Whose Ten Commandments?

The Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which begins the eve of June 3, celebrates God giving the law at Mount Sinai by reading the Ten Commandments. Those who want more religion in American life should pay close attention: The text may not be what you think.

The Ten Commandments have played a starring role in a campaign to bring more religion into public life while, in a post-9/11 world, carefully distinguishing "our" religion from "theirs." In 2005, Justice Antonin Scalia called the commandments "a symbol of the fact that government derives its authority from God." That declaration came as the Court approved public display of the commandments in a "secular" context in a 5-4 vote, while barring it in a "religious" context in another 5-4 split. Social conservatives were unsatisfied.