The ten commandments are considered by many to be one of the greatest moral codes in existence. It is frequently used as an example in debates on morality between Christians and Atheists. Phrases like 'objective morality' and 'moral foundation' are sent flying towards the Atheist side by believers as they struggle to provide evidence for god. Indeed, many non-Christians affirm the morals of the commandments. So wherefore my accusation? Lets take a look.
The commandments are a set of rules. Rules mean little to anybody if they are not on authority, that is to say, rules need enforcing. I take this to be self evident. Rules not being enforced leads to rules being broken. In case this is not obvious to everybody, here is some evidence.
"As a young teenager in proudly peaceable Canada during the romantic 1960s, I was a true believer in Bakunin's anarchism. I laughed off my parents' argument that if the government ever laid down its arms all hell would break loose. Our competing predictions were put to the test at 8:00 A.M. on October 17, 1969, when the Montreal police went on strike. By 11:20 A.M. the first bank was robbed. By noon most downtown stores had closed because of looting. Within a few more hours, taxi drivers burned down the garage of a limousine service that competed with them for airport customers, a rooftop sniper killed a provincial police officer, rioters broke into several hotels and restaurants, and a doctor slew a burglar in his suburban home. By the end of the day, six banks had been robbed, a hundred shops had been looted, twelve fires had been set, forty carloads of storefront glass had been broken, and three million dollars in property damage had been inflicted, before city authorities had to call in the army and, of course, the Mounties to restore order."
From The Blank Slate, by Steven Pinker
So, without enforcement, rules are meaningless. Therefore no set of rules is complete without it's appropriate punishments and deterrents. One cannot accept the morality of the rules or rule maker without considering the full package. The following is taken from this site
http://www.landoverbaptist.net/showthread.php?t=16785
1st. Commandment, Exodus 20:3 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”. Genocide. Entire cities with men, women, children and animals must be killed. (Deuteronomy 2:33-34, Numbers 21:34-35, 1 Samuel 15:2-3, Joshua 6:21. Joshua 10:40) In some cases you can keep the girls alive for raping. (Numbers 31:15-18)
2nd. Commandment, Exodus 20:4 “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water below.” Genocide. Entire cities with men, women, children and animals must be killed. (See above.)
3rd. Commandment, Exodus 20:7 “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain”. Capital punishment (Leviticus 24:16, Deuteronomy 18:20, Mark 3:28-29)
4th. Commandment, Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”. Capital punishment (Exodus 31:14, Exodus 31:15, Exodus 35:2)
5th. Commandment, Exodus 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother”. Capital punishment (Exodus 21:15, Exodus 21:17, Leviticus 20:9)
6th. Commandment, Exodus 20:13 “Thou shalt not kill”. Capital punishment in some cases (For killing Cain, yes, for killing Abel, no: Genesis 4:15)
7th. Commandment, Exodus 20:14 “Thou shalt not commit adultery”. Capital punishment (Leviticus 20:10)
8th. Commandment, Exodus 20:15 "Thou shalt not steal." Excessive fines or slavery: (Exodus 22:1-3). Only in rare cases such as stealing slaves, capital punishment (Exodus 21:16). Thieves caught in the night are to be executed (Exodus 22:1-3)
9th. Commandment, Exodus 20:16 "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." Despisement and scorn (Proverbs 12:8)
10th. Commandment, Exodus 20:17 "Thou shalt not covet...". Despisement and scorn (Romans 7:7-8)
This is taken from a Christian(Baptist) website, and is applauded for being holy and godly and moral. I strongly recommend you read the thread, it will leave you incredulous, with comments like "I've just printed that off as a handy reference to keep in my Purse. Who needs Secular Laws when it's all so simple?" and "What you can observe and what the Almighty can observe are just a little different, no? Besides, even if the animals themselves don't follow any gods, it's well known that animals can be vectors for demons."
So I argue, who among us thinks it's ok to execute people for adultery, cursing one's parents, working on the sabbath, or taking gods name in vain, by ritual stoning? Launching volleys of rocks at people for these offences? Morality? Pah, much less the genocides and other atrocities permitted for having the sheer cheek to believe in some rival deity. The tenth commandment even outlaws thinking about wanting possessions that aren't your own. In the words of Orwell, Thoughtcrime! The ten commandments are truly the edict of a paranoid totalitarian leadership, based upon a non-existent celestial authority. These rules are not moral or moralising, they are in fact the opposite, completely immoral. They de-sensitise people to the rights of other human beings. Nobody has any right to correct anybody else's behaviour on the basis of this code unless they are willing to execute them for it too. That is truly an appalling state of affairs, and anyone who subscribes to that view should be locked up for a long time in a psychiatric ward, where they can get the help they need, because that my friends, is the moral thing to do.
