The One Commandment

Secularists are attempting to make an all encompassing Commandment. I noticed someone suggesting “Treat other people how you would like to be treated yourself" which is a neat rip-off from Jesus "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you”. This would cover every situation a human ever had to confront but leaves out the God part. So I thought I'd have a look see what the Ten Commandments actually said. To my surprise, I find I actually approve of some of them - (if I leave out the Patriarchal God bit, the graven images and a few other things.) (I think this is from the Catholic Catechism)

1 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.” 

Dunno about Egypt and the bondage, sounds a bit threatening to me yet mystics and spiritual people affirm that there is only one “God”, nothing else and we are it.

2 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or 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; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments.”

Sounds scary but if you were Moses, how would you control your tribe? People were behaving badly, believing there was power in the things they had made and worshiping them. Everyone was smoking, drinking, fornicating, drugging and living an unhealthy lifestyle. We have loads of graven images nowadays that we worship. God's Commandment was quite as intimidating as Health Science, Climate Science and other Science is today to ordinary mortals. Quite similar in fact, and equally judgmental, – on smoking, drinking, eating, lifestyle, how things work, the nature of Nature, humans, and our influence on climate that will be affecting future generations. The difference is that God, then, didn't generate revenue for himself on the back of his commandment.

3 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”

Not sure what this means...so I'll take this Best Answer (below)..sounds good enough to me.

"Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

To use God's name to justify or legitimate an action that is not justified or legitimated by God. For an example making war on another country and claiming it is "God's will". Claiming God said something that he didn't. Using God to place a curse. Using God's name to elevate your own position. These are examples of blasphemy. Saying words such as "Oh my God" is an exclamation not a blasphemy.”

Well, thank God for that.

4 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Well from now on I start to approve....Good idea for communities to have a day off to refresh themselves – one day, altogether, all at once – a synchronized holiday - very healing to those of us who feel as if we, ourselves, had laboured for six days in our personal weekly universe. One day a week should be a holiday just like the old days. Everyone could live for one day without shopping. It can be done - I remember!

5 “Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”

Imagine happy families looking after their old people, even honouring them. At my age I think that's a good idea.

6 “You shall not murder.”

Excellent idea – who could argue this?

7 “You shall not commit adultery.”  

Another good idea – cuts out a lot of relationship complications.

8 “You shall not steal.” 

A very good idea

9 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.”

Absolutely necessary.

10 “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.”  

Good ancillary to prevent 6, 7 8, and 9 and should apply to The Government Receivers of Tax Revenues of every country!

One Commandment zipped in Humanist form, is not a bad idea either – “Treat other people how you would like to be treated yourself" AKA "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” 

Can't get better than that!