by Paul Gobell
Watch the Vlog, parts 1 and 2.
The United States differs greatly from the tribal society of ancient Israel. The world has changed greatly in two-and-a-half thousand years. Democracies strive to provide freedom and tolerance for all citizens. Women vote and struggle for equal rights, and slavery has been abolished. The Ten Commandments are still viewed by many as relevant in our lives today. Some even believe that these commandments are the bedrock of our culture. How relevant are they really? Do these commandments actually provide a clear and pure path to a wholesome life?
The First Commandment reads:
“And God spoke all these words: ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.’” (Exodus 20:1-3).
After Christianity became the dominant religion in the West, there has hardly been any thought given by Christians of worshiping any other actual gods. Consequently many Christians interpret this commandment as a prohibition against treating anything such as money, success, beauty, status, etc. as god-like.
During the time of the old and new testaments no such metaphorical interpretation would be possible. Polytheism was the norm.
What is a law without a prescribed punishment for those who break the law? The penalty for worshiping any other god is found in Exodus 22:20.
“Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be destroyed.”
Ah, death is the penalty for worshiping any other god. Are those who want to base American culture upon the Ten Commandments suggesting that we kill all the Hindus?
The Second Commandment reads:
“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. 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, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6)
Okay, the second commandment is no idols and more.
“I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”
This part of the Second Commandment is often ignored. The concept of inter-generational guilt and punishment is not a concept that the American culture can readily grasp. Inter-generational guilt makes sense within a tribal culture. In a tribal culture the worth of an individual is comprised of their place within the group.
In the book of Joshua, Chapter 7, Achan was executed with his sons and daughters after he was caught stealing. His children were not the thieves, Achan was. In the United States we do not punish children for the crimes of their parents. Yet the religious claim that the Ten Commandments should be the bedrock of our nation. Many of the convicts upon death row have children. Do the religious approve of us executing children for the crimes of their fathers?
The penalty for making idols is seen in Exodus chapter 32. Moses had all the people killed who had built an altar to other gods while he was on that mountain getting these Ten Commandments.
To base American law upon the Ten Commandments would definitely fill death row with a Hell of a lot more people. The Roman Catholics better run for their lives. They sure do have a lot of statues: the Virgin Mary, Saint Augustine, Saint Michael, Saint Bernard….
The Third Commandment reads:
“You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain; for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.” (Exodus 20:7)
The Third Commandment is consistently interpreted as a prohibition against using the words “God” or “Jesus” in a swear. A more believable interpretation is that the Third Commandment prohibits breaking a contract that was sworn upon in the name of God. If you were in ancient Israel and you hired someone to groom your camel the business agreement would be entered into in God’s name.
The penalty for taking this god’s name in vain is found in Leviticus 24:16.
“Anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.”
Since we do not create contracts with reference to God, the third commandment is no longer relevant. And anyone who kills someone because they said “God damn” is a murderer.
The Fourth Commandment reads:
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work… For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20: 8-11)
This is the only ritualistic commandment in the Ten Commandments. While most religions have some holy days, the Hebrews set aside an entire day each week for the worship of their God.
Christians greatly violate this commandment. The commandment clearly states that one is to work for six days and then rest on the seventh day. See Saturday, being the seventh day, is the Sabbath, not Sunday.
For Orthodox Jews the Sabbath means abstaining from all work of any sort. Christians drive to church, mow their lawns, go grocery shopping and open a beer while watching football. They do not observe the sabbath.
The Penalty for working on the Sabbath is found in Exodus 31:15.
“For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.”
Will the Christians kill each other for breaking this commandment?
The first four commandments deal with man’s relationship with the Judaic/Christian God: No other gods, no idols, no taking God’s name in vain, and keeping the Sabbath.
In the United States it is legal for people to worship any god they wish. It is legal to have statues of gods or saints. People can not be put to death for saying “God damn,” and we can work on Saturdays if we wish, and allow Christians to pretend that Sunday is the Sabbath. Imagine if, instead of freedom, these commandments were the basis of our laws. The bloodshed would be immense.
The last six Commandments focus on secular law. The Fifth Commandment reads:
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12)
The book of Matthew repeats this commandment:
“For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ (Matthew 15:4)
The penalty for not honoring one’s parent is pretty obvious.
Children from relatively healthy homes should be respectful of their parents, but to expect abused children to have respect is silly. Yet the Fifth Commandment states clearly that children who do not respect their parents should be put to death.
