If you take away the Ten Commandments from the governing body, you take away:
Penalties for Murder,
Penalties for stealing.
Penalties for lying in a court of law.
Penalties for Assault and battery.
Penalties for other various forms of abuse.
2007-09-01 15:34:40 · 11 answers · asked by Jeremiah Johnson 7 7 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
Chi Guy,
Yes, but Atheists are more apt to disorderly conduct, seeing that they have no direction in life.
Jesus Christ is the Way, The Truth, and the Life.
2007-09-01 15:43:42 · update #1
John 14:21--
Jesus said:
'He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.'
2007-09-01 15:49:03 · update #2
I agree that our nation bases our laws on Judao-Christian ethics. And I believe a nation without laws is a scary place to live.
2007-09-01 16:05:42 · answer #1 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
A secular government should handle our secular laws of behavior. That way, everyone in a democracy can have some input on improving matters. Religious institutions do best when providing personal counsel on how to live life well even in the face of evil. There's a good essay on the matter titled "Religion as a Moral Center" at the site that I've copied below. The writer claims to be an atheist, but that may be just because he associates churches with evil as so many others do. I'm sure that I'm not the only minister who wrote to him and found that he was quite a decent person that I would like to have as a neighbor.
2007-09-01 16:22:06 · answer #2 · answered by jimtpat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not at all -- the penalties for murder, stealing, lying -- those have existed in every legal system around the world for thousands of years, long before Christianity.
In fact, the 10 Commandments themselves existed for thousands of years, long before Christianity.
Assault is not in the 10 Commandments, and is explicitly allowed by the bible -- so is slavery, elder abuse, child abuse, and capitol punishment for working on the sabbath or wearing garments made from blended fabrics.
We can get along quite well without laws being based on religion or morality -- there are valid secular (non-religious) reasons for every one of those laws. And just because something is ALSO prohibited by a religion doesn't make it purely based on any particular religion.
2007-09-01 15:41:47 · answer #3 · answered by coragryph 7 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Agree, yet not true? (sound like Kerry huh)
Atheist are non-believers. This does not automatically make them immoral. They too remain faithful to their spouses, kind to their neighbors and such.
That being said, there is a passage where God says "I will write my commandments in their hearts". This MAY equate to Him instilling a sense of right and wrong within us all. MAY being the operative word here.
edit: - "more apt to disorderly conduct" - Perhaps as teens and young adults. You most likely are correct. However older, wiser people write laws. Thus from this age perspective, I think atheist are also responsible people. Look at the so called Christian politicians. Scandal, after lie, after scandal. You do raise good points though.
edit: coragryph (below) Christianity is the offspring of Judaism (Old aka Aramaic, Testament). Not sure if these laws came before religion as a whole. Certainly came before the time of Christ though.
edit: Agreed! Jesus is the way to salvation. There are too many historical artifacts to deny the Bible's information. People have the right not to believe. I just don't happen to be one of them.
2007-09-01 15:39:25 · answer #4 · answered by Chi Guy 5 · 5⤊ 1⤋
What are you smoking?
The penalties you are talking about are man made laws; if you are so "bible engrossed" read the verse that says to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and to God that which is God's. The running of a free state differs 180 degrees from a Theocracy. The Islamist Countries such as Iran govern their country with Religion. No one is free. Is that what you want?
2007-09-01 15:44:12 · answer #5 · answered by smileymduke 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
People can learn through life experiences and different generations of people learn through the mistakes of their ancestors what worked and did not work and what is wrong and what is right. Certain values such as kindness, caring, love, charity, respect and discipline overlap with Christian values but overlap knowledge that a person gains through life and social experience.
You do not need Christianity to be a good person or to run a country well. Christian values Someone who was not Christian came up with Christian values...right? Christ was Jewish. He was preaching Jewish values along with HIS OWN that he came up with from life experience. Before Christ someone "came up" with the Jewish religion. They thought of some common rules of life because they just made sense not because of religion.
You do not need religion to know that murder, stealing, battery, assault and abuse is wrong and people should be punished for those things.
2007-09-01 15:59:28 · answer #6 · answered by Lindsey G 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Not true. Just because some things happen to coincide between religion and morality doesn't mean you need religion in order to have morals.
And since when is Christianity verified to be the correct religion? Are you really saying that Jews, Buddhists and Wiccans ALL have no morals whatsoever just because they don't follow the teachings of Jesus Christ???
2007-09-01 15:42:18 · answer #7 · answered by Bush Invented the Google 6 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Um... no.
America has it's own laws. The Ten Commandments and the Constitution are two different things. Everything you listed above, though mentioned in the Bible, are in our own laws. Not for religious reasons, but ethical.
2007-09-01 15:42:14 · answer #8 · answered by Jeremiah 5 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Morality is not bestowed by the church....thank God! Don't you find it strange non-Christian countries have these same laws?
2007-09-01 15:40:36 · answer #9 · answered by evans_michael_ya 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
And you got the misconception that religion has anything to do with actual morality…where?
Sanctimony and judging others have nothing whatever to do with morality.
Jim D
2007-09-01 16:12:20 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