What are the 10 commandments really all about?

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Michael Wooldridge's picture
What are the 10 commandments really all about?

Let’s face it, it’s ALL self-aggrandising bullshit isn’t it?

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chimp3's picture
Self? No god, no self

Self? No god, no self aggrandizement. Just a load of bullshit by priests.

Pitar's picture
A pantload. George Carlin's

A pantload. George Carlin's treatment of them is priceless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE8ooMBIyC8

algebe's picture
@Michael: "What are the 10

@Michael: "What are the 10 commandments really all about?"

Every religion needs impossible laws that everyone breaks. Breaking those rules turns everyone into sinners and creates an unhealthy climate of guilt, fear, and judgmental hatred. Priestly parasites flourish like mold in that environment and use it to seize power, control, and money. It's a blueprint for tyranny.

Burn Your Bible's picture
this is the biggest problem

this is the biggest problem with religious people,
They cherry pick the shit out of their own precious holy book. The Ten Commandments are found in exodus, (we can debate what the actual Ten Commandments are later) and in exodus it says multiple times that you are to give your firstborn male to god... now how many Christian's do you know sacrifice their first borns???

The Ten Commandments are bullshit, the Bible is bullshit, and everyone who believes this fairytale are full of shit!

jonthecatholic's picture
From this comment alone, I

From this comment alone, I can say very confidently that you have no idea how to read the Bible.

You know how to read. and you've read the Bible but you don't know how to read the Bible.You're reading the text while ignoring context. You're assuming that just because it's in the Bible, it can be done. That's really not the case. At all.

Pitar's picture
The bible is a sham. The

The bible is a sham. The defenders of it easily deflect attacks on it with claims of incorrect interpretation. What this is telling of evidences at many levels how much of a sham it really is. The basest point is that there is no archeological evidence that even hints at the existence of any of the events and players in the bible along the timeline it chronicles. Nothing. Moreover, it's self-contradictory, conflicting and even after its many re-writes one would think that the entire work would, by now, have been corrected and rendered into an unimpeachable "word of god". But, no, it remains the same collection of contributions that even a simpleton can see raises questions about authenticity as a believable message from a god.

There is no proper way to read the bible. Claiming there is a proper way tells everyone who reads it the message it imparts to them may be the workings of their imaginations only and not the intended message. That pretty much invalidates the bible as a tome for all people to ascribe to a god. And, "I can say very confidently" surmises that there is but one way to read the bible, or one best way to read it, or but one doctrine's way of reading it, or but one culture's way of reading it, or but...what? How does one properly read the bible? And, "...you have no idea how to read the Bible." implies there certainly is a proper (claimed) way further reducing the bible as a word from a god.

Or, theist elitism in competing doctrines produces dogmas that are both aligned and divisive on the biblical message.

It's all a self-serving, self-aggrandizing posturing of theists who ascribed to themselves the grace of a god they created for themselves as a self-worshiping vehicle, and then wrote the bible to poorly and errantly chronicle it. When challenged by disbelievers accusing them of creating and worshiping their god, they meet the challenge by quoting bible verse as factual evidence. This is pure fantasy that doesn't even entertain the minutest support of logic, nor can it be sympathized with in the historicity of mankind.

safarriii13's picture
After thoroughly reviewing

After thoroughly reviewing the ten commandments and making sense of God's laws, one can see that the purpose of these commandments are not to bring self-glory to a "needy", "narcissist", who has "insecurity issues". The first thing I disagree with about this post is the association of these words to God. If God is the creator of this world, the being who created every good thing in heaven and on earth, which I believe he is, then he cannot be "needy". God existed before all of us and he is the controller and maker of all the universe. He lacks nothing and there is nothing that any of us, humans that he created, can give him that he does not already have. Next, a narcissist, "a person who has an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves". That has no place in the description of God and his character. If he has interest in himself only, then why would he create man and female and then give them free will to decide how they want to live? Why wouldn't he just make us all robots, designed to worship him? I think its because he wanted our love for him to be genuine. Another example, if he cares only for himself, why would he give his son, Jesus Christ, as a ransom for the sins of all the world? Why would he decide to take the form of a man, walk on earth, and be the reason why all people have an opportunity to be forgiven of their sins and have eternal life? God cannot be self-seeking because everything he has ever done is for the good of those he has created. And finally, God cannot have "insecurity issues". This ties together with God being the most powerful being in all of the universe. He is not insecure because he is God.

Now that I have cleared that up, the question remains what is the purpose of the 10 commandments? I see it as God showing us how to live a better life here on earth and how we can please him forever. In the bible it says, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3). None of these commands should be difficult for those who love God and want to do right by him. The picture posted to this thread named the first few commandments, somewhat accurately, but neglected to show that not all of them concern directly to God. How about the fifth one, 'Honor your father and your mother', or the ninth one, 'Don't lie', or the tenth one, 'Don't covet or be jealous of what is not yours". I don't see these as unreasonable or ridiculous; it makes sense. And so does the first one, 'You shall not have other gods before me'. You can look at this as strict or narcissistic but you can also look at this with respect. It's like deserving credit for good work that you do. God has made us and everything else, if we chose to worship or believe in other gods, then that's disrespectful to the one, and only God.

