1- No gods before me
2- No graven images
3- Dont take the lords name in vain
4- Keep the sabbath
5- Honor your father and mother
6- Dont kill
7- Dont commit adultery
8- Dont steal
9- Dont bear false witness against a neighbor
10- Dont covet
It has always struck me a little odd that the top four commandments are all about how god wants to be viewed, spoken about and treated as the one true god.
No gods before me? I understand that a jealous god would demand unwavering dedication to it. Exodus 34:14 Was god so afraid of his followers being promiscuous with some other god? Well, I guess he should be, look what happened when god was preoccupied making the tablets for Moses, the people went crazy and made golden calf and worshiped it. My question is, if god is all powerful, how did he miss these events going on? God does seem to be jealous, but also vindictive. Give people just enough proverbial rope to hang themselves and then run down the mountain, smash the commandments and slaughter 3,000 of his people as an example? Jealous god indeed!
No graven images. If you have ever been in a synagogue, you will notice there are no depictions of god, no images, nothing. Go to just about any christian church what do you see? lots of images, paintings, murals, statues, etc. Aren't these explicitly forbidden? For me personally I am creeped out by the image of some poor soul hanging off a cross.Many christians believe idolatry is just about the golden calf and worshiping false gods. But that is not the case. The word idoltry is the problem I believe, and this heads off to the ignorance many christians have of the bible. But that is for another posting.
Taking the lords name in vain. I believe it is not in reference to exclaiming "god damn it" or as some believe saying the word god. I think it refers to not making a statement in gods name. for instance saying that god demands this, when it is not written any where. You are in essence putting words into gods mouth, and god doesn't like that.
Keep the sabbath. Despite what christians believe, according to biblical belief, the sabbath is Saturday not Sunday. And aside from some hassidic jews I cant think of anyone who actually follow this commandment. Keeping the sabbath means, no work at all, no work for people and animals. According the bible work is something as mundane as collecting firewood. So typing on a computer, opening a refridgerator door or even the door to a house, driving a car, taking the dog for a walk, all forbidden!
Honor your father and mother. Didn't Jesus tell his followers to turn against their father and mother. It was in reference to the beginning of the end, kind of. Its not very specific, at least what I could find. But no, Jesus did not mean to turn against your parents.
Dont kill. This is one that has lead to lots of arguements. According the jewish law, it means don't kill another jew. Sometimes the word murder is used, which has a whole other set of meanings. Murder is wrong, killing can be justified according to the bible. I might need to come back to this one.
Don't commit adultery. According to the bible (OT), this is not as simple as it may seem. Since men were able to have more than one wife, to accuse a man of adultery was not so easy. Adultery was a capital offense, meaning you could be put to death for it. But since a man could have more than one wife, if he was caught having relations with a woman who was not his wife, he avoid death by making her his wife, unless the womans father forbade it. But for a woman it was worse. If she was caught with a man who was not her husband, with at least two witnesses, she would be put to death. If the woman was raped and did not cry out for help, she would be put to death. If she cried out it would signify it was not consensual. It goes on, but basically, sex outside of marriage is forbidden.
Don't steal. This has some interesting basis in another interpretation. I have been reading that it is not simply taking what is not yours, but refers to slavery and kidnapping. The word steal was misinterpreted, which is not surprising. But it refers to kidnapping or enslaving people. But in the OT there was lots of slavery, lots of stealing of women, so what gives? It goes back to the don't kill commandment. It means don't steal a fellow jews slaves, don't kidnap a fellow jew. Kind of brings this one into a new light.
Don't bear false witness against a neighbor. This is really a legal term in the bible. It literally means giving false testimony in court. That simple.
Coveting. This is really the commandment dealing with stealing, not the previous. It began in the OT as dealing with treasure of destroyed cities that god commanded be utterly destroyed. All the gold and silver in the cities was to be destroyed and not brought back. Coveting leads to lust, and lust leads to all sorts of ill behavior.
So how many of these commandments are actually followed?
I hope to show that the alleged "War of christianity" in the US is simply a manufactured non-issue designed for a political purpose. The legend of truth Fox News is the main broadcast advocate of this ideology. But it is all over the country, in churches, web sites, groups, all over. But it has lead to some scary off shoots, like Dominionism, the radical pro-life movement and all sorts of other sketchy beliefs.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Ten Commandments
Labels:
adultery,
christianity,
covet,
god,
graven images,
kill,
lord,
sabbath,
ten commandments,
truth
Location:
Reading, PA, USA
Purpose (hoped for purpose)
Is there christian persecution in the Untied States of America?
That is a question that is asked frequently, but seldomly directly. In the US there is something called the separation of church and state. Depending on who you talk to, this could mean many things depending on your agenda or purpose. Historically it is meant to keep government out of religion and vice versa. The United States is the most religious of any Western nation in the world, not because we are a "christian nation", but because the people have the freedom to worship how they choose.
