Stringsinger sez that Jesus sez: if you don't believe in him you'll wither and die.

It ain't in my Bible, Frank. I'll admit Jesus was pretty hard on fig trees that don't bear fruit, but it's unclear exactly what the application of the fig tree story should be. It seems to me to be teaching that if you have faith, you can do superhero stuff like moving mountains and withering fig trees. I think fig trees are ugly, and they make me itch; so I don't get particularly offended by the story. You'll find the story in Matthew 21:18-22 and Mark 11:12-14; Mark 11:19-25.

My wife the gardener is a lover of all living things, and she always wants to give her failed plantings a second chance. As a result, we have a number of dead trees and bushes in the yard.....

As for the Ten Commandments, the first three (or four, depending on how you count) have to do with worship of God, so I don't think they'd be particularly pertinent to atheists. The final seven (6?) make good sense for most everyone - you know, the ones about honoring your parents, killing, adultery, stealing, telling lies, and coveting. Pretty usual stuff for moral codes, I'd say. If you do those things to your neighbor, your neighbor is likely to be upset with you.

Still, I get peeved at people who insist it's a good idea to post the Ten Commandments on publicly-owned property in the United States.

-Joe-