The 10 Commandments and More

Catholics, do you even know the ten commandments?

Have you read Exodus?

Do you know that there are many more commandments after the originals?

People always talk about the ten commandments when they discuss "God's Law." Let's take a look. Believers say that these ten commandments are the most important moral laws that God gave, and, in fact, God wrote these on tablets. Believers also say that the Bible is the best book ever written and is filled with ideas on how to live a moral and fulfilled life. Let's analyze these "wonderful" commandments:

20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,

#1

Exodus 20:2-3 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; Do not have any other gods before me.

The first commandment is simple, "Do not have any other Gods before me." What could this mean? First, are there other gods? I thought that God was the only god? A few lines later we see..."

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..." So, this first commandment has nothing at all to do with morality, it is simply a selfish request. Some Christians today reinterpret this as, "God should be your highest concern..." but why would God's direct words need to be interpreted? Shouldn't they be perfect and clear to read for everyone? Regardless, you say that God should be your highest concern? If so, I view you as dangerous. Should you ignore family, friends, work, financial obligations, and everything else to please your god? Should you kill your son to please God [Abraham went through with the request, but he was stopped]? So, great, the sky-god tells you not to worship other gods. How selfish.

#2

Exodus 20:4 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.

Again, this commandment given by the jealous God has nothing to do with morality. What a waste of time.

#3

Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Another pointless commandment...don't say anything bad about your God! Oh no! The Lord will not hold you guiltless!

#4

20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it 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

So, spend all of your Sabbath time worshiping God...but don't do any work with your family or force your slaves, strangers, or animals do to work. Imagine if we *really* followed this and closed *all businesses,* did *no* work, and simply prayed all day...how much money and time would we be wasting? Not many people follow this. All of America ignores this one...even Christian businesses are open on Sundays. God wants you to worship him and do no work. How selfish! Most Christians ignore the doing work part and simply attend church (and most don't go to church). You're disobeying God, you know. That's okay, don't waste your time. ******While we're here.... 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. God says he made EVERYTHING in its present form in six days. This is a certain lie. We know evolution is true and that we don't need evoke God to explain how new lifeforms emerge and evolve. ***** #5-#9

20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

20:13 Thou shalt not kill.

20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

20:15 Thou shalt not steal.

20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Why do we need these lines from the supposed all-knowing creator of the universe? Sure, we should be nice to our parents, not kill others, not have sex with people we aren't married to because we respect their husband/wife and them, we shouldn't steal because it's against the law and we wouldn't want people to steal from us, and, finally, we shouldn't lie about others because we want to be nice people. Great. Awesome. Is anything really compelling here, though, that God needed to etch these in stone? What's really silly, though, about these is that we find huge contradictions in the Bible where God/Jesus wants us to break the commandments:

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1 Samuel 15:2-3 Thus saith the Lord of hosts ... go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare him not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Hosea 3:1 Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.

Exodus 2:35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:

12:36 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians. * #10 20:17 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.

So, it's wrong to simply *think* about liking what our neighbor owns? Notice the sexism here of "neighbor's wife"...the passage doesn't care about the women or note anything they may own, it's simply the neighbors wife...nor anything that is thy neighbour's. What's wrong with simply liking things? Why is this punishable? Why is this even here?

Sam Harris rebukes the commandments and sums it up perfectly in his book, Letter to a Christian Nation,

"Mahavira, the Jain patriarch, surpassed the morality of the Bible with a single sentance: "Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being. Imagine how different our world might be if the Bible contained this as its central precept. Christians have abused, oppressed, enslaved, insulted, tormented, tortured, and killed people in the name of God for centuries on the basis of a theologically defensible reading of the Bible.

I find nothing impressive about the ten commandments. What is more impressive is that in the Bible, God commands and instigates a huge deal of killing, lying, enslaving, and many other horrible things. I do a much better job creating ten commandments in my blog post and Youtube video located here with an effort that lasted less than fifteen minutes:

http://greenatheist.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-new-commandments.html

Here are some gems given directly from God...yup there were more than ten rules:

Look at the slavery commandments in Exodus 21 - God wants you to own slaves and gives you rules for them!

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/ex/21.html

21:1 Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.

21:2 If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. 21:5 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: 21:6 Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

If a man rapes a woman and her father does not give her up, you can simply give money to marry her. Women....why in the world do you praise this God and follow this book? Would you like this? Would you like if I "enticed" you, had sex with you, and forced you to be my wife via payment to your father? Of course you would not. This passage is nonsense. This should never be in the book of an all-loving god and people should not follow this nonsense.

22:16 And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.

22:17 If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins. This passage talks about what should happen if you mistreat strangers. God makes this very clear: 22:23 If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; 22:24 And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. So much for Catholics being pro-life....so much for "thou shalt not kill." I understand that this is not all of the Bible, but this is Exodus, the chapter which is revered for the almighty ten commandments. People want these outside of courthouses. We read the Bible and people think it is this great moral book that is perfect. Do you would your children reading this? Do you want *anyone* reading this who might believe any of it? Sure, the Bible is a great work of literature, but it's simply mythology...just like Greek, Roman, or Norse. The book is not accurate by any means, its authors are dubious, and it has been translated, added to, and has changed a great deal over 2000 years. How can you possibly believe anything from it?