by Klaus Rohrich
april 15, 2004
The Ten Commandments have guided our way of living for some 3,000 years. Purported to have been brought down from Mt. Sinai by Moses during the Jews’ escape from slavery in Egypt, these simple rules, given to Moses on two stone tablets by Jehovah established a code for living that has worked for society ever since.
Until now. It appears that the Ten Commandments are "too religious" in nature to be tolerated in society at large. The recent spate of legal challenges and judicial activism surrounding the right to display the Ten Commandments is further proof that as a culture we have a death wish.
Please don’t mistake me for a religious nut, but it seems to me that the Ten Commandments, like the americans’ Bill of Rights, are a simple list of rules that make society work better. Having read the Commandments in several Bibles, I find nothing overtly "religious" in any of them. There is no mention of the word Jesus or Jehovah or allah of Buddha, for that matter. There are just 10 rules that will improve the quality of life and ensure the survival of society.
If you look at the 10 Commandments as a code for better living, they tend to lose their overtly "religious" significance. However, I do not believe that challenging the 10 Commandments is as much about religion, as it is about flexing one’s muscle and flaunting convention. Much the same concept is at work with people who want to amend the U.S. Constitution. Calling the Constitution a "living, breathing" document is a specious argument for imposing politically correct principals into law. If the Constitution or the Ten Commandments are "living, breathing" documents that beg to be amended through time, it is then possible to take away one’s freedom of speech, or assembly or property rights or family, for that matter.
Let’s look at the Ten Commandments one at a time to determine what many individuals might find offensive or overtly religious.
#1. I am God; do not worship any other gods. Okay, that’s clear enough, it’s monotheism and it is religious in that it talks about "God". In our culture people have the right to be Wiccans or animists or anything else they so desire. But it seems to me that in order to be truly spiritually fulfilled, it makes sense to have a single Supreme Being. as such this Commandment proscribes worshipping more than one God.
#2. Do not make or worship craven images. This Commandment indicates that God’s appearance is intensely personal and no single person’s representation of "God" is to prevail. That pretty well puts the kibosh to many of the Christians who have traditionally represented God as a kindly old hippie. It also indicates that "God" is within and it is not helpful to genuflect before rocks or sticks.
#3. Do not misuse the name of God. This commandment urges people to speak with a civil tongue and refrain from swearing. It’s a rule that most of us could use a refresher course in remembering to maintain a civil tongue.
#4. Remember to observe the Sabbath. Here’s a Commandment that no one should be able to dispute because it urges people to take a day off. In this age of workaholics, a day of rest sounds like a really good idea. Without it, we wind up as very dull people.
#5. Honour your parents. This is a very good idea, as they are the key to our past as we are the key to their futures. They live on in us, as we live on in our children. Treating one’s parents well is something we should all do as members of a civilized society.
#6. Do not murder. How subversively religious is that? Not only is this a law enshrined in the Commandments, it is also a law enshrined in every society’s judicial system.
#7. Do not commit adultery. This is a rule that makes perfectly good sense, unless you are one of those immature and impulsive people who has a phobia about commitment. It’s also another precept that makes for a civil society.
#8. Do not steal. another one of those laws that comprises a part of our jurisprudence, the prohibition of theft and the protection of personal property makes a much better society.
#9. Do not testify falsely against your neighbour. Perjury is a crime. Period. How can people possibly object having a prohibition against perjury as part of the fabric of our civilization, unless you’re a Democrat defending Bill Clinton?
#10. Do not covet your neighbour’s stuff. If you can be content with your lot in life and aren’t jealous of another’s house, spouse, donkey or riding lawn mower, then your own life will be much happier and you will enjoy living more.
I often wonder what the true agenda of people who challenge codes such the Ten Commandments is? are they merely bored with their lives and want some excitement challenging time-tested conventions? Don’t get me wrong, I am all in favour of challenging conventions. But I do so with a larger purpose. What larger purpose could there possibly be in wanting to destroy a set of rules that assures civil tranquility and the survival of the species?