I just received the grade for my most recent essay in the current class I am taking. I am elated and must must must share it with you. I am poisting this on my blog because I am SO proud that I received a PERFECT SCORE. 10 out of 10. Damn, I know the Ten Commandments and try to refute my analysis. The assignment was take three of the Ten Commandments and explore why in Christianity and Judaism these Commandments might be broken.


And now without further Adieu my Essay: (Yes, you can smile now and know that I am a good Christian woman who believes in Judaism too because Christianity derives from Judaism) Go ahead, clap and be proud to know me. :)

Commandments

The basic moral code of Judaism and Christianity is the compliance with the Ten Commandments. Many hold these commandments near to their hearts and make every attempt to comply with them and consider themselves as sinners and unworthy of God’s love if they falter in the slightest. Yet, many falter and when they falter, they falter big.

Truly, when considering the Ten Commandments in all of their glory as presented by Moses on Mt. Sinai, I truly believe these are to act as a guideline to a morally irreprehensible way of living. Imagine the perfect world if, in fact, people followed the Ten Commandments. Though the commandments seem explicit, there are explanations to reasons why commandments are easily broken.

For instance, if the commandment of thou shall not murder were abided by as intended, all of our world’s prisons would be overpopulated with murderers of all kinds. Instead, we choose the appropriateness of our sin against the commandments. If I were attacked in the street, I am not sure that I would not fight to the death.

I tend to agree with Fred Hutchinson who states, “The Ten Commandments is a condensation of the universal moral law, which is perfect, changeless, and eternal. This is an ontological concept, a concept concerning what exists and has being.” (Hutchinson, 2005). The rules and regulations for righteous living are truly a guide for all of society throughout the centuries past since the origin of these commandments.

These commandments albeit righteous and holy are easily broken every day. It amazes me that we in America, can espouse, in God we trust on all of our currency; and in doing so, we take his name in vain and do not allow prayer in school. To me this begs the question of whether or not Americans actually trust God and truly lead a righteous path.

Another commandment that brings ideas to mind is thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s house, wife, or his manservant, maidservant, his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. This is the American Dream to have everything that is afforded to us as Americans. People flock to America to live the dream and break this commandment every day when they say they came to America for a better life. In essence, they coveted their neighbor’s belongings because they yearned to be free. In turn, as Christians or Jews, they broke the commandment.

Yet, this is the way of modern society, it is okay to want for things and forget about the origins of societal laws that tend to mirror in some fashion the Ten Commandments. I believe honoring thy mother and thy father is essential to life. I do not believe it meant bowing down and kissing the feet of your parents for everything, they have done for you. The entire biblical reference states to “honor thy mother and thy father so that you may live long in the land of the Lord your God is giving you”. (BibleGateway.com, 2008).

My interpretation is that honoring your mother and your father to live long in the land is to honor them by being a true daughter or son; bearing children and giving these children the name of their grandparents. This is my literal interpretation. As a mother, I would like my children to honor me by living their lives to the fullest, following all of the rules of society, become principled and self-sufficient individuals and seek happiness from within their own hearts. This is how they can honor me. I believe that they will take care of me when I am old, gray, and decrepit.

The commandment of honor thy mother and father also raises questions about children of God honoring a parent who sexually molests, tortures, neglects, or abandons them. I have a hard time fathoming the concept of this child honoring his or her parents if abuse is rampant in the family. Then again, if our society is true to the ways of the Bible and Tanak, then the community in which, this child resides will recognize the signs of abuse and negate the burden this child has to bear by removing him or her from the abuse.

Overall, we cannot define the Ten Commandments as black and white issues. There are so many grey shaded areas. God’s commandments as “rules for righteous living, later called the Torah. Among them are the Ten Commandments” (Fisher, 2002). In my opinion, these rules for righteous living are fully intended as a guide. Many believe that repenting sins against these Ten Commandments, God will absolve them of their sins. The New Testament introduces us to many forms of repentance but truly, people break the rules every day.

Breaking these rules does not mean that you are not living a righteous and holy life, people sin everyday without cause or provocation. Concerning sin and repentance, as stated in Romans 14:23, “But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin”. (Biblegateway.com, 2008) Simply put, if I do not ask for God’s approval before doing something then I have sinned against God because I did not ask for God’s approval before doing what I did. Dinnertime prayer is a perfect example of asking for God’s approval.

In conclusion and as previously stated, the Ten Commandments in this era are not black and white issues. We all falter in life, God will not absolve you of your sin, he will not deny you entry in to the kingdom of heaven so long as you are aware of your sin and you make every attempt to live a righteous life, serving Him.

References

(2008). Retrieved July 14, 2008, from Passage Lookup: Exodus 20:2-17 (New International Version) Web site: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus%2020:2-17&version=31;

Fisher, M.P. (2002). Living religions a brief introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Harris, S (2007). Understanding the bible. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Hutchinson, F (2005, March, 11). The ten commandments puzzle. Renew America, Retrieved July 8, 2008, from http://www.renewamerica.us/analyses/050310hutchison.htm

 

Tags: Bible Essay Eunice Crankyponts Rocks Dang

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