At the time of the writing of the US Constitution, what would become the Untied States, the vast majority of the population was protestant. They left Europe, in part, because of catholic prosecution. So when the time came to write what would become the basis of the government of the United States, they added the separation of church and state. Its intent was to keep the government from intruding on the religious freedoms of the people. But it was also intended to prevent the intrusion of religion into government. In effect to prevent a state sponsored religion.
The Founding Fathers were children of the Enlightenment. They were raised in christian nations, by christian families, because that is how life was at the time. I was raised by a christian family and taught christian beliefs, but that does not and should not qualify me as a christian. The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution as a secular, or non religious foundation for the new nation. There have been many who attempt to claim that Jefferson, Adams, and others were christians. Jefferson was not a christian as it is viewed today. You simply have to read the Jefferson Bible to understand that. An author by the name of David Barton has written and spoken frequently about Jefferson being a christian. He has been promoted by christians and news outlets all over the US for years. Yet in July, I believe, of 2012 the publisher of his book "The Jefferson Lies" the book for inaccuracies. David Barton is hailed by many fundamentalist christian as being the truth.
-Newt Gingrich said Bartons work was "most useful" and "wonderful"
-In 2004 George Bush campaign hired him to do out reach to clergy. 1
-And Glenn Beck, more on him in a bit, said Barton is “the most important man in America right now.”
-Mike Huckabee stating "every young person in America would be under his tutelage, and understand who we really are as a nation. I wish there would almost be a simultaneous telecast, and all Americans would be forced, forced at gun point no less, to listen to every David Barton message..." LINK
It was announced that Glenn Beck, another one of the pillars of truth from Fox News, will be publishing the discredited Jefferson Lies himself!
This does not sound like persecution to me!
The Untied States of America IS NOT a christian nation. Because the majority of the population is christian does NOT make the government christian. The threat to the Constitution is from those very fundementalists who do not understand history, who do not understand the true intent of the Founding Fathers, and willfully seek the destruction of the United States.
Beware of Dominionism
That is a question that is asked frequently, but seldomly directly. In the US there is something called the separation of church and state. Depending on who you talk to, this could mean many things depending on your agenda or purpose. Historically it is meant to keep government out of religion and vice versa. The United States is the most religious of any Western nation in the world, not because we are a "christian nation", but because the people have the freedom to worship how they choose.
At the time of the writing of the US Constitution, what would become the Untied States, the vast majority of the population was protestant. They left Europe, in part, because of catholic prosecution. So when the time came to write what would become the basis of the government of the United States, they added the separation of church and state. Its intent was to keep the government from intruding on the religious freedoms of the people. But it was also intended to prevent the intrusion of religion into government. In effect to prevent a state sponsored religion.
The Founding Fathers were children of the Enlightenment. They were raised in christian nations, by christian families, because that is how life was at the time. I was raised by a christian family and taught christian beliefs, but that does not and should not qualify me as a christian. The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution as a secular, or non religious foundation for the new nation. There have been many who attempt to claim that Jefferson, Adams, and others were christians. Jefferson was not a christian as it is viewed today. You simply have to read the Jefferson Bible to understand that. An author by the name of David Barton has written and spoken frequently about Jefferson being a christian. He has been promoted by christians and news outlets all over the US for years. Yet in July, I believe, of 2012 the publisher of his book "The Jefferson Lies" the book for inaccuracies. David Barton is hailed by many fundamentalist christian as being the truth.
-Newt Gingrich said Bartons work was "most useful" and "wonderful"
-In 2004 George Bush campaign hired him to do out reach to clergy. 1
-And Glenn Beck, more on him in a bit, said Barton is “the most important man in America right now.”
-Mike Huckabee stating "every young person in America would be under his tutelage, and understand who we really are as a nation. I wish there would almost be a simultaneous telecast, and all Americans would be forced, forced at gun point no less, to listen to every David Barton message..." LINK
It was announced that Glenn Beck, another one of the pillars of truth from Fox News, will be publishing the discredited Jefferson Lies himself!
This does not sound like persecution to me!
The Untied States of America IS NOT a christian nation. Because the majority of the population is christian does NOT make the government christian. The threat to the Constitution is from those very fundementalists who do not understand history, who do not understand the true intent of the Founding Fathers, and willfully seek the destruction of the United States.
Beware of Dominionism
Labels:
christian persecution,
David Barton,
Dominionism,
Founding Fathers,
Fundamentalist,
George Bush,
Glenn Beck,
lies,
Mike Huckabee,
separation of church and state,
Thomas Jefferson,
truth,
US Constitution
Location:
Reading, PA, USA
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