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

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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.

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.

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!

Fascinating insights into the numerous cultural problems from which America is suffering today. This book provides the educational bridge between what might be considered dry, dull Biblical verses and the all-too real sociological implications their dismissal incurs. The reader is the beneficiary of Klinghoffer's vast amount of knowledge and all the textual research he obviously did in preparation for writing his latest book. I just wish he had ended each chapter on an upbeat with a possible solution to the various moral degradations he so articulately points out.

People in the Northwest have a reputation for being courteous - and bland. In spite of that fame, David Klinghoffer has no trouble finding local examples of how moral ignorance leads to social breakdown. Some cases are bizarre, e.g. the man who died during an act of bestiality with a horse. Others are more pedestrian: Seattle's fetish for fitness and our avoidance of children. Klinghoffer notes that "we are second only to San Francisco as the most childless city in America." He presents Seattle as "a microcosm of what happens when biblical faith falls away."

To quote a certain smug pundit, "it's getting ugly out there." The pundit welcomes the decline of American society. It promises lots of entertaining news. Like most people of means, he considers himself insulated from the effects of moral decay. As a priest who has heard confessions for over 35 years, however, I can testify that social breakdown is far from entertaining. The disregard of the Commandments has resulted in great suffering - especially to children and women. Klinghoffer documents the damage and puts it in a broader context. He uncovers the real ugliness that our surface politeness masks.

It is not enough to recognize that things are getting ugly "out there." We also have to face the ugliness inside ourselves. Besides dissecting the dissolution of our society, *Shattered Tablets* offers plenty of assistance for an examination of conscience. It has, for example, a helpful analysis of what it means to honor one's parents. And under the commandment about bearing false witness, Klinghoffer is not afraid to defend the traditional wisdom that considers gossip an "unmasculine" activity. That chapter gave me pause, even though - like practically all men - I have a hard time seeing myself as a tale-bearer.

Some final observations: First, the conservative political viewpoint might scare away readers in a liberal city like Seattle. That would be a shame. The Commandments are for everyone - they are perfectly democratic, as Pope John Paul II observed. Second, the effort to tie together the two tablets (the commandments about love of God and those about love of neighbor) could appear a bit forced. Nevertheless, Klinghoffer raises a question our secular society needs to ask: whether morality makes sense apart from a relationship to God. Third, the chapter on keeping the Sabbath was the best. He demonstrates how neglect of that commandment has impoverished almost all of us. Finally, a word of appreciation for the way he fleshes out biblical characters like Joseph and Absalom.

I warmly recommend *Shattered Tablets.*

This book really made me sit back and strongly consider myself in the light of the 10 Commandments. Looking at the world status today, the concept in this book along with Bible, I can see this "downward spiral" playing out.
Would recommend this book to all professing Christians to pick apart our own denial of the 10 Commandments being a focus point in our lives.

This is such an important book. There is no greater book on Earth to read than the Biblical books, yet they and their commentaries often take too much hard work to really get through. So then what most of us do is read less important books that are far easier and more accessible to read. What is good about this book is that it talks about the high point (Ten Commandments) of the most important book ever written (the Torah), yet does it in such a user-friendly, contemporary manner, with plenty of modern, concrete examples to help illustrate his points. I hope that he writes many more books like this one, all of which would discuss the various themes found in the Tanach (Jewish holy writings), but in a similarly user-friendly way.

'Shattered Tablets' is truly an excellent book, giving Jewish and Christian Americans modern examples and ancient scholarship about our religious and national heritage and the threats to it. In a world where it is difficult not to notice the number of people who compare the state of western civ. to the decline of the Roman or Byzantine Empire (my particular favorite- a fat and happy population enjoying a luxurious lifestyle and spending most of its time in legalistic disputations, while the invaders are at the gate), or global warming and the end of the world, or the Christian Book of Revelation and the end of the world, or some Islamic groups with the return of the 12th imam and the end of the world, or the final age of the Hindu goddess Kali, goddess of death, and the end of the world, Mr. Klinghoffer adds clarity to a confused time and a confused people.

To an old person, many young people today look quite unhappy and unable to make meaningful lives- in part because of adherence to a materialistic philosophy, inadequate basic schooling in reading, spelling, math, American and world history, literature, and religion, a narcissistic culture that seems to be composed of sex, drugs, hype, and rock and roll, along with sad celebrities and $300 jeans and athletic shoes- it is a standard catalogue, but a damaging one.

