I guess some folks think the Ten Commandments are too narrow, irrelevant, or just plain passé. Because quite a few have made attempts to improve on them. After all, in our age of enlightenment, and considering how far we’ve come since Moses, surely we could crowd-source a better decalogue, don’t you think? Here are some proposed alternatives:
- There is no one right way to live.1
- You shall not lie, cheat, steal or kill – unless, in an emergency, there is no other way of asserting the ideals of humanity.2
- Be open-minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence.1
- Do not overlook evil or shrink from administering justice, but always be ready to forgive wrongdoing freely admitted and honestly regretted.3
- Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.4
This Sunday we begin a new series in our Bible Study hour (9:30 a.m.) on the Ten Commandents. Some of the questions and issues we’ll be considering are: How are they relevant or applicable today? Are they required for New Testament believers? Did Jesus affirm them? Why did God give them? What are the Ten Commandments—can you name them?
Looking forward to seeing you Sunday!
1The Atheists’ New Ten Commandments (2015)
2 German philosopher Michael Schmidt-Salomon, Manifesto of Evolutionary Humanism.
3Richard Dawkins
4 Bertrand Russell