The Quality of the Ten Commandments
2006-12-31 16:24 - Religion
The ten commandments are something that most any American is familiar with, not to mention most of the rest of the world. They are generally regarded as good. I agree. Mostly.
(Below, I refer to the numbers from the "Catholic" column as in the link given. They're the version I was brought up with and am familiar with.)
I'm fine with four through eight. They make clear sense. Don't kill or steal, don't lie, respect your parents. All good ideas. But what about nine and ten. What does "don't covet" mean? Am I actually supposed to brainwash myself into not desiring material things? It's a perfectly natural thing to desire material goods, and equally natural to desire those that you happen to see (your neighbor's). It's perfectly fine to want them. It's just not OK to take them. That's what number seven is for, and it makes eight and nine pointless.
Then, there's one through three. They're little more than propaganda. They serve no practical purpose. They are not "good" on their own, like four through eight are.
Of course, I'm not the first to have ideas like these. I just wanted to write them down.
2007-05-30 20:01 - killdeer
The accual Commandment is " thou shall not covet thy neighbour's wife". Everyone has a disire to want material goods, but a person is not a good. A person is a person. that is why the Commandment is in it's place