Why do Christians use a truncated 10 commandments if these words are so important to them?

Question

Just an aside: Twice I tried to post this question with the word Bastardize--which is a technical writing term--as a second qualifier and had it cenhsored by the yahoo Answer Program.

trun·cate tr.v. trun·cat·ed, trun·cat·ing, trun·cates. 1. To shorten by or as if by cutting off.

Cite Exodus 20 in Bible version "Oxford Study Bible 1992 edition.

I delibrately used Exodus because in Deu 4:2 are the words; You must not add anything to the charge I decree or take anything away from it; you must carry out the commandment of the Lord our God which I lay upon it.

I did not want the question to be an accusal.

Answer 1

Because the true wording is sexist, slavist (is that a word?), contradictory, and in at least two cases, is a depiction of an unforgiving God.

The "false idol" commandment says God will punish your family for four generations for your sin, and blasphemy is described as never being forgiven.

The "covet" commandment acknowledges slaves (the word is frequently changed to servants in modern translations). And the "covet" clause talks specifically of coveting a "wife", meaning that the commandments are clearly not written for women (or that women are allowed to covet when men aren't).

The deuteronomy version (v15) clearly shows that he was talking to the Jews only.

And remember the classic changes: Murder is changed to kill, adultery (fooling with a married person) is redefined as fornication, and the "honor that father . . ." commandment is only a guide to living better on this earth, not to get into heaven.

The good news it, if you don't worship a false God, he promises "steadfast life for a thousand generations". If the commandments were written 6, 000 years ago, and a generation is 20 years, we've got at least another 14,000 years on Earth before God can fulfill this promise.

Given the fact that the ten commandments were the only "words of God" that he personally wrote down, the bible can't even be consistent over this within it's own text. Truncating them to the lowest form removes the obvious contradictions within the bilble, and eliminates confusion regarding concepts that appear in the full text versus what believers tell you God is otherwise like.

Answer 2

There is a lot of history behind the preservation of the writings of the Hebrew Scriptures. The end result that we have today gives us the 10 Commandments in two separate places in the Old Testament Bible. So, are you referring to the 10 Commandments given in Exodus, or in Deuteronomy?

Answer 3

Christians do not use a truncated version of the 10 Commandments. I don't believe you when you say you don't intend this question to be accusatory, because i have read enough of your other questions to know you lie in order to vilify Christians. At your age you should stop doing this and ask Jesus to forgive you for the evil you have done.

Answer 4

Because the real ten commandments are like the bible metaphors for what it really means, though shalt not believe in any god but me, its okay if you worship another god or not at all but don't try to worship judeo-christian god too, though shalt not kill, don't kill a persons spirit , be polite, be a kind loving person, Well this is what i get out of it anyway.

Answer 5

In the early days of Christianity, those who were being taught were not educated people. The "truncated" ten commandments were an easy way to teach a Christian way of life to the "peasant" class.

Answer 6

he means why do you not give the full and complete verses?for example; the second commandment
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.
is often reffered to as;
thou shalt not worship graven images.
this is obviously a misquote and takes away from the meaning to be gleaned from the text.

Answer 7

I don't understand either, what is truncated????

Answer 8

what do u mean by truncated?