Sunday, March 31, 2013

What Do the Ten Commandments Mean Today?

When we were children, most were taught the Ten Commandments and the story of God writing them on a tablet of stone brought forth by Moses for our review. We were told that to enter the Kingdom of God, we must conform to the rules as explained in the Ten Commandments, or there would be major consequences in our afterlife. Each person in this life knows how closely they hold themselves relative to these standards chosen by God for our lives. Maybe we judge others on their compliance to these standards and feel superior. After considering these ideals, some people might come to the conclusion that the Commandments exist to make our peace with God and His judgement in the afterlife. A different idea might be presented after some thought and insight. Maybe these ideals were not meant to be a strict judgement on ourselves and our relationship with God. Maybe these ideals were meant to be more a pathway or a guidance in how humans should live and react in situations that will present themselves here on this earth. Maybe the judgment was not meant to be indicated, but the fallout would become apparent here on earth if not followed by humanity. Consider for a moment how the world is today. Kids being left to fend for themselves while both parents have to work, or sometimes single parents trying to struggle financially have no time to instill values in their children. This is not to say that there aren't many single parents and other parents that do manage, but that life has become so hard and so stressed that time is way too short to do everything we want to in our day. The violence and hurtful attitudes that seem to be prevalent today also comes into play when people do not consider one another and their likeness to God. Possibly the Ten Commandments were meant to be conducive and a path to human happiness and not God's happiness. Maybe the morality God intends us to have is for human growth and happiness and not for divine growth and happiness. Some moral standards are certainly necessary for proper functioning of the society as a whole and for individuals to perform satisfactorily. These commandments might just be for the virtue of human relationships and not the judgement humans fear. Believing in the Ten Commandments could just become our instructions for happy human living. Ignoring them today has certainly brought forth the feeling of social pain and anguish in many lives. Breaking these commandments has become the standard. Maybe we should consider the saying, "You do not break the commandments, the commandments break you if you do not follow them". A better world awaits this thought being carried out by everyone.

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