Mr. Klinghoffer is not old, and his books give us old people some hope that there could be more thoughtfulness in our societies, more attention to personal responsibilities and duties, more learning- more of everything that is good. His first book is about his search for his personal and religious heritage, the second on Abraham and the growth of monotheism, and the third on the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah awaited by the Hebrew people. All are well written and rewarding to read.

Klinghoffer's Shattered Tablets book could have been written 100 yrs ago or 200 yrs ago. Ever read a sermon by Jonathan Edwards, the Great Awakening preacher of the 18th century? You would think imps and demons crouched behind every door the way he droned on and on about the evil of his peers. Pentecostal preachers in the days before WW1 believed (as they do now) that America and its people were so drenched in sin and wickedness that Jesus had better come quick before there are no Christians left! The only difference in this book is that K. brings up anecdotes from his own iniquitous city, Seattle, and news stories about sex crimes, adultery, etc.

What bothers me about this book is that it shows a gross ignorance of American history. Adultery was so common in 19th century America that cities like New York and Chicago as well as small towns were overrun with legal brothels and illegal street whores. Stillbirths to mothers infected with syphilis or herpes by their wayard husbands were not everyday, but they were far from rare. Factory workers used children and teenagers and forced them to work in deplorable conditions, all the while paying them poverty wages and rendering them little more than illiterate slaves. Oh yeah, and real slavery was legal until 1865. Immigrant Irish and Italian gangs ruled over city blocks in eastern cities, terrifying the people with murder, robbery, rape, and kidnapping for reward. And when did all this happen? Not when prayer was taken out of the schools.

Another bug up my trousers was Klinghoffer's early waving off of Islam while setting Christianity side by side with K's own religion of Judaism. Klinghoffer says that the Quran has familiar Biblical figures but seen through a circus mirror, so Islam and Judeo-Christianity have nothing in common with it. What the heck is he talking about? Islam is pretty much a ripoff of Judaism. Menstrual taboos, circumcision, almsgiving, food taboos, set prayer times, headcovering, monotheism, the reverence for the Quran the way Jews revere the Torah, the attention to legalism -- Jews with the Torah and Islam with Quran/Sharia.

What do Judaism and Christianity have in common? Does Judaism have a god-man who was a vicarious human sacrifice that wipes out the sins of those who believe in him? Statues? Icons? Saints whose bones can cure what ails you? A trinity where there is 1 god who has 3 names and can be prayed to as though he is 3 separate people? Original sin?

Am I cynical to believe that either Mr. Klinghoffer knows little to nothing about Islam or he knows that Christians will read something like a book about how we should follow the Ten Commandments and thought a shout out to the Christians would result in a bigger royalty check?

Badly done, Mr. Klinghoffer, badly done indeed.

In the final paragraphs of 'Shattered Tablets,' Klinghoffer compares Seattle and, by extension, modern secular society to the 'Wayward Cities' referenced in Deuteronomy.

What, we might ask, is God's solution for a wayward city? Klinghoffer is kind enough to tell us:

"You shall surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword; lay it waste and everything that is in it, and its animals with the edge of the sword."

He then reassures us that this judgment was never actually carried out, but stops short of condemning its barbarism. Indeed, he goes out of his way to insist that God really means it! If Richard Dawkins or the other secularists that Klinghoffer decries were to end their books with Diderot's quote that: "Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest," they would, quite rightfully, be condemned as inciting hate and murder.

Implicit in Klinghoffer's disingenuous coda is the call to Jihad, Crusade, the Inquisitor's torch, and the bloody sword of religious bigotry and murder. Those who do not follow the Ten Commandments are to be killed. God himself has said so. In the end, Klinghoffer tries to distance himself from this evil, ever so slightly, with the vague hand waving that this is a 'moral, rather than juridical' law.

We may presume, then, that despite God's clear marching orders, Klinghoffer will not personally be putting Seattle to the sword. It has taken thousands of years for the human race to reach this point, and not all of Klinghoffer's predecessors would have been so forbearing. For this, I think we can thank the 'insidious' effect modern secular society has had on Mr. Klinghoffer; a society which values tolerance and human life over strict adherence to ancient religious codes.