Pat Robertson said, “It’s the Ten Commandments — not the 10 Suggestions…. When God says it, it has the moral authority of the creator of the Universe.” I guess Pat Robertson thinks that disrespectful kids should be put to death. Can’t you just feel God’s love?
The Sixth Commandment reads:
“You shall not murder”. (Exodus 20:13)
I like the New International Version of the Sixth Commandment because it correctly translates the Hebrew word ratsach, which means murder. “You shall not murder”. This commandment is simple, easily understood and straight to the point. Now, the King James translation reads; “Thou shalt not kill.” Any normal, well balanced person would agree that murder is wrong, but saying that a person should never kill has a completely different connotation. A person under attack has the right to defend himself.
A Fundamentalist could regard the mistranslation of the King James text immoral because it falsifies the word of God.
The punishment for murder is found in Numbers chapter 35:
“…the murderer shall surely be put to death.”
The Sixth Commandment certainly needs to be seen as “You shall not murder” because the penalty for breaking this commandment is to be put to death. Executioners would be guilty of breaking the Sixth Commandment if the Sixth Commandment was “You shalt not kill.”
The Seventh Commandment reads:
“You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14)
This commandment is generally interpreted as any act of sexual intercourse outside of marriage. This interpretation is not historically accurate. Adultery meant sexual intercourse with a person who was either married or engaged to someone else. Understand that a married man was not guilty of “adultery” for having sex with an unmarried woman. At this time, women were property and while they held a higher social status than slaves they were property all the same. Having sex with a married or engaged woman was regarded as misuse of another man’s property.
The punishment is found in Leviticus 20:10:
“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.”
So are those wishing for the United States to follow the Ten Commandments suggesting that we treat women as property and kill everyone who commits adultery?
The Eighth Commandment reads:
“You shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)
This is another short commandment and most likely the simplest and most direct. The Eighth Commandment is in sync with modern day laws, but the punishment is not. The punishment for stealing is found in Exodus chapter 22:
“If a man… lets his animal … graze(s) in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field….”
“For every matter of trespass, whether it be for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any kind of lost thing, about which one says,’This is mine,’ the cause of both parties shall come before God. He whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.”
While these punishments rightfully deal with providing restitution, they are demanded in ways that are not appropriate for our culture today. Quite possibly our judicial system would be wise to reconsider giving jail terms and instead create programs through which convicted thieves work to pay back the victim.
Do the Religious Conservatives, who are for both stiff jail sentences and for basing our culture upon the Ten Commandments, realize that the Eighth Commandment calls for the thief to make restitution and not serve time?
The Ninth Commandment reads:
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16)
The punishment is found in Deuteronomy 19:16-21:
“If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime… The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother… Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
This Commandment says that it is wrong to lie in court. This verse does not address lying outside of court. The ending, “against your neighbor” raises the question of who qualifies as one’s neighbor. Does this mean that it is okay to give false testimony in court against someone who is not your neighbor?
In a tribal culture the moral code for how a fellow tribe mate is treated is different that the moral code for how someone for another tribe is treated. Is America a melting pot? Are we a land that welcomes those of many cultures? Or is America tribal? If we are tribal, what exactly does it mean to be an American? Is the true American only a Christian?
The Tenth Commandment reads:
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17)
While coveting is unhealthy so is considering people as property. The thought that my neighbor actually owns his wife is despicable. Furthermore “manservant” and “maidservant” actually refer to slaves. The lexicon for “manservant” is ‘ebed, a servant in bondage. The lexicon for “maidservant” is ‘amah, a female slave.
The tenth commandment says not to covet what your neighbor has including his slaves. Nowhere does God say that owning slaves is wrong. So according to God it is alright to own another human being but it is a sin to be jealous. At least the Bible doesn’t demand that a jealous person be put to death.
We live in a nation that claims to support the freedom of religion. Americans are Agnostics, Atheists, Buddhists, Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Hindus, Humanists, Islamic, Jews, Protestants, Taoists, Unitarians, and Wiccans. Of course the list goes on and on. The Christian’s desire for the Ten Commandments to be the United State’s official moral law would promote the outlawing of all other religions and beliefs. Hopefully more people than just Atheists use their minds and question the health of making religious law the foundation of our culture.
Paul is a member of Connecticut Valley Atheists. The views expressed in this posting are his own and do not necessarily represent those of Connecticut Valley Atheists or its individual members.