IN the days when Christianity was first introduced to the Pacific Islands and islanders struggled to find middle ground between their traditional beliefs and the new Judeo-Christian code of conduct, history records many episodes of absurdity and hilarity.
In most cultures, sins are ranked according to severity. Killing a man is more serious than killing a dog, for instance. With the Ten Commandments, it can get a bit dicey when choosing between two items from the menu. As an example, take one court case from Tarawa.
A certain island woman was on trial for being unfaithful to her husband (who was equally unfaithful to her, but that is another story). It so happened that this was the third time she had been caught for adultery and curiously, all three episodes occurred on Sundays.
As if to prove he had no business being a prosecutor, the attorney asked the woman why she had committed adultery with the co-defendant, to which she answered plainly, “Because I love him.” After the roar of laughter subsided from the courtroom, her husband shouted, “You see what sort of slut she is!”
Things were not going her way. She faced six months in prison unless someone took up her defense or introduced some cause for mercy. When her good friend, the pastor of her church, took the stand he argued that since the Devil liked idle hands with which to cause mischief, and it seemed the woman had extra time on her hands on Sundays, the pastor recommended that the woman take up some hobby that would keep her occupied. If she was otherwise detained, she would be less likely to stray.
Although proud of his line of reasoning, the pastor knew he had said something wrong. The mood in the courtroom turned serious as faces furled and sneered. At least the people directed their hostility at him instead of the young woman. The pastor doubled down.
She could take up sewing, he argued, which would provide her with a hobby but also perhaps a side income. She could sell what she makes or repair clothing.
That was too much for even the young woman, who until now sat in silence. “Sir! You must know that it is a sin to work on the Sabbath!” The uproar in the courtroom demonstrated that everyone agreed with her. When the pastor, who was acting in her defense after all, reminded her that adultery was also a sin, she scolded him that “It was only a breach of the seventh commandment, not the third.” It was a far better thing that she had done than what he recommended she do. Break the third commandment in order to avoid breaking the seventh? It made no sense, whether the commandments were listed in order of importance or not. The pastor fell very far in the eyes of the people that day.
The court agreed with the woman, and although her guilt was never really in doubt, it was decided that there existed a basis for mercy, and she was sentenced to three months in jail. The only person who left feeling cheated was the husband, but don’t feel sorry for him. He was the kind of man that deserved to be cheated on.
BC Cook, PhD lived on Saipan and has taught history for 20 years. He currently resides on the mainland U.S.
BC Cook
