HAVE YOU NO SENSE OF DECENCY, SIR?

 For 68 years, "Have you no sense of decency, sir?" has echoed through the halls of American history, a question asked by Senator Joseph Welch that he directed to fellow Senator Joseph McCarthy during the  1954 Army-McCarthy hearings. 

We might address that same question to a Baptist church whose sign out front carries an indecent message to the community and to the cars passing by. But before we get to that, let's talk about rabbits' feet and four leaf clovers. 

Athletes are notorious for carrying lucky charms, especially baseball players. If they win a game or two, they won't change their socks until they lose. If a pitcher is pitching a no-hitter, no one talks to him in the dugout.

Larry Walker was obsessed with the number 3. He wore number 33 and he was married on Nov. 3 at 3:33 and his phone number has as  many threes in it as he can get the phone company to give him, and he takes three swings in the batter's box before he hits, six if he feels tight, or nine or 12, any multiple of three. 

But then there's this church sign with big bold letters that says, "Have you tried the cross as your lucky charm?" 

There's this misunderstood command in the Scriptures that cautions us from "taking the Lord's name in vain." It's misunderstood to be limited to certain swear words, but it carries more weight than that. 

The command has to do with using God's name in a trivial or careless manner--in a joke, or on T-shirts that say, "RUN WITH JC." Then there's the taking of a popular product logo and substituting something else such as the Heinz logo with the words on a bright red shirt that say, "CATCH UP WITH JESUS--BLESSED FROM MY HEAD TO MY TO-MA-TOES"

So now add to that, the cross as a rabbit's foot or a four leaf clover. 

Have you no decency, sir?