How many commandments are there?

The reason I ask is because some Christian kid (Toby) at FreeThinkingTeens said that there are 12 commandents.

This was probably written by the same people that think god's name is Howard.  You know.  It's in the lord's prayer..

Our father, who art in heaven, Howard be thy name........ 

vain /veɪn/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[veyn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation, –adjective, -er, -est.

—Idiom

You have a hard time getting theists to answer your questions because they're a little difficult. I'm sure preachers have pat answers that make no sense. Perhaps one (or a flock member in the know [ba-a-a-a-a!]) will assist you.

As for me, I coveted my neighbor's ass at the gym this morning.

No answer yet?!  imo, god seems pretty insecure, threatening to punish 400 generations of people for idology and what not.  Sounds kind of like a jealous boyfriend/girlfriend, frankly.

Ok, that was lame, just trying to keep it going for ya.

LOL matt... I hadn't actually thought of that.  I suppose you could get out of that by saying that it's text, not an image, but it's still funny.

I've always thought it's funny that xtians only take 4 of them seriously.  Most don't say god damn, and generally all of them try to avoid stealing, killing, and lying.  Except for using the lord's name in vain, the other three have been part of every moral code... ever.  Funny that the best that all-powerful god could come up with was three of the most obvious moral tenets ever.

And for the theists who say, "We honor our father and mother..." That's so vague as to be nonsense.  When you're a kid, you obey them because you pretty much have to.  When you're old, you weigh their wishes against yours just like you do anyone else, except maybe you cut them a little slack because they're your parents.   How exactly is this groundbreaking morality?

They always try to say when they put out the irrational claim that the US is a Christian nation that our laws are based on the 10 commandments.

The 1st 4 are PURELY religous and have absolutely nothing to do with the law or morality.

There are no laws saying you have to honor your parents.

Only a few backwards-assed states have laws against adultery.

There certainly are no laws against coveting.

Murder and stealing, fine.

"Bearing false witness" - ie lying - is only sometimes illegal - in court, false advertising, libel/slander...

So we have anywhere from 2 to 4 out of 10. That's an "F" on most tests!

I don't think those are "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS"  I think these are:

1 The LORD said to Moses, "Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. 3 No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain."

 4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."

 8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 "O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance."

 10 Then the LORD said: "I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 12 Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

 15 "Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same.

 17 "Do not make cast idols.

 18 "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt.

 19 "The first offspring of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. 20 Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem all your firstborn sons.
      "No one is to appear before me empty-handed.

 21 "Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.

 22 "Celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.  23 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD, the God of Israel. 24 I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the LORD your God.

 25 "Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning.

 26 "Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.
      "Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk."

 27 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." 28 Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

The text of Exodus refers to these as "The Ten Commandments."  Editors' additions in most Bibles call the other set "the Ten Commandments," but if you're a true believer in the inerrancy of the text of the Bible, the above are the Ten Commandments.

Thandarr

Hey Hamby,

 You guys must have a short attention span...This was all dealt with in the previous thread on the Ten Commandments.

Christianity (and the Bible) holds that we are no longer under the Law (Christ nailed it to the cross).

"having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross."  (Colossians 2:14) 

And contrary to M. Shizzle's false notions, this previous thread also contains primary source historical documenation that states that the Ten Commandments played a significant role in the history of our lawmaking (several citations from court cases and statements from founding fathers...there is also a link to an affadavit that was filed by expert David Barton in one of the Ten Commandment cases).

 Do you just like repeating previous questions that have already been soundly answered (and as if they haven't)?

You must not remember accurately...The questions were specifically answered (and not fallaciously) by theists and the thread died because the athiests' assertions about Christians and the Ten Commandments were soundly refuted (as was the athiest assertion that the Ten Commandments did not play a significant role in our Country's law-making history).

As I remember the thread, one athiest left the thread commenting that he was not aware of the Ten Commandment's role in our history's law-making (but now he was).

Would you like to re-visit the thread with me?

If your reason for posting the same type of question (when you allegedly understand that Christians, via the Bible, are no longer under the Ten Commandments) was for the education of the theists, then why would you ask the question in a manner that incorrectly puts the Christian back under the Ten Commandments?

If education of theists was your purpose, it would seem that you would accurately state the Christian belief (the Bible's teaching) in the body of your question (but you didn't). You stated it falsely to make your point (which was not for education purposes but to point out an alleged contradiction between Christian belief and practice).

Off topic...cause I gotta ask, but why is it that if you (and this is for most atheists on this forum too) ask a question that is discussing what the bible talks about, you are given the answer according to what is written by the bible, you dismiss it as fallacy?  Why bother asking the question if you know you won't like or agree with the answer?  It at times really sounds like a cop-out like since you don't have either: 1. a response or, 2. the understanding of what our answer is, then you simply say, "ah, stupid nonsense".

As stated in my previous post to Hamby, this question was soundly answered in the last thread that contained this picture of Judge Moore and his monument.

Why ask again (as if it wasn't answered)? 

Even the lawsuit itself (and Judge Moore many times) answers the question. 

Repeated from the last thread on this subject: 

"A people unschooled about the sovereignty of God, the Ten Commandments, and the ethics of Jesus, could never have evolved the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. There is not one solitary fundamental principle of our democratic policy that did not stem directly from the basic moral concepts as emodied by the Decalogue..." (as declared by the Florida Supreme Court, in 1950)

This is the reason that the Ten Commandments are displayed in the US Supreme Court, the National Archives and publicbuildings/courthouses throughout the Land.