I'm sorry that this message has turned out so long but for all those who have read it until this point, thank you for hearing me out. I hope that someone will see now that these commandments were inspired by a loving, all-knowing, all-powerful God who only wants the best for his children.

Mohammad Ali's picture
Your god forgot to mention

Your god forgot to mention rape.Did he intentionally leave it out or did it just slip his mind?

Flamenca's picture
Right @Mohammad. And "You

Right @Mohammad Ali. And "You shall not molest children" as moral basis in the Ten Commandments would have probably been very appreciated by hundreds of thousands of innocent victims around the world...

I still can't figure out how the abrahamic god could forget that Commandment... It seems like vainglory of himself was far more important than that little detail of raping kids.

algebe's picture
@safarriii13: "If God is the

@safarriii13: "If God is the creator of this world"

That's a big "if".

mykcob4's picture
Ah, the ten demendments. Well

Ah, the ten demendments. Well, the REAL reason for the ten demandments is for crackpot politicians to have them carved in stone and have them unconstitutionally placed in courthouses so they can unconstitutionally establish christianity!

algebe's picture
Coveting is a very human

Coveting is a very human thing to do. We see something good and inevitably we want to have it. But the act of wanting--not taking but just wanting--is a sin under these vicious rules. So I guess No. 10 was tacked on as a catch-all to make sure everyone was guilty of something. Coveting is a thought crime, and nobody can control their thoughts.

Sirkenstien's picture
I disagree. We can control

I disagree. We can control our thoughts. But only when we engage the prefrontal cortex. Thoughts become rutted neural highways. Especially when they are triggered by outside stimuli. They can be torn down and new ones can be built with effort and practice. That is what truly builds an enlightened mind. Not some phony religion. Although religion does in way do the same thing. The downfall of it is as you said....it's built in guilt trip.

algebe's picture
@Sirk: "We can control our

@Sirk: "We can control our thoughts."

Maybe with years of training in meditation or Vulcan logic, etc. But even Saint Jimmy Carter confessed to committing adultery in his mind when he saw an attractive woman.

Don't think about a giraffe.

Sirkenstien's picture
Haha! Ya I know. I see pretty

Haha! Ya I know. I see pretty women all the time admire them. I'm committed to the one I have tho. Plus. at this stage of the game, I know that most of the hot ones are just plain nuts and the downside outweighs the upside by a wide margin.

Sirkenstien's picture
In regards to controlling our

In regards to controlling our thoughts. Thinking of a giraffe is a neutral thought. Where it matters is how we dialogue with ourselves. How we define ourselves is how we act. The mind is a garden and we are its master gardeners. If your garden isn't intelligently cultivated it goes to weeds.

fjvose16's picture
Hebrews 1:2, The Lord Jesus

Hebrews 1:2, The Lord Jesus is heir of all things, who created the universe. The Lord walked on the earth as a mortal man and was tortured, humiliated, and crucified in order that all humanity may have eternal life if they so choose to accept the Lord as our savior. 1Chronicles 16:25, For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.

algebe's picture
@He Suffered: "Hebrews 1:2,

@He Suffered: "Hebrews 1:2, The Lord Jesus is heir of all things, who created the universe....."

Thank you for those quotes. But what do you think? Do you think?

mykcob4's picture
@he suffered

@he suffered
Oh bull-fucking-shit! Prove it. Don't proselytize! We probably know the bible better than you.

Burn Your Bible's picture
“The best of the firstfruits

“The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk."”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭34:26‬ ‭ESV‬‬
http://bible.com/59/exo.34.26.esv
Thank god he said this because this was first on my list !!!! I'm so happy god touched on all things important!

Sheldon's picture
It's about archaic

It's about archaic superstitions trying to lend gravitas to their rules by making bald assertions that they are demands from a God, when they quite demonstrably are man made, and contain nothing that can't be found in pretty much any human society from any epoch, all of which saw the value in societal cohesion of moratoriums on murder, theft, lying and infidelity, centuries before humans created Judaism or Christianity or it's latest schism cult, Islam.

bigbill's picture
The ten commandments as

The ten commandments as stated in exodus chapter 20 and scroll downward are laws given by God the first six are how men should behave toward God and the other four are how man should act and behave toward man, God established these commandments to guide mankind to fruitful living much like Jesus beatitudes God expects us to have no other Gods and worship him alone, Also to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.Also to not kill your fellow man or rape or steal or covet one another He enjoys when we abide by his set of commands and loves to fellowship with us on a daily basics.

Sheldon's picture
"The ten commandments as

"The ten commandments as stated in exodus chapter 20 and scroll downward are laws given by God "

If you scroll on to Chapter 21 you'll find a collection of verses endorsing slavery, how to buy and own other human beings, how to pass them on to your children as property, how you can beat them to death as long as they don't die within 48 hours. Are these moral in your opinion? Or are you content to make bald assertion these rules are demanded by a deity, whilst you cherry pick the ones you like?

