The Ten Commandments

[OnceConvinced]

Have you ever looked at the ten commandments and wonder what the hell was God thinking? Why did he put these ten things above all else? I can understand most of them, but certainly not all.

Just take a look at them:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: (for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;)
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates
5. Honour thy father and thy mother
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

The first three commandments are all about God and if they are that important to him then it shows us what an insecure and jealous God he is (Note that jealousy is a sin). That’s 30% of the commandments! Is God’s ego that delicate that he had to include 3 commandments such as this? Then you have laws like “thou shalt not covet” which seems to be small fry in the sin department next to many other things. “Thou shalt not commit adultery” also seems to be a small fish in a big pond when things like rape and paedophilia seem to be given a very low priority.

So what about some of the other important stuff? Where are all the other commandments that would seem to be so incredibly important? Where is…?

Thou shalt not take another human being as a slave (You’d think God would take a harder line on this issue)

Thou shalt not rape (Sexual crimes seem to be unimportant as far as God’s concerned when it comes to the 10 commandments - apart from adultry. In fact the bible says God expects rape victims to marry their abusers)

Thou shalt not take drugs (or something like that. After all, God knows what will happen in the future and must have surely known it would become a major problem further down the line. He is either short sighted or has no knowledge of what will happen in the future.)

I am aware there are a lot of issues dealt with in other parts of the Torah relating to immoralities, however the 10 Commandments seem to stand out as God’s main issues and that is what I am trying to focus on here.

So my questions:
What commandments that haven't been included do you think should have been included and why?
Should any have been omitted? Why?
Should any have been reworded or elaborated more on?.

[Dreamcoat]

Have you ever looked at the ten commandments and wonder what the hell was God thinking? Why did he put these ten things above all else? I can understand most of them, but certainly not all.

Just take a look at them:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: (for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;)
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates
5. Honour thy father and thy mother
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his xxx, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

The first three commandments are all about God and if they are that important to him then it shows us what an insecure and jealous God he is (Note that jealousy is a sin). That�s 30% of the commandments! Is God�s ego that delicate that he had to include 3 commandments such as this? Then you have laws like �thou shalt not covet� which seems to be small fry in the sin department next to many other things. �Thou shalt not commit adultery� also seems to be a small fish in a big pond when things like rape and paedophilia seem to be given a very low priority.

So what about some of the other important stuff? Where are all the other commandments that would seem to be so incredibly important? Where is�?

Thou shalt not take another human being as a slave (You�d think God would take a harder line on this issue)

Thou shalt not rape (Sexual crimes seem to be unimportant as far as God�s concerned when it comes to the 10 commandments - apart from adultry. In fact the bible says God expects rape victims to marry their abusers)

Thou shalt not take drugs (or something like that. After all, God knows what will happen in the future and must have surely known it would become a major problem further down the line. He is either short sighted or has no knowledge of what will happen in the future.)

I am aware there are a lot of issues dealt with in other parts of the Torah relating to immoralities, however the 10 Commandments seem to stand out as God�s main issues and that is what I am trying to focus on here.

So my questions:
What commandments that haven't been included do you think should have been included and why?
Should any have been omitted? Why?
Should any have been reworded or elaborated more on?.

Have a look at this site www.tencommandmentstoday.com. This take on the ten commandments is different to any other I have seen.

[daedalus 2.0]

To start with friend you want to have your cake and eat it. You don't believe God is - yet you want answers based on his word since that is all I can give you. If you just want opinions you are asking the wrong person, I don't have any.

Is this next part fact or opinion?

You will never understand anything I say if you can not accept that God is ...Heb.11v6. This refers to an attitude of Mind and Heart toward God. If you want to believe but find it difficult then you must ask God to help you believe, scripture says so. But I can tell you here and now that nothing will happen if we ask from a wrong motive.
So when you have given this some thought we might be able to move on.
Look, when a Baby learns to walk it starts from the bottom (literally speaking) and time and time again it falls back on it but it does not give up and neither must a spiritual Babe. We all have very humble beginnings physical and spiritual, none of us are born walking, running or flying it all has to be gradually accomplished from small and humble beginnings Heb.11v6 being the most basic.

Because all I see is a guy regurgitating Xian dogma based on his own opinion of thinking it true.

[McCulloch]

Have a look at this site www.tencommandmentstoday.com. This take on the ten commandments is different to any other I have seen.

The Ten Commandments are recognized the world over as being the rules by which people should live by.

Not really.

Funny, I read the page and it did not seem that different from other stuff I have heard. What in particular did you think was unique?

[Cathar1950]

Have a look at this site www.tencommandmentstoday.com. This take on the ten commandments is different to any other I have seen.

The Ten Commandments are recognized the world over as being the rules by which people should live by.

Not really.

