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| The <b>Ten Commandments</b> are a list of commandments found, in two different locations, in the ] (five books of Moses), the first part of the ] (the Hebrew Bible, aka Old Testament.) ] and ] have historically believed that these rules were dictated to Moses by God at Mount Sinai. ] reject the validity of the Ten Commandments as stated, as Islam teaches that the entire text of the both of the ] and Christian ] are false and misleading documents meant to deceive true believers from learning the true will of God. For Muslims, the true will of God is embodied in the ]. | The <b>Ten Commandments</b> are a list of commandments found, in two different locations, in the ] (five books of Moses), the first part of the ] (the Hebrew Bible, aka Old Testament.) ] and ] have historically believed that these rules were dictated to Moses by God at Mount Sinai. ] reject the validity of the Ten Commandments as stated, as Islam teaches that the entire text of the both of the ] and Christian ] are false and misleading documents meant to deceive true believers from learning the true will of God. For Muslims, the true will of God is embodied in the ]. | ||
| Popular belief holds that these are "the |
Popular belief holds that these are "the commandments" of the Bible, but in fact the Bible makes no such statements at all. The Bible makes no distinction between these ten rules, and the more than 600 other Biblical rules. It is noteworthy that the Bible itself uses the rules of the Leviticus and Deuteronomy as a legal code to live by, and not the "Ten Commandments". | ||
| While ], ] and ] all agree on there being ten commandments in this section of the Torah, these groups differ as to how to divide the text into commandments. | While ], ] and ] all agree on there being ten commandments in this section of the Torah, these groups differ as to how to divide the text into commandments. | ||
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| A very similar, but not identical, list of commandments is in ] 5:1-22. | A very similar, but not identical, list of commandments is in ] 5:1-22. | ||
| Christianity holds that the commandment to honor the seventh day as a sabbath is no longer binding; instead the first day of the week is used in memory of what they hold to be the new covenant made by ]. For most Christians, this observance of the first day is understood as fulfilling the observance of the seventh day. For Jews, this Christian practice is seen as an explicit rejection of the |
Christianity holds that the commandment to honor the seventh day as a sabbath is no longer binding; instead the first day of the week is used in memory of what they hold to be the new covenant made by ]. For most Christians, this observance of the first day is understood as fulfilling the observance of the seventh day. For Jews, this Christian practice is seen as an explicit rejection of the commandment. | ||
| Christianity holds that the commandments not to make "any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above" is no longer binding; instead |
Christianity holds that the commandments not to make "any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above" is no longer binding; instead some Christians make graven images of Jesus Christ as messiah and God, and most Christian sects allow or encourage people to bow in prayer before these images. For most Christians, this practice is understood as fulfilling the observance of this commandment. For Jews, this Christian practice is seen as an explicit rejection of the commandement | ||
| ⚫ | There is an ongoing dispute in the ] concerning the posting of the Ten Commandments on public property. Conservative religious groups, angry about the banning of officially-sanctioned prayer from public schools by the U.S. Supreme Court, desire to increase the influence of religion in public life and test the boundaries of the separation of church and state. As a result they have succesfully lobbied many state and local governments to display the ten commandments in public buildings. Liberals oppose this, arguing that it is violating the separation of church and state. Conservative groups claim that the commandments are not necessarily religious, but represent the moral and legal foundation of society. Liberal groups counter that they are explicitly religious, and that statements of monotheism like "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" are unacceptable to many religious viewpoints, such as atheists or followers of polytheistic religions. Organizations such as the ] have therefore launched lawsuits challenging the posting of the ten commandments in public buildings. Opponents of these displays include a number of religious groups, including some Christian denominations, both because they don't want government to be issuing religious doctrine, and because they feel strongly that the commandments are inherently religious. Many commentators see this issue as part of a wider ''kulturkampf'' (]) between liberal and conservative elements in American society. | ||
| ⚫ | There is an ongoing dispute in the ] concerning the posting of the Ten Commandments on public property. Conservative religious groups, angry about the banning of officially-sanctioned prayer from public schools by the U.S. Supreme Court, desire to increase the influence of religion in public life and test the boundaries of the separation of church and state. As a result they have succesfully lobbied many state and local governments to display the ten commandments in public buildings. Liberals oppose this, arguing that it is violating the separation of church and state. Conservative groups claim that the commandments are not |
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Revision as of 19:54, 7 May 2002
The Ten Commandments are a list of commandments found, in two different locations, in the Torah (five books of Moses), the first part of the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible, aka Old Testament.) Jews and Christians have historically believed that these rules were dictated to Moses by God at Mount Sinai. Muslims reject the validity of the Ten Commandments as stated, as Islam teaches that the entire text of the both of the Tanakh and Christian New Testament are false and misleading documents meant to deceive true believers from learning the true will of God. For Muslims, the true will of God is embodied in the Quran.
Popular belief holds that these are "the commandments" of the Bible, but in fact the Bible makes no such statements at all. The Bible makes no distinction between these ten rules, and the more than 600 other Biblical rules. It is noteworthy that the Bible itself uses the rules of the Leviticus and Deuteronomy as a legal code to live by, and not the "Ten Commandments".
While Jews, Catholics and Protestants all agree on there being ten commandments in this section of the Torah, these groups differ as to how to divide the text into commandments.
They are recorded in the Bible in the book of Exodus (chapter 20):
20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,
20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
A very similar, but not identical, list of commandments is in Deuteronomy 5:1-22.
Christianity holds that the commandment to honor the seventh day as a sabbath is no longer binding; instead the first day of the week is used in memory of what they hold to be the new covenant made by Jesus. For most Christians, this observance of the first day is understood as fulfilling the observance of the seventh day. For Jews, this Christian practice is seen as an explicit rejection of the commandment.
Christianity holds that the commandments not to make "any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above" is no longer binding; instead some Christians make graven images of Jesus Christ as messiah and God, and most Christian sects allow or encourage people to bow in prayer before these images. For most Christians, this practice is understood as fulfilling the observance of this commandment. For Jews, this Christian practice is seen as an explicit rejection of the commandement
There is an ongoing dispute in the United States concerning the posting of the Ten Commandments on public property. Conservative religious groups, angry about the banning of officially-sanctioned prayer from public schools by the U.S. Supreme Court, desire to increase the influence of religion in public life and test the boundaries of the separation of church and state. As a result they have succesfully lobbied many state and local governments to display the ten commandments in public buildings. Liberals oppose this, arguing that it is violating the separation of church and state. Conservative groups claim that the commandments are not necessarily religious, but represent the moral and legal foundation of society. Liberal groups counter that they are explicitly religious, and that statements of monotheism like "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" are unacceptable to many religious viewpoints, such as atheists or followers of polytheistic religions. Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union have therefore launched lawsuits challenging the posting of the ten commandments in public buildings. Opponents of these displays include a number of religious groups, including some Christian denominations, both because they don't want government to be issuing religious doctrine, and because they feel strongly that the commandments are inherently religious. Many commentators see this issue as part of a wider kulturkampf (culture war) between liberal and conservative elements in American society.