Shattered Tablets: Why We Ignore the Ten Commandments at Our Peril by David Klinghoffer gives a very interesting Jewish perspective on culture using the Ten Commandments. Each chapter goes through each commandment with plenty of commentary both on the commandment and the negative examples society gives by rejecting them. David Klinghoffer being from the Seattle area primarily uses news from Seattle and surrounding areas to make his points. The secularism of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest in general provides a good backdrop to roundly ignoring the Ten Commandments.
David Klinghoffer is a Senior Fellow of the Discovery Institute and contributor to the National Review and the Jewish weekly newspaper The Forward is an Orthodox Jew, but he is quite willing to make common cause with conservative Christians. His harsher criticisms are given to both liberal Jews and Christians for their part in ignoring the Commandments and then secularists. The stories he culls from both Seattle and national news illustrates exactly the points he wants to make when we dump our Judeo-Christian heritage.
I found his commentary on the Ten Commandments primarily using Jewish sources to be quite informative and interesting. Though you can certainly see some divulgences in interpretations from the Ten Commandments that divulge from Catholic understanding. So while I might disagree with some of his interpretations I mostly agree with how he sees living the Ten Commandments and especially how not following the Sabbath has so disrupted Family and Community. The book though has definitely given me a deeper view on some of the nuances of the Commandment that are normally mentioned.
2 comments
This sounds like a good book and I like Klinghoffer for being sincere and leveling criticism at both the Secularists as well as fellow conservatives and of course his own co-religionists in Judaism.
But his book Why the Jews Rejected Jesus seems to be operating at cross-purposes by saying the rejection of Christ set up the West under Christianity. I have not read the book (having just heard about it) and I think I would be more inclined to read his book on the Ten Commandments but I have to question even the title.
Granted one can make the point that the Jews who accepted Christ ceased to be Jews in the terms of religion. Thus, those who rejected Christ were “Jews” and those who accepted Him, “Christians”. So there is some merit to the title but the fact is the vast majority of Jews post ascension accepted Christ and continue to accept Christ to this very day.
That being the case, I think it strains the language to state broadly that the Jews rejected Christ.
I think a better title would be Why the Jews who Rejected Jesus Rejected Jesus.
Actually,
The more research I do on David Klinghoffer, the less inclined I would be to recommend him. It seems he has garnered a reputation for being somewhat of a firebrand and sticking it to Christians and Secularists alike.
But his criticisms of Christianity are all based on a poorly-developed understanding of what Christianity is and teaches — as if he bought into the ridiculous caricature of Christianity in his very liberal education but was personally insulated from understanding it as bias because it was not his faith being assaulted.
It is one thing to differ with a religious adherent’s views about their religion but quite another to disagree with a mischaracterization of a faith. And as Catholics, I think we can all relate to this annoyingly common phenomenon.
How many times have you been told that you “worship idols” or some such? Too many times to take anyone seriously who insists on telling me what the pope believes.
I am sorry, even if I can ally myself with someone on social or political issues, if I find an example of some sloppy research or someone who likes to just shoot off at the mouth before checking his facts, then I will not support that person by reading even their “agreeable” books.
I have heard it said before that a Catholic would be foolish for using Jack Chick’s critique of Islam. The same principle applies here, I believe.
That Klinghoffer believes Jews are the priests and Christians and Muslims are the laity in this modern age, I do not find offense. I find it extremely funny and little too new-agey and relativistic but not offensive.
That he claims the Messiah did not establish a kingdom on Earth, however, makes me reel. Has he ever been to credal church, much less a Catholic one?
He has numerous other claims which made my jaw drop in disbelief at his fabulous display of wanton ignorance.
Probably a nice guy to talk to, but he scrimps on his research. And for someone who writes supposedly scholarly works, this is not a good thing.