Funny, I read the page and it did not seem that different from other stuff I have heard. What in particular did you think was unique?

I have read better in the Egyptian book of the dead.
Obviously Dreamcoat has not read enough.
I was just reading about our common sense of morality, I will have to look it up, but I think we humans can come up with better rules that are more up to date.

[Julie]

Have you ever looked at the ten commandments and wonder what the hell was God thinking? Why did he put these ten things above all else? I can understand most of them, but certainly not all.

Just take a look at them:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: (for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;)
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates
5. Honour thy father and thy mother
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his xxx, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

The first three commandments are all about God and if they are that important to him then it shows us what an insecure and jealous God he is (Note that jealousy is a sin). That?s 30% of the commandments! Is God?s ego that delicate that he had to include 3 commandments such as this? Then you have laws like ?thou shalt not covet? which seems to be small fry in the sin department next to many other things. ?Thou shalt not commit adultery? also seems to be a small fish in a big pond when things like rape and paedophilia seem to be given a very low priority.

So what about some of the other important stuff? Where are all the other commandments that would seem to be so incredibly important? Where is??

Thou shalt not take another human being as a slave (You?d think God would take a harder line on this issue)

Thou shalt not rape (Sexual crimes seem to be unimportant as far as God?s concerned when it comes to the 10 commandments - apart from adultry. In fact the bible says God expects rape victims to marry their abusers)

Thou shalt not take drugs (or something like that. After all, God knows what will happen in the future and must have surely known it would become a major problem further down the line. He is either short sighted or has no knowledge of what will happen in the future.)

I am aware there are a lot of issues dealt with in other parts of the Torah relating to immoralities, however the 10 Commandments seem to stand out as God?s main issues and that is what I am trying to focus on here.

So my questions:
What commandments that haven't been included do you think should have been included and why?
Should any have been omitted? Why?
Should any have been reworded or elaborated more on?.

It was left incomplete on purpose , so man, using the learning process, can figure out on how to do RIGHT ... this little thing known as 'think for youself' so lacking in modern socieity

I have trouble believing in God. I want to, but I think if God wanted us all to be perfect he would show him/herself and tell us the rules. I am far from perfect, and I think in my opinion the human race is causing the world to be very selfish place. Humans talk about wild animals but I feel humans are the ones causing the most destruction to earth. I would love to be religious but I find most religions patrionising. I really do not mean to offend anyone I would just like to hear a different take on this.

[OnceConvinced]

I have trouble believing in God. I want to, but I think if God wanted us all to be perfect he would show him/herself and tell us the rules. I am far from perfect, and I think in my opinion the human race is causing the world to be very selfish place. Humans talk about wild animals but I feel humans are the ones causing the most destruction to earth. I would love to be religious but I find most religions patrionising. I really do not mean to offend anyone I would just like to hear a different take on this.

Hi Julie and welcome to the site. Hope you'll hang around.

Yes, you would think God would have left a message to mankind that wasn't open to interpretation and took into consideration those of us living in the 21st century (and later). It's hard to believe in the bible when it shows us nothing apart from what ignorant and superstitious men from thousands of years knew or thought they knew.

Yes, I would have loved to be able to remain a Christian, comfortable in my Christian bubble believing God had everything under control and that I will have eternal life in Heaven one day. But I just couldn't live the lie any longer so deconverted.

[JoeyKnothead]

I'm sure some if not all have heard them, but for those that ain't, ya gotta hear George Carlin's take on the ten commandments. Just YouTube it.

The ten commandments to me represent an ancient (though still practical) guide for a growing society. Its rules form the basis whereby people can learn to live within the growing agrarian community. I find it funny when people hold them up as some great, inspired revelation, when they are self evident to any moralist. These rules existed before Moses, but he was the one that carved them, so he's given the credit. For any who would care to study them further, remember there were originally fifteen commandments.

[meeble]

Have a look at this site www.tencommandmentstoday.com. This take on the ten commandments is different to any other I have seen.

The Ten Commandments are recognized the world over as being the rules by which people should live by.

Not really.

I agree. Some would argue that following the Ten Commandments is nothing more than a self-interested pursuit of salvation or a self-interested struggle to avoid eternal suffering. Goodness then becomes a façade.

[RyanP]

I think we should be aware that the 10 commands were spoken by God Himself to the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL (see EX.20) not all of which were from the tribe of Judah. At least 10 of the other tribes were NON_JEWISH seeing they had other ancestry.

That's a really good point that I had forgotten about. The term "Jew" isn't used until the northern kingdom was exiled and the southern kingdom of Judah returned to rebuild the temple. Before that, they are Israelites.

[RyanP]

false gods

And how would you prove they're false? Can you prove 'He' is right? Can you prove 'He' isn't one of these alleged 'false' gods?

So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.

Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up [Elijah's] sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. --1 King 18:26-29, 38