Ah Yes. The Good ole ten commandments. One of the most popular parts of the bible. It is known throughout history from christians and atheists alike. It have a movie based on it in hollywood (see "The 10 Commandments" movie that hit theaters in 1959), many educational channels like the History Channel, PBS, and even the Discovery Channel (of all the learning channels, I would think that the discovery channel would be the last channel to show documentaries about religious stuff) show documentaries about religions and the 10 commandments pertaining to them, especially around religious oriented holidays like easter and passover. Many fundamentalist christians try to make attempts to post the ten commandments in public places like government buildings, court houses , schools, etc, because they think that the commandments can help stop violence in school among kids and teenagers, convince criminals that whatever crime they committed when tried in court, and probably try to make attempts to turn the U.S. government into a theocracy. Since the ten commandments is such a popular set of rules that christians are just begging everyone to follow and especially since we have events like the one in Alabama with Judge Moore trying to keep a monument of the 10 commendments at the yard of a court house, it is only fair that I should discuss and examine it here on this website.
Now, did any of you guys that are reading this know that the 10 commandments as we know above wasn't originally written this way when god ask Moses to create another tablet after he broke the ones with the laws that we know today? Here is the 2nd set of how they were originally created:
I know that there are some people out there scratching their heads wondering why is the 2nd set different from the one everyone knows today? Here is the history of how the ten commandments came into existence according to the bible. Read and see if it helps answer your question.
Moses traveled back up to Mt. Sinai. He makes two new stone tablets and God said he was going to write words that was in the first tablet that Moses broke (Notice that God didn't bother to ask Moses what did he did with the first tablets of stone maybe his omnipotence help it figure it out). After Moses creates the new tablets he brings them up the mountain, and under God's direction he wrote the 10 commandments on the tablets and brings them back down again. Here is the kicker. In spite the fact that God promises it will and I quote "write upon these tables that words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest", the words that Moses wrote on the new set of tablets according to the god's directions are completely different. It is not the 10 commandment laws that we know today, it is the 2nd set of laws that I just showed you guys in the above section "10 Commandments in a Nutshell".
Does anything in this story makes any sense? Why would god ask Moses to write different laws the second time around and yet said there the same laws he gave on the first tablet that Moses broke? Does this god have alzheimers or Attention Deficit Disorder or something? The Bible, not suprisingly, is no help in offering any explanation for this?
Now lets examine each rule of the 10 commandments as we know today.
Anyone that thinks that the 10 commandments doesn't violate the seperation of church and state really need to take a closer look at this particular commandment right here. This commandment right here alone proves that the 10 commandments is a religious document and not a secular one. Nor is it not a basis for any laws here in the U.S.
This verse exactly state that you are only to worship the christian god and no one else. Don't christians out there think that this verse would be offensive to none christians like Hindus, Muslims, Pagans, etc.
Really guys. This commandment alone also proves that these 10 set of religious "rules" (and I use that term loosely) have no business being posted in public places like government buildings, schools, court houses, etc.
This verse right here is similar to the first one, and just as stupid. This verse right here basically tells us that no one cannot have any form of self expression like creating paintings, drawings, pictures, wearing different clothing etc.
This Verse right here is more proof that the U.S laws, amendments, and constitution did not originate from the 10 commandments (or from the christian religion period). This verse seemed to be opposed of free speech, as you can see for yourself that God will punish anyone that uses his name in ways it should not be used. It's like the the President passing a law making it illegal to criticize him.
This verse, just like the first three, has no secular purpose at all. For one, it is a rule about how to worship this god in the christians religion. Number two, it also doesn't support the economy, business, free market, and capitalism. Will someone please explain to me why people should not work whenever they want to or have no other choice?
I admit that after we've been talking about four bible that purely religious (and stupid) and not secular for any reason, we finally get to a bible verse that actually have something to do with morality and ethnics. However, the problem with this bible verse is that honoring our mother and father is way too broad for us to understand.
Are we suppose to honor parents that are abusive, neglectful, and are not there for their kids? Are we suppose to honor parents that do stupid things to their kid like denying them education, friends, goals, etc. because of their religion?
Don't get me wrong, I do agree that out mother and father should be honored, but only for good reasons like being there to take care of their kids. This bible verse make it seem like that just parents having kids is enough to be honored, but it's not.
What about if we have to kill someone in self defense? What about if there is no food and we have to kill animals and plants for it. What about suicide, capital punishment, and yes, even abortion?
Also if this commandment is to be understood exactly the way it is written, meaning that all killing of anykind is not allowed, then if would seem that this god that created the commandments have violated it's own laws. In the OT, this god have executed many people for stupid stuff like picking up sticks on the Sabbath, blasphemy, asking parents to kill their children for disobedience, etc. Also God have done many mass murders too like destroying a nation full of men, women, children, and animals. If these type of actions doesn't go with this commandment, then what type of killing is it that people are not suppose to do then?
Sorry folks, but this bible verse right here about not committing adultery just doesn't cut it.
Even though that adultery might be a cruel thing to do to loved ones and people risk getting divorces and ending their relationships with their loved ones, the fact is that this activity is a consensual act between two adults.
Why should this be considered a crime in the US or other countries for that matter? What country have this kind of law?
This bible verse right here doesn't appear to be an important part of this list of laws ever codified. If the commandements must involve rules involving sex and relationships among couples, then why not talk about rape, pedophilia, abuse, etc. being immoral instead?
OF course stealing in most cases is wrong period. However, since god told his followers to steal from and plunder their enemies (Exodus 3:22, Exodus 12:35-36, Ezekiel 39:10 as a example) then I do not see any point to this verse being a part of the 10 commandments at all.
Or course not to lie to other people is a good moral rule that everyone should follow. However, this is also to broad and absolute for anyone to understand. What if lying prevents a crime from happening. For instance, if someone's child is at home alone and a stranger comes knocking on the door and a child answers it, do the child say "my mom isn't here" and the strangers comes busting inside the house and hurt the child or should child lie and say something like "my mom is taking a shower" in a attempt to protect him/herself? Think about it.
This final commandment right here is very unusual and for a very good reason too. It involves someone's frame of mind. This verse is basically saying that if you even think about stealing, you are in deep trouble. All of the previous commandments involves action, while this law only involves someone thinking about something.
The thing that I don't understand is, how can someone's thoughts be outlawed? I admit that there are somethings that I would love to steal from stores so I don't have to spend any money. However, I do know what would happen is I do this like being arrested for shoplifting. I also wouldn't like it if I someone stole anything from me and therefore don't do it. I doesn't matter if someone is thinking of stealing from someone or not, as long as that person can control their own actions, then that is what matters. Really people, how does thinking about stealing hurt anyone in the same way as actually doing it?
