Ever take a close look at the 10 Commandments?

L Gilbert

Winterized
Nov 30, 2006
23,738
107
63
70
50 acres in Kootenays BC
the-brights.net
lol

I am paraphrasing Christopher Hitchens who was on CBC radio today.

ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'
Ahah!! There are other gods.

TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'
No art? How tedious.

THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'
This one and the first two display a distinct insecurity on the part of the issuer. Considering, this god is supposed to be omnipotent, all I can say is "go figger".

FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'
This one and the first 3 have exactly what to do with morality?

FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'
... unless he/she/both are homidical maniacs, hopelessly addicted to booze or drugs, abusive, etc. And nothing mentioned about abusing kids either. Nothing to potect them.

SIX: 'You shall not murder.'
.... unless it's because god said to. lmao Most societies kind of frown on lying, killing, and stealing anyway.

SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'
This is pretty cool, I suppose.

EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'
See above for comments.

NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'
Ditto.

TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'
Here we have a big problem, too. What is coveting? Isn't it just the thought that one gets when the neighbor gets an awesome lawnmower? Does anyone else see a problem with thought control?
 

Cliffy

Standing Member
Nov 19, 2008
44,850
192
63
Nakusp, BC
Number two about craven images: what are those bleeding Jesus' doing in the churches, and the mother Mary statues, angels etc. Seems to me the church has been breaking rule 2 from the get go.
 

Dexter Sinister

Unspecified Specialist
Oct 1, 2004
10,168
536
113
Regina, SK
George Carlin does a nice 7 minute deconstruction of the 10 Commandments
here.
He gets them down to two, and adds a third one I like: thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself.

Not Safe For Work; like a lot of Carlin's monologues, it's sprinkled with words you might not want people to hear coming out of your cubicle.
 

bobnoorduyn

Council Member
Nov 26, 2008
2,262
28
48
Mountain Veiw County
Number two about craven images: what are those bleeding Jesus' doing in the churches, and the mother Mary statues, angels etc. Seems to me the church has been breaking rule 2 from the get go.

You're not the only one, a lot of what I might call purists agree, but those particular churches break a lot more rules than that, and make up some of their own nonsensical ones to boot.
 

bobnoorduyn

Council Member
Nov 26, 2008
2,262
28
48
Mountain Veiw County
TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'
No art? How tedious.

L. either you are paraphrasing or Christopher Hitchens left out a big part, the part that these graven images, or idols, would be objects of worship, which as Cliffy mentions are in some cases used for that purpose by some churches.


Quote: TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'
Here we have a big problem, too. What is coveting? Isn't it just the thought that one gets when the neighbor gets an awesome lawnmower? Does anyone else see a problem with thought control?

The coveting is not wanting another lawnmower like your neighbour's, but wanting your neighbours lawnmower. Kind of like greed and envy, desperately wanting your neighbour's stuff. As for thought control, no one is enforcing it except yourself if you so choose.

People like Christopher Hitchens make a living at picking apart the scriptures, putting their own spin on it and selling books. I think he's full of crap, he just puts snippets of truth into his arguments to make them sound believable, just like used car and vacuum salesmen.





 
  • Like
Reactions: karrie

Dexter Sinister

Unspecified Specialist
Oct 1, 2004
10,168
536
113
Regina, SK
TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'
No art? How tedious.

L. either you are paraphrasing or Christopher Hitchens left out a big part, the part that these graven images, or idols, would be objects of worship
It's only in Exodus that the proscription about making graven images is followed by remarks about not bowing down to them. There are four other places in the OT where the rule is repeated, notably Deuteronomy 4:16-18, then again in verse 23, and verse 25, where it's pretty clear that no statuary of any kind is allowed, for any reason, it's a blanket prohibition.

Hitchens is right. Religion clouds the mind and poisons everything.
 

Cliffy

Standing Member
Nov 19, 2008
44,850
192
63
Nakusp, BC
Religion is nothing more than a politically expedient way to control the masses with mind boggling BS. God has been nothing more than the power behind the throne, a personification of the Pharaoh, King, Emperor in a bigger than life, scarier spook mode. But the religious will defend to the death their right to be controlled and lied to.
 