The commandments are a set of rules. Rules mean little to anybody if they are not on authority, that is to say, rules need enforcing. I take this to be self evident. Rules not being enforced leads to rules being broken. In case this is not obvious to everybody, here is some evidence.
"As a young teenager in proudly peaceable Canada during the romantic 1960s, I was a true believer in Bakunin's anarchism. I laughed off my parents' argument that if the government ever laid down its arms all hell would break loose. Our competing predictions were put to the test at 8:00 A.M. on October 17, 1969, when the Montreal police went on strike. By 11:20 A.M. the first bank was robbed. By noon most downtown stores had closed because of looting. Within a few more hours, taxi drivers burned down the garage of a limousine service that competed with them for airport customers, a rooftop sniper killed a provincial police officer, rioters broke into several hotels and restaurants, and a doctor slew a burglar in his suburban home. By the end of the day, six banks had been robbed, a hundred shops had been looted, twelve fires had been set, forty carloads of storefront glass had been broken, and three million dollars in property damage had been inflicted, before city authorities had to call in the army and, of course, the Mounties to restore order."
From The Blank Slate, by Steven Pinker
So, without enforcement, rules are meaningless. Therefore no set of rules is complete without it's appropriate punishments and deterrents. One cannot accept the morality of the rules or rule maker without considering the full package. The following is taken from this site
http://www.landoverbaptist.net/showthread.php?t=16785
1st. Commandment, Exodus 20:3 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”. Genocide. Entire cities with men, women, children and animals must be killed. (Deuteronomy 2:33-34, Numbers 21:34-35, 1 Samuel 15:2-3, Joshua 6:21. Joshua 10:40) In some cases you can keep the girls alive for raping. (Numbers 31:15-18)
2nd. Commandment, Exodus 20:4 “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water below.” Genocide. Entire cities with men, women, children and animals must be killed. (See above.)
3rd. Commandment, Exodus 20:7 “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain”. Capital punishment (Leviticus 24:16, Deuteronomy 18:20, Mark 3:28-29)
4th. Commandment, Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”. Capital punishment (Exodus 31:14, Exodus 31:15, Exodus 35:2)
5th. Commandment, Exodus 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother”. Capital punishment (Exodus 21:15, Exodus 21:17, Leviticus 20:9)
6th. Commandment, Exodus 20:13 “Thou shalt not kill”. Capital punishment in some cases (For killing Cain, yes, for killing Abel, no: Genesis 4:15)
7th. Commandment, Exodus 20:14 “Thou shalt not commit adultery”. Capital punishment (Leviticus 20:10)
8th. Commandment, Exodus 20:15 "Thou shalt not steal." Excessive fines or slavery: (Exodus 22:1-3). Only in rare cases such as stealing slaves, capital punishment (Exodus 21:16). Thieves caught in the night are to be executed (Exodus 22:1-3)
9th. Commandment, Exodus 20:16 "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." Despisement and scorn (Proverbs 12:8)
10th. Commandment, Exodus 20:17 "Thou shalt not covet...". Despisement and scorn (Romans 7:7-8)
This is taken from a Christian(Baptist) website, and is applauded for being holy and godly and moral. I strongly recommend you read the thread, it will leave you incredulous, with comments like "I've just printed that off as a handy reference to keep in my Purse. Who needs Secular Laws when it's all so simple?" and "What you can observe and what the Almighty can observe are just a little different, no? Besides, even if the animals themselves don't follow any gods, it's well known that animals can be vectors for demons."
So I argue, who among us thinks it's ok to execute people for adultery, cursing one's parents, working on the sabbath, or taking gods name in vain, by ritual stoning? Launching volleys of rocks at people for these offences? Morality? Pah, much less the genocides and other atrocities permitted for having the sheer cheek to believe in some rival deity. The tenth commandment even outlaws thinking about wanting possessions that aren't your own. In the words of Orwell, Thoughtcrime! The ten commandments are truly the edict of a paranoid totalitarian leadership, based upon a non-existent celestial authority. These rules are not moral or moralising, they are in fact the opposite, completely immoral. They de-sensitise people to the rights of other human beings. Nobody has any right to correct anybody else's behaviour on the basis of this code unless they are willing to execute them for it too. That is truly an appalling state of affairs, and anyone who subscribes to that view should be locked up for a long time in a psychiatric ward, where they can get the help they need, because that my friends, is the moral thing to do.
![[Image: bloodyheretic.png]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=img849.imageshack.us%2Fimg849%2F8673%2Fbloodyheretic.png)
"Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds."
Einstein
When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down happy. They told me I didn't understand the assignment. I told them they didn't understand life.
- John Lennon
