\u201cThis is necessary to protect teachers who have the desire to establish that the country\u2019s historical background is based on Judeo-Christian traditions,\u201d he said. \u201cThis might be a reassuring step to the people that we are wanting to maintain and hold on to those historical findings of how our country was founded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd anything that helps build the morals of our young people would be helpful,\u201d Flynn said. \u201cFor too long, we\u2019ve forsaken what our Judeo-Christian heritage has been. Our rights do come from God, not from government.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It\u2019s clear to me that these particular commandments are not so special or even the best choice for a top ten list of relevant moral imperatives.\u00a0 Yet I am frequently asked about their centrality and challenged with claims that society would just fall apart without them.<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s my take on this top ten list, based on the Jewish numbering and the list as found in Exodus 24:<\/p>\n
1) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;<\/em><\/p>\nThis is not really a commandment, just a statement.\u00a0 This is probably why Christians combine it with one or both of the following commandments.\u00a0 Other than emphasizing the Exodus narrative when Yahweh slaughtered all those first born Egyptians, it serves no real purpose.<\/p>\n
2) Do not have any other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.<\/em><\/p>\nA command not to make idols is not a moral imperative.\u00a0 If there\u2019s anything related to morality here, it\u2019s the highly immoral intention of God to punish children for their parents\u2019 crimes.\u00a0 It was so distasteful that Jeremiah and Ezekiel both ruled it out.\u00a0 The rabbis didn\u2019t much like it either.\u00a0 When they chose the text of Exodus 34:6-7 as the \u201cthirteen attributes of God\u2019s mercy,\u201d they cut verse 7 right in half because its continuation promised that God would be \u201cvisiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children\u2019s children, unto the third and unto the fourth generation.\u201d<\/p>\n
3) You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.<\/em><\/p>\nWho knows what this means?\u00a0 Don\u2019t say \u201cYahweh?\u201d\u00a0 Don\u2019t swear a false oath in Yahweh\u2019s name? (And how does that differ from \u201cdon\u2019t lie?\u201d)\u00a0 Don\u2019t say \u201cgoddamit?\u201d\u00a0 I don\u2019t know either.<\/p>\n
4) Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.\u00a0 For six days you shall labor and do all your work.\u00a0 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work\u2014you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.\u00a0 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.<\/em><\/p>\nI guess it\u2019s a good ethical practice to allow your employees and animals to rest and good advice to do so yourself.\u00a0 Oh yeah, and your slaves, too.\u00a0 Wait\u2026what?\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t a real basis for morality say something like, \u201cSlavery is a no-no?\u201d<\/p>\n
5) Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.<\/em><\/p>\nNice and moral.\u00a0 Except the part about the land which is just tribal.\u00a0 Also, it\u2019s copied from the Code of Hammurabi and other texts so it\u2019s not particularly original.<\/p>\n
6) You shall not kill\/murder.<\/em><\/p>\nCopied from Hammurabi.\u00a0 Also self-evident.<\/p>\n
7) You shall not commit adultery.<\/em><\/p>\nNice and moral.\u00a0 Sort of.\u00a0 In the bible it only applies to adultery with married women.\u00a0 If you\u2019re a married man you can fool around with whoever you want if she\u2019s not married.\u00a0 That\u2019s how she gets to be your wife.\u00a0 Also copied from Hammurabi.<\/p>\n
8) You shall not steal.<\/em><\/p>\nNice and moral.\u00a0 Copied from Hammurabi and so very obvious.<\/p>\n
9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.<\/em><\/p>\nBearing true witness is definitely moral.\u00a0 It\u2019s also obvious and also copied from Hammurabi.<\/p>\n
10) You shall not covet your neighbor\u2019s house; you shall not covet your neighbor\u2019s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.<\/em><\/p>\nI see how coveting your neighbor\u2019s wife can get you in trouble.\u00a0 The rest of the covets are sort of the basis for capitalism (and with the slave part, more like capitalism in the Confederacy).\u00a0 Plus, the whole idea of regulating people\u2019s wants and desires is rather authoritarian.\u00a0 What\u2019s immoral about really wanting a Benz like your neighbor\u2019s?\u00a0 Work hard and go buy one.\u00a0 Hell, buy his if he\u2019ll sell it.\u00a0 Oh yeah, this one\u2019s also copied from Hammurabi.<\/p>\n
So there you have it, five and half-ish moral imperatives that anyone could come up with and many did, completely independent of the Torah.\u00a0 As far as modern morality goes, I could come up with a better top ten list over drinks with friends.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Some east Texas yahoo is putting forward legislation to allow the ten commandments to be displayed in public schools.\u00a0 He states the usual silliness: \u201cThis is necessary to protect teachers who have the desire to establish that the country\u2019s historical background is based on Judeo-Christian traditions,\u201d he said. \u201cThis might be a reassuring step to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2281,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,10,12,14,22],"class_list":["post-626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogentries","tag-bible","tag-church-and-state","tag-fundamentalist-christianity","tag-history","tag-jewish-history"],"yoast_head":"\n
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