Do you know your Ten Commandments?
Those whose memory may have gotten a little rusty on the shalts and shalt nots of the Decalogue, described in the Old Testament as being handed by God to Moses atop Mount Sinai, can reacquaint themselves at, of all places, the MCM Elegante Hotel, 2355 Interstate 10 South.
Owner John Bushman installed a large granite tablet just outside the main entrance about a dozen years ago to reflect his wish for “love and hope.” The lettering on the monument was restored about a month ago, hotel general manager Bill Bianchi said.
However, as good as it sounds, the Ten Commandment monuments erected in Alabama, Oklahoma, and New Mexico have brought lawsuits and removals.
But when an 800-pound granite tablet engraved with “Thou shalts” and “Thou shalt nots” went up in a suburban Dallas shopping mall just before New Year’s, not a protester was in sight.
The difference, of course, is location, location, location. The controversial tablets were originally placed on public land, while the Texas tablets are in a privately owned shopping mall.
“We’re not trying to make a statement or create a controversy,” Richard Morton, general manager of the Music City Mall at Vista Ridge, told Texas reporters Friday, Dec. 29 as the block was unveiled. Instead, he said, the monument reflects the mall owner’s “belief system and he is not afraid to share it.”
Bushman, a former Marine, said that he hopes people find “peace and love” in the Ten Commandments. A second granite tablet bearing two of what Bushman has called “the greatest commandments” – to love the Lord and thy neighbor – is on the second floor.
“We’re not trying to overwhelm anyone or make a statement,” Bushman told Dallas News. “We just believe in the Lord’s love. That’s the sole reason. We hope when someone sees it, it will touch their heart and give them new hope that day.”
According to AWM, people turned to social media sites to express their views about Bushman’s plans to install the monument in the Texas mall. Many people applauded his efforts to promote his Christian values through his business venture.
“What a beautiful thing he is doing,” one reader commented on Facebook. “I sincerely hope & pray that you will be blessed in this endeavor, and it will be a grand and wonderful success. The Lord says, ‘he who honors Me, I will honor him.’ That is my sincere prayer for you.”
However, others felt that Bushman was being a bit too overbearing by forcing his guests to see a Christian monument when they might not be of that faith.
“What a beautiful thing he is doing,” one reader commented on Facebook. “I sincerely hope & pray that you will be blessed in this endeavor, and it will be a grand and wonderful success. The Lord says, ‘he who honors Me, I will honor him. That is my sincere prayer for you.”
Watch the video below:
Source: AWM
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