Sheldon's picture
"The ten commandments as

"The ten commandments as stated in exodus chapter 20 and scroll downward are laws given by God"
>>Evidence please?

"God established these commandments to guide mankind to fruitful living"

>>Untrue, other than the ones demanding the saccharine worship of his pets, they are evident in many human societies from virtually any epoch, all of which saw the value in societal cohesion of moratoriums on murder, theft, lying and infidelity, centuries before humans created Judaism or Christianity or it's latest schism cult, Islam.

"God expects us to have no other Gods and worship him alone,"

>>There are other Gods?

"Also to not kill your fellow man or rape or steal or covet one another"

>>There is no mention of rape in the ten commandment, nor any thing to prohibit paedophilia.

"He enjoys when we abide by his set of commands and loves to fellowship with us on a daily basics."

>>Can you demonstrate evidence please...else Hitchens's razor applies?

bigbill's picture
A person cannot go wrong

A person cannot go wrong following, obeying the 10 commandments of the jehovah God of Israel. About rape why then do we have penal laws against it in society? Why do you see no harm in raping someone male or female against there will? How can you explain this if you do? As for people following other gods, well that`s why God jehovah commanded these because he knew that there was other gods when the commands were written down by god on mount Sinai. He saw the canaanites the Jebusites hittites and so living in the land and the people there were following other Gods. He set out a standard to live peacefully by and fruitful. The bible says clearly especially in the Psalms that the Jehovah God of Israel enjoys when we obey his commands, also it says throughout old and new testaments how the lord god comes among and abides with his people.

Burn Your Bible's picture
Yes he does enjoy when we

Yes he does enjoy when we follow his commands especially when he commands us to kill everyone except for virgin girls... your god is an immoral thug, holding eternal torcher over our heads if we do not follow his immoral ways! Your 10 commandments as well as the 603 other laws were thrown to the floor and destroyed and god made a new set. So go back and actually read your bible! Why don't you speak on sheldons statement about slavery in the Bible??? Or let's talk about how god commands the murder of fellow humans!!! Your preaching will get you nowhere on this site because most atheists have actually read your bible and find it disgusting and immoral!

Sheldon's picture
"About rape why then do we

"About rape why then do we have penal laws against it in society?"
>>Because it is a pernicious act that victimises people. Why didn't your deity specifically denounce it in his ten commandments? Or paedophilia for that matter?

"Why do you see no harm in raping someone male or female against there will? "
>>I do see harm in it, why would you lie like that? As I said it is a pernicious act that causes emotional and physical harm to the victim.

"How can you explain this if you do? "
>>Explain what if I do what?

"As for people following other gods, well that`s why God jehovah commanded these because he knew that there was other gods"
>>So there are multiple deities? What evidence can you demonstrate that these deities and your own exist? Also why should anyone follow yours if there are others?

"He set out a standard to live peacefully by and fruitful."
>>Why then does he commit genocide, encourage ethnic cleansing of other tribes, endorse slavery, condemn people for being gay, encourage rape, and sex trafficking women and girls who are virgins? None of that sounds like living peacefully to me.

"The bible says clearly especially in the Psalms that the Jehovah God of Israel enjoys when we obey his commands,"
>>So what it makes demonstrably erroneous and immoral claims, so why should I care what it says when you can demonstrate no evidence to support your claims, or that any deity exists?

Chica__2009's picture
Hi. So, I assume you're an

Hi. So, I assume you're an atheist and I don't know if you genuinely want an actual answer to your question but here goes. This comes from what I believe and had been taught concerning the bible and the ten commandments.

The first sin of men was when Adam and Eve ate the apple from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. This tree represents the law or the ten commandments. In other words, the list of rules on the slabs that God gave to Moses is the knowledge of Good and Evil. The law itself is good/holy etc. but the thing is, we were never meant to eat the apple or try and obey the law. The law is actually something that Satan uses against people because he knows that we could never live up to these standards.

Muslims try to. A lot of people claim they do. But they don't because they can't without Jesus. Jesus "who knew no sin, became sin" and fulfilled the law, making the law obsolete. Instead of looking to the law and feeling condemned, guilty etc. Christians look to the fruits of the spirit because "there are no laws against these".
That is, in a nutshell, what the Ten Commandments are about.. You may have also heard about Christians having the "easy life" or something like that. This is about the jews having a heavy burden which was trying to live up to the ten commandments and the impossible rules of the self-righteous leaders. Jesus gave them (and us) a light burden because of the cross and now people can look to Jesus instead of their sins and imperfections.

I hope this wasn't too long to read. haha.

Sirkenstien's picture
The ten commandments are a

The ten commandments are a grossly incomplete list of morals and on top of that are filled to the brim with a giant manipulative guilt trip.

adamusa's picture
Everyone has what's right for

Everyone has what's right for them, so you can't force everyone to follow your rules. https://wordlewordle.co

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