L Gilbert

Winterized
Nov 30, 2006
23,738
107
63
70
50 acres in Kootenays BC
the-brights.net
George Carlin does a nice 7 minute deconstruction of the 10 Commandments
here.
He gets them down to two, and adds a third one I like: thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself.

Not Safe For Work; like a lot of Carlin's monologues, it's sprinkled with words you might not want people to hear coming out of your cubicle.
lol Yeah, I'd forgotten about this.
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
27,780
285
83
bliss
Sometimes these forums just feel so damn....

 

bobnoorduyn

Council Member
Nov 26, 2008
2,262
28
48
Mountain Veiw County
It's only in Exodus that the proscription about making graven images is followed by remarks about not bowing down to them. There are four other places in the OT where the rule is repeated, notably Deuteronomy 4:16-18, then again in verse 23, and verse 25, where it's pretty clear that no statuary of any kind is allowed, for any reason, it's a blanket prohibition.

How often does it have to be repeated what is meant by a graven image, the context of the message seems clear to me, but I'm not trying to pick it apart like a lawyer does with a judge's ruling he doesn't like.

Hitchens is right. Religion clouds the mind and poisons everything.

...and wishes to leave mankind to invent its own morality. People will use religion as an excuse to do bad things, its convenient, failing that they will use any excuse. He is like the gun grabbers, laying the blame on the tools rather than on the ones who misuse them for evil.
 

L Gilbert

Winterized
Nov 30, 2006
23,738
107
63
70
50 acres in Kootenays BC
the-brights.net
TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'
No art? How tedious.

L. either you are paraphrasing or Christopher Hitchens left out a big part, the part that these graven images, or idols, would be objects of worship, which as Cliffy mentions are in some cases used for that purpose by some churches.
I did say that I was paraphrasing Hitchens. Perhaps I should have mentionmed that I left out a lot because it was a few hours before posting that'd I had listened to him on the radio. My memeory isn't what it used to be.


TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'
Here we have a big problem, too. What is coveting? Isn't it just the thought that one gets when the neighbor gets an awesome lawnmower? Does anyone else see a problem with thought control?

The coveting is not wanting another lawnmower like your neighbour's, but wanting your neighbours lawnmower. Kind of like greed and envy, desperately wanting your neighbour's stuff. As for thought control, no one is enforcing it except yourself if you so choose.

People like Christopher Hitchens make a living at picking apart the scriptures, putting their own spin on it and selling books. I think he's full of crap, he just puts snippets of truth into his arguments to make them sound believable, just like used car and vacuum salesmen.
Perhaps he is, perhaps not. I don't make a habit of shooting messengers, myself.
But,I defy anyone to tell me they haven't wanted something a neighbor, friend, relative, coworker, etc. has had, though, and be truthful about it. So as soon as we start living we're toast, according to the commandments.
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
27,780
285
83
bliss
Perhaps he is, perhaps not. I don't make a habit of shooting messengers, myself.
But,I defy anyone to tell me they haven't wanted something a neighbor, friend, relative, coworker, etc. has had, though, and be truthful about it. So as soon as we start living we're toast, according to the commandments.


I've wanted stuff, but absolutely in the way bob puts it. I haven't wanted to take what they have away from them. Just go get myself something like it. There's a difference between admiring and coveting.
 

L Gilbert

Winterized
Nov 30, 2006
23,738
107
63
70
50 acres in Kootenays BC
the-brights.net
How often does it have to be repeated what is meant by a graven image, the context of the message seems clear to me, but I'm not trying to pick it apart like a lawyer does with a judge's ruling he doesn't like.



...and wishes to leave mankind to invent its own morality. People will use religion as an excuse to do bad things, its convenient, failing that they will use any excuse. He is like the gun grabbers, laying the blame on the tools rather than on the ones who misuse them for evil.
Hitchens is right. He also said people don't do nasty things in the name of their religion, they do things because its demanded by their religion.