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The Ten Commandments For Atheists Too.
115 Answers
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Dennis Prager claims the Ten Commandments are necessary as the basis for moral authority.
I agree with him.
Do you?
Dennis Prager claims the Ten Commandments are necessary as the basis for moral authority.
I agree with him.
Do you?
Answers
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You shall have no other Gods but me- not necessary.
You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it-not necessary.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God- not everyone has a God, so not necessary.
You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy- again only important to the religious.
Respect your father and mother- yes that's good and encompass the whole of humanity whilst you are at it.
You must not commit murder- yes very valid point.
You must not commit adultery-not everyone believes in monogamy so will not be relevant to everyone, but if you promise yourself to one person you should indeed stick to it.
You must not steal, yes on the whole good.
You must not give false evidence against your neighbour, yes don't tell lies and spread gossip.
You must not be envious of your neighbour's goods. You shall not be envious of his house nor his wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbour. Yeah learn to be happy for who you are and don't mind other people or their business.
5/10 have some bearing , some more importantly than other, but for the most part the 10 commandments are just common sense for a quiet life and don't require religion to instruct you to do anyway, most agnostics and atheists live thus as well.
You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it-not necessary.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God- not everyone has a God, so not necessary.
You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy- again only important to the religious.
Respect your father and mother- yes that's good and encompass the whole of humanity whilst you are at it.
You must not commit murder- yes very valid point.
You must not commit adultery-not everyone believes in monogamy so will not be relevant to everyone, but if you promise yourself to one person you should indeed stick to it.
You must not steal, yes on the whole good.
You must not give false evidence against your neighbour, yes don't tell lies and spread gossip.
You must not be envious of your neighbour's goods. You shall not be envious of his house nor his wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbour. Yeah learn to be happy for who you are and don't mind other people or their business.
5/10 have some bearing , some more importantly than other, but for the most part the 10 commandments are just common sense for a quiet life and don't require religion to instruct you to do anyway, most agnostics and atheists live thus as well.
I like Rabbi Hillel's version better
"For instance, much has been made of the talmud ic story (Shabbat 31a) in which Hillel, when asked by a prospective convert to Judaism to teach him the whole Torah while he stood on one leg, replied: “That which is hateful unto you do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole of the Torah, The rest is commentary. Go forth and study.”
"For instance, much has been made of the talmud ic story (Shabbat 31a) in which Hillel, when asked by a prospective convert to Judaism to teach him the whole Torah while he stood on one leg, replied: “That which is hateful unto you do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole of the Torah, The rest is commentary. Go forth and study.”
The New Decalogue, By Ambrose Bierce
Have but one God: thy knees were sore
If bent in prayer to three or four.
Adore no images save those
The coinage of thy country shows.
Take not the Name in vain. Direct
Thy swearing unto some effect.
Thy hand from Sunday work be held—
Work not at all unless compelled.
Honor thy parents, and perchance
Their wills thy fortunes may advance.
Kill not—death liberates thy foe
From persecution’s constant woe.
Kiss not thy neighbor’s wife. Of course
There’s no objection to divorce.
To steal were folly, for ’tis plain
In cheating there is greater gain.
Bear not false witness. Shake your head
And say that you have “heard it said.”
Who stays to covet ne’er will catch
An opportunity to snatch.
Have but one God: thy knees were sore
If bent in prayer to three or four.
Adore no images save those
The coinage of thy country shows.
Take not the Name in vain. Direct
Thy swearing unto some effect.
Thy hand from Sunday work be held—
Work not at all unless compelled.
Honor thy parents, and perchance
Their wills thy fortunes may advance.
Kill not—death liberates thy foe
From persecution’s constant woe.
Kiss not thy neighbor’s wife. Of course
There’s no objection to divorce.
To steal were folly, for ’tis plain
In cheating there is greater gain.
Bear not false witness. Shake your head
And say that you have “heard it said.”
Who stays to covet ne’er will catch
An opportunity to snatch.
"If I believe stealing is preferable to working? By what authority a can I be convinced it is wrong?"
By the authority vested in your victim ripping off your arms and hitting you around your head with the soggy ends.
Simple basis for much of morality, if you'd not like something done to you, it's probably something you ought not be doing to others. Exceptions can be considered later.
By the authority vested in your victim ripping off your arms and hitting you around your head with the soggy ends.
Simple basis for much of morality, if you'd not like something done to you, it's probably something you ought not be doing to others. Exceptions can be considered later.
No. They're either irrelevant or bleedin' obvious - (don't kill people, it's not nice).
We really shouldn't need to invent a magical all powerful father figure to act as a reference point for our moral compass. We should be grown up enough to know what's right and wrong and make our own rules accordingly.
We really shouldn't need to invent a magical all powerful father figure to act as a reference point for our moral compass. We should be grown up enough to know what's right and wrong and make our own rules accordingly.
religiously, 2 is directed against fetishists, those who believe a carving or other image of someone llike Baal is holy in itself, rather than just a representation. This is why people who pray before crucifixes are always told it's to remember Christ's suffering: the crucifix itself is not a god.
I'd add the social element to kvalidir's comments. It's not good to work seven days a week. Adultery is also socially disruptive - it causes dissension between families (and confusion between families too, if you're not sure whose a child is). So is spreading lies.
Most of these aren't religious at all, they're aimed at keep a beleaguered small tribe together in harmony. Of course, the very list of bans is an indication of what the Israelites were really doing.
I'd add the social element to kvalidir's comments. It's not good to work seven days a week. Adultery is also socially disruptive - it causes dissension between families (and confusion between families too, if you're not sure whose a child is). So is spreading lies.
Most of these aren't religious at all, they're aimed at keep a beleaguered small tribe together in harmony. Of course, the very list of bans is an indication of what the Israelites were really doing.
Hyperthetically, I prefer stealing and cheating to working. I see this as OK for me, survival of the fittest.
The people around me are like the wildebeest, and I am the predator.
I am comfortable with this.
Some people say what I do is wrong, but I ask, "Who said so? Convince me it is wrong because it feels right to me."
The people around me are like the wildebeest, and I am the predator.
I am comfortable with this.
Some people say what I do is wrong, but I ask, "Who said so? Convince me it is wrong because it feels right to me."
// Some people say what I do is wrong, but I ask, "Who said so? Convince me it is wrong because it feels right to me." //
The majority of people feel differently to you. We have put in place laws to protect ourselves from self confessed predators like yourself who view others as prey. We do not feel that we have to convince you of anything, other than the fact that we'll take action against you, should you do anything to break those laws.
The majority of people feel differently to you. We have put in place laws to protect ourselves from self confessed predators like yourself who view others as prey. We do not feel that we have to convince you of anything, other than the fact that we'll take action against you, should you do anything to break those laws.
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