostic tool, David Klinghoffer offers a morally courageous analysis of the pathological drift of American culture. The illustrative vignettes provided by the tragi-comic moral obtuseness of Seattle, Klinghoffer's home city, contribute to the book's great readability and serve as an effective juxtaposition to the moral common sense inherent in the Decalogue. The fundamental thesis of the book is generated by the relationship between the two tablets of the Law: how a culture behaves toward God (the first five commandments) goes a long way toward determining how the people within that culture behave toward each other (the second five commandments). In both orthodox Jewish and Christian thought there is a clear understanding that creeping societal secularization leads by incremental steps to interpersonal degradation. The validity of this understanding is demonstrated by Klinghoffer through a thought-provoking examination of the moral depth inherent in each commandment and its relationship to the others, as well as through a trenchant analysis of the deleterious consequences - both actual and possible - attending their neglect. The result is a powerful critique of secularization that strongly motivates Klinghoffer's prophetic call for a return to America's Judeo-Christian heritage. I am not at all optimistic that this call will be heeded, but the uncompromising clarity with which the need for it is explained and illustrated makes this book a very important one indeed, and reflects well on the moral courage and integrity of the author. Highly recommended!