The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments are well known:
- I am the Lord thy God
- Thou shalt have no other gods before me
- Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol
- Thou shalt not make wrongful use of the name of thy God
- Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
- Honour thy Mother and Father
- Thou shalt not murder
- Thou shalt not commit adultery
- Thou shalt not steal
- Thou shalt not bear false witness
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house
Whereas most people probably would think of most of these as fairly sensible rules, they are definitely not always in line with the unwritten moral rules in our society. The first six are definitely not seen as very important, and there are some exceptions to the last six; for instance, euthanasia is defended by many people, and swinger-clubs are widely seen as a personal choice, not a mortal sin.
On the other hand, there are many rules that people in Western countries actually try to adhere to (or feel bad if they don’t), although they’re not on the old list. For instance:
- Thou shalt not break an agreement
- Thou shalt not do anything to somebody else they do not want thee to do
- Thou shalt not have sex with a child
- Thou shalt carry thy share and be responsible
There are probably many more like this. Can anybody here think of any?