When certain peoples want the public display of the historical origins (the Ten Commandments) of our lawmaking removed...Other certain peoples, usually Christians, oppose their efforts.

PBY,

The Florida supereme court is not the US supreme court and therefore carries no weight on a federal issue. The 1950's were a low water mark for rational thinking regarding the seperation of church and state issues.

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, a deist, but certainaly not a Christian, so despite the remarks of this court they are historaically in error. 

It is completely idiotic to claim that the bill of rights comes from the 10 commandments when the 1st 4 are directly opposed to the Bill of Rights. None of them have anything to do with rights, they have to do with prohibiting behavior (only 3 of which involve harming other people in any way.) The Bible is definitely not democratic, and is actually anti-democratic.

Luckilly the Bible is Bullshit and God is fictional.

Why would we?  First God is the creator so for me to tell him how to do his job is, as written in Romans, like a pot telling the potter why did you make me this way.  Is it for us to question it?  Should the car question the car maker why didn't you make me with 5 wheels?  Should the watch tell the watch maker why didn't you get me a few more hours?  It's not a democracy and it never has been because, just as you who create an object for a purpose, God creates us for a reason and it is not subject to debate.

Matt, I don't really care that you think the bible is bs.  I think that is pretty well established by the fact that you are associating yourself as an atheist.  What I'm trying to say here is, don't have anything constructive to add to the topic? 

Oh, and I realize that if you say Jesus negated the 10, then we can work on sunday now.  You don't have to answer that one.

Is it just me, or have we just been called objects?

Anyway, Ham, I'm going to further expand your line of logic to show that the point at which you stopped with the question is the wrong one. One can go much further with some.

I wish to correct you here. It is VERY difficult to NOT express that desire. The law works for "thy neighbour's wife", if you know for sure that she is married, but it doesn't work well for the others. Expressing desire happens all day: you go to a shop to buy something. What do you do there? You express desire for what it is that you wish to buy... let's say a pair of pliers, a jumber cable, a lawnmower, whatever it might be. Technically, all those things that are there are "thy neighbour's"... but without expressing desire, there would be no exchange, there would be no buying and selling... practically there would be absolutely no economy. If we apply this to chosing a sexual partner, not expressing desire means no sexual activity. How are people supposed to find a husband or wife then? Oh yes, I know... through "arranged marriages" when they're kids, or perhaps through total woman submission if a man wishes to marry her, like suggested in the Bible... my foot !

This one is a very twisted one. It doesn't say "don't make idols"... it does say "don't make graven images"... Would that extend to role models as well? Practically what little kids are doing is a lower form of worship... psychologically it's tng: pasting posters of a rock star, or something, all over the room, looking at them, admiring and wanting to be like the one they represent. If you answer "yes", then posters, memory necklaces, etc. will all have to be banned.

I really really want to know the answer to this one. 4 generations is probably the lowest punishment that God has given throughout the Bible... Considering Adam and Eve, that punishment was eternal. I know what theists are going to say here: we are not punished for Adam and Eve's sins. False: we are. It's like forcibly introducing a genetic malformation into one's DNA and saying "Don't worry, I'll give your kids the opportunity to do physiotherapy and overcome their disability if they want."

So... an extended set of questions.

I'm actually kinda glad that you brought this point up rigor because this is one of those forever and a day questions that seems to never end.  When I posted before about "doubting Thomas" is true, but as you were saying idol vs. graven image.  The point the commandment is trying to make is simply about worshiping something made by man.  If you put more value in a statue, money, a person, so on, over God that is worship and that is the sin... 

Well, rigor, I appreciate your answers to razor.  They're thorough, accurate, and completely (as yet) unrefuted.  I won't bother with my own thoughts until razor has succesfully responded to yours.

My only comment is that I do wonder why perfect god had to make the commandments so um... interpretable.  I mean, there's no asterisk with a footnote like "*Please note that these commandments are meant to be interpreted in the best possible way.  Any attempts to interpret them literally may result in Holy War.  Please refrain from such attempts.  Thank you.  Yahweh."

But, luckily, we have razor here to share the One True Interpretation with us.

Where would we be without him?   Too damn bad he couldn't have lived a little before Muhammed and put an end to all this Islam nonsense.

...which reminds me: Adrian Barnett once put forth the "Ten Ammendments"... "commented" versions of the ten commandments, with a bottom note explaining each a bit more into detail: http://www.abarnett.demon.co.uk/atheism/amendments.html, of course, on a funnier note.

Also, he devised ten different commandments, updated for modern age: http://www.abarnett.demon.co.uk/atheism/alt_commandments.html

LMBO !!! (B for bottom, as to show some respect for the unfortunate animal whose name just happened to be the same as what A usually stands for in this combination - yeah, Jesus used it too... You know, when he came to Jerusalem... so is it a sin to say LMAO ?)

I didn't realize that what I wrote is any different than what they have written.  Please elaborate... 

First because not all believe.  Second because the work done at Walmart can be considered good for society.  If the work is done for God, why not? 

Now that's a personal interpretation... 

And I just told you that the one and only one written by God himself was??? 

To covet means what?  To desire something, especially in the context that someone else has.   

Somehow I just cannot imagine that Walmart being open on Sunday is done for your god.  I suspect that it's for the almightly dollar.

The employees at Walmart that work for minimum wage... I'll bet a lot of them would rather be in church!

I don't quite know how to respond except by saying that it's not my fault that your comprehension skills aren't up to task.

If you understood my question, you'd see that the definition is what makes the commandment irrational.

 Try reading it again.