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DEL.ICIO.USCan just 2 tablets heal ailing society?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Her mom was a churchgoing lady.
When the doors of New Hope Freewill Baptist Church were open, she’d be there. With her children in tow.
Back then, a young Pat Stone sang in the choir and attended Sunday school. She liked the old-time gospel music and the social simplicity offered at the country church in Plant City, Fla.
RICK BADIE / Staff
Pat Stone doesn’t make it to church much, but she makes no bones about her feelings on the Ten Commandments.
“I always left that church with a good feeling,” she said. “You left with a lift in your walk.”
Today, Stone and her husband of 28 years live on Patterson Road, a road I’d never been on till Tuesday. I had a sudden urge to take an excursion. A blue-and-white placard shaped like a Bible and posted in the flower bed caught my eye. I pulled into the Stones’ driveway.
“1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother ?”
It was the King James version of the Ten Commandments. Right next to a Mickey Mouse figure.
I know what you’re probably thinking. Stone’s a Bible-thumper. A Christian zealot. She struck me as neither. She didn’t pepper me with questions about my church attendance or whether I was “right” with God. You know how Southern Baptists are wont to do. (I can say that because I was raised a Southern Baptist.)
Stone doesn’t even attend church that much. “I can have church right here in my home,” she told me.
But the Ten Commandments, now that’s another matter. They give Stone her moral fiber, a foundation to live by. It’s a fearful respect for her God, something she learned growing up.
“Look at where the world is now compared to where it was 30 years ago,” Stone said. “We took prayer out of school. Teachers don’t have no control, and the kids don’t care. We had the fear of God instilled in us, but a lot of the kids these days are not brought up with that. I am a firm believer that we should go back to it. We shouldn’t have these street gangs, and these kids in school shooting other kids. If we live by the Ten Commandments, I believe our world would be a better place. “
“6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shall not bear false witness ?
10. Thou shall not covet ?”
Stone’s neighbors don’t take issue with her yard sign. Neither does her husband.
“He knows that’s what I believe,” she said. “One time the stem on the sign broke, and he fixed it for me.”
She found it interesting that curiosity led me to her doorstep. She had a good feeling about it.
“I hope people can look at it and think about what they are doing,” she said. “Maybe you were meant to see it so others will.”
Maybe so.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Jennifer
November 10, 2005 11:29 PM | Link to this
Fear of God?
Maybe it’s because I grew up Catholic…but I was under the impression that fear was not supposed to be a part of God’s love and grace…..
Fearing God is Old Testament. It’s, like, so yesterday.
The God of the New Testament and Christianity is a God of love and forgiveness. Fear is not an option.
By dee
November 11, 2005 08:59 AM | Link to this
The ten commandments are just that. God’s commandments and Old Testament or New Testament, they are still supposed to be obeyed. All of the bible is there for instruction, not just the new testament. Too many people are practicing their own form of religion and not believing in the bible. Okay, go ahead all of you who will call me a bible thumper. I am ready because I also believe the greatest commandment - to love God with all your heart and to love each other unconditionally and to forgive each other.
By Rick Badie
November 11, 2005 11:26 AM | Link to this
Hey people. Wanted to share my most recent Marta experience with you. I think I know why people don’t ride the train. My son and I had tickets to the Hawks-Clippers game on Thursday night. At the Chamblee stop, all three of the token dispensers, for some reason, wouldn’t take a $5 dollar bill. They’d just spit it back out. And for some reason, that’s all I had - 5 fives. I looked around for a Marta representative. No one was in sight. I look around for other dispensers. There weren’t any. It looked like the dispensers on the other side of the station had been boarded up. Nice. By then, a Marta rep - whose only distinguishable I.D. was a walkie-talkie strapped to his leg - had made his way to the turnstalls. I hopped over. So did Miles. The employee admonished me for jumping the turnstall and told me I had broken some Marta law. I told him I wasn’t trying to hop a train without paying, but that I needed help. I told him what was going on. He told me that I should try another bill. I told him I only had fives. He gave me one of his $5s to try. In exchange for one of mine, of course. None of the machines took that money, either. I went back to him, and asked if there were a coin dispenser or something that I could try. Nope. He told me to ask a taxi cab driver for change. By then, I was livid. Fortunately, the second driver I asked was kind enough to let me have five one-dollar bills. It took longer to buy tokens than it did to ride the train into the city. Unbelievable. And they wonder why suburbanites don’t ride Marta. Do any of you ride Marta frequently? Got any stories you want to tell? Lemme hear ‘em. Take care. RB.
By Michael H. Smith
November 11, 2005 12:55 PM | Link to this
MARTA! Please don’t get me started. Transportation in this State, especially in Metro Atlanta in the kindest of terms is a crime against humanity.
Since you upped my blood pressure this morning, I’ll return the compliment.
What do you think about the proposed Stormwater runoff fee soon to be imposed throughout perpetuity on homeowners by Gwinnett County Government?
What do you think about the diligent neglect of our State Government in producing alternative energy? Hint: E85! What an opportunity missed, jobs created, money kept at home in Georgia pockets, a real CLEAN AIR GEORGIA Senator Balfour, a more secure less foreign dependent domestic local energy supply etc., etc.
What do you think about making healthcare in Georgia universally accessible and adorable – so no one is uninsured – even if that included using gaming to finance part of the initiative? Nah. Sorry Republicans we already have “old demon gambling” in this cher’ State, it’s called the “Lottery”. By the way how many good Christian folk used hope scholarship gambling money to get an education for yourself or your children?
Ooooo-kay, the dinner bell has been rung, ATTACK!
By Dave Oliver
November 11, 2005 01:25 PM | Link to this
Heh Rick:
Your experience with MARTA proves that most time it’s not the Goverment rail system, but it’s employees that cause most of the frutration to its users.
Dave Oliver Lawrenceville
By Michael H. Smith
November 11, 2005 01:39 PM | Link to this
Just curious Dave, because I’ve never used MARTA, does MARTA have any machines that accept Credit Cards or Debit Cards to use to pay for fares?
By dee
November 11, 2005 03:19 PM | Link to this
Marta is just another place where customer “no service” is running rampant. The customer has no rights except to spend money and keep their mouth shut
By Bruce Wilcox
November 12, 2005 07:47 AM | Link to this
When I travel MARTA I always make sure I have ones with me and I never had a problem.
And it seems no one remembers the forced cut-backs at MARTA, less money, less service.
So remember always take ones with you and if you demand better service, also demand better funding.
By Michael H. Smith
November 12, 2005 09:16 AM | Link to this
Demand better funding or greater efficiency and fiscal scrutiny of MARTA spending? The AJC brought to fore the lavish and infamous CEO lifestyle some have acquired a while back as recalled on this blog
By Bruce Wilcox
November 13, 2005 12:00 AM | Link to this
Ah now I understand, the CEO was ripping off the taxpayers so the answer is punish the riders. Sort of like ENRON, Ken Lay is still free but the employee’s jobs and pensions are gone.
By Marty M.
November 13, 2005 04:56 AM | Link to this
My recent experience with MARTA was interesting, but not very encouraging.
I wanted to use MARTA to return from Hartsfield to the Doraville station. After picking up more people downtown, we traveled and later a fight broke out on the 2nd or 3rd car.
One lady pushed the driver call button immediately to warn him. He responded by saying “PLEASE DO NOT PLAY WITH THE CALL BUTTON” on the intercom.
We spent quite a while waiting after he finally stopped the train…the police came and were great, but many of the passengers said it wasn’t worth the trouble-just pay more for parking downtown!
So, in this case it was both the employee service AND the type of riders you have to deal with that make me think twice about using it.