For the purposes of this thread, let's just assume two things:
1. Moses lived
2. Moses either "received the Ten Commandments from G-d on Mt. Sinai" (hm..?) OR wrote the Ten Commandments.
To rehash, the Ten Commandments are a set of societal rules:
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
- There is an ultimate authority and there is no debate about what that final authority is.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
- Think before speaking.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything 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.
- God is a concept that cannot be represented visually.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Religiously rest 😉
Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long.
- Respect the people that cared for you and raised you.
Thou shalt not kill.
- Don't kill anyone.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Don't mess with relationships where two people are "committed"
Thou shalt not steal.
- Don't steal stuff.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
- Don't say stuff about another person you know is not true.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his animals, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.
- Don't compare yourself to others.
Many religious people can say their lives have been improved by following commandments 1 & 3, and anyone who has violated the rest knows the bad aftermath. So... are these the most important societal rules ever? Would the world be a better place if everyone followed these rules completely (or was genuinely sorry when a violation was pointed out to them)? Are these the only rules needed for a well-functioning society of happy people?
1. Moses lived
2. Moses either "received the Ten Commandments from G-d on Mt. Sinai" (hm..?) OR wrote the Ten Commandments.
To rehash, the Ten Commandments are a set of societal rules:
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
- There is an ultimate authority and there is no debate about what that final authority is.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
- Think before speaking.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything 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.
- God is a concept that cannot be represented visually.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Religiously rest 😉
Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long.
- Respect the people that cared for you and raised you.
Thou shalt not kill.
- Don't kill anyone.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Don't mess with relationships where two people are "committed"
Thou shalt not steal.
- Don't steal stuff.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
- Don't say stuff about another person you know is not true.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his animals, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.
- Don't compare yourself to others.
Many religious people can say their lives have been improved by following commandments 1 & 3, and anyone who has violated the rest knows the bad aftermath. So... are these the most important societal rules ever? Would the world be a better place if everyone followed these rules completely (or was genuinely sorry when a violation was pointed out to them)? Are these the only rules needed for a well-functioning society of happy people?
