Did you ever examine the 10 commandments closely?

Question

Fundamentalist claims about the superiority of Biblical values are usually based on the Ten Commandments. But if you examine those commandments closely, you will see that they are very disturbing.

The first commandment instructs us to worship God, thus condemning religious freedom.
The second commandment forbids the creation of and worship of idols, thus condemning religious freedom again.
The third commandment instructs us not to take his name ‘in vain’, thus condemning freedom of speech.
The fourth commandment instructs us to observe his Sabbath day, thus condemning religious freedom for a third time.
The fifth through ninth commandments are much better, but they are also common to the ancient writings of different cultures around the world, and we don't need Judeo-Christianity or the Ten Commandments in order to figure them out for ourselves.
And finally, the tenth commandment condemns the act of ‘coveting’, and reveals the Bible's misogyny by classifying a man's wife as part of his property, along with his house and cattle.

'saved one'
I tend to wonder why you are so fascinated with homosexuals. You've posted several questions here. Are you wondering?

DRAKE, Just because I don't believe in crap doesn't mean I'm not still a decent and a spiritual human being.

Answer 1

Why would any sect, however primitive, want to base itself on such vague pre-Christian desert morality?

For example, the first four of the commandments have little to do with either law or morality, and the first three suggest a terrific insecurity on the part of the person supposedly issuing them.

There are many more than 10 commandments in the Old Testament, and I look forward to the day when Americans are obliged to observe all of them, including the ox-goring and witch-burning.

The ensuing debate is more than just a rift with exhibitionist fundamentalism, morality and ethical law.

The true problem is our failure to recognize that religion is not just incongruent with morality but in essential ways incompatible with it.

This leaves us with the insoluble mystery of why "He" would have molded ("in his own image," yet) a covetous, murderous, disrespectful, lying, and adulterous species.

Create them sick, and then command them to be well?

What a mad despot this is, and how fortunate we are that he exists only in the minds of his worshippers

Answer 2

The ten commandments were those that Moses handed down to the Jews, these were to be followed up by many more 'commandments' as their wandering band 'increased and multiplied', for example the Book of Deuteronymy makes one's head spin and what about Levicticus!
The Jews had so many laws that in the end it made a lot more sense just to ignore the lot of them.
That's why, jesus, the most non-fundamentalist guy of that time, said dump those laws, there's just one 'Love one another' and that'll being the Kingdom of God on Earth.

Answer 3

Disturbing indeed. The Bible's God, ruler of the universe, runs counter to the American Constitution. He does not support democracy (He rules;Psalms 2,89,110: the King is Yawweh's son), freedom of religion (no other gods allowed) or freedom of speech (no blasphemy). The Bible's god, many believe, will throw the majority into a lake of fire.

It is important to understand how faith is a sentiment that, like all emotions, can lead one to irrational behavior. Emotions left unchecked by reason are dangerous. You can never be a reason-extremist and cause any harm to yourself or to others, but you can easily be a religious extremist and cause lots of problems.

Morality has to be discovered by reason. One cannot be moral by faith. One has to know what is for life and what is against it. Such knowledge can come only from reason.

Logical reasoning is the only tool we have to help us distinguish true from false and right from wrong. That's why logical reasoning is what makes it possible for one to be moral or immoral. One cannot be moral if one is irrational.

Irrational people need irrational laws to keep them fenced in. Sheeple are a strange species indeed.

Answer 4

The U.S. is the only country that actually has an official document (constitution) guaranteeing anyone "religious freedom". Considering that the ten comandments predate the Constitution, or even the United States, by several thousand years, I'm not really sure of what the issue is. Contrary to what some people here on Y!A may think, American standards, or even christian standards, don't govern the rest of the world.

BTW, my favorite commandment is the one about not coveting thy neighbor's @ss.

Answer 5

Never forget that the commandments were written by men to dupe other men.
It's just another way to keep the gullible sheep in the pews and the collection plate full.
Surely you don't think they want the sheep wandering to another church do you?

Answer 6

I agree,But from being a former christian here(believe it or not hehe) I know what their mentalities are and thought patterns are saying....When you follow god ( I don't capitalize) then you must lose yourself and your "worldly" freedoms.
These people don't read any logic into anything...With god there is no logic only the bible...
They follow blindly and completely alienate themselves from family and friends .
They will never listen to you or I when it comes to logic,...They don't even see their own "sins" or hypocrisies.....

sad
but
true

Answer 7

Thank you Tazman for sharing. These sound like rules to live by. Happy Lovin hun! Love, honey

Answer 8

Hey--Jews a very good in the entertainment business---& selling they demented deity as "The Great I AM"--The Creator of all--was a marketing masterpiece --nearly half of all God believers on Earth worship this maniacal, murderous ,cruel Myth.

Answer 9

Yes... they are all things I already knew within myself. My own relationship with God already instilled these things in me. I never needed to see them in print (via the bible) to know these things.

Answer 10

Some people believe that we have the absolute freedom to live exactly the way that THEIR religious doctrine dictates that we live.

There's something they don't consider: Forcing people to accept some particular idea or adhere to behavioral standards from someone else’s religion means that their religious freedom is being infringed upon.