Walkup's Way Home The Ten Commandments

 

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I. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

II. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.

III. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

IV. Honor thy father and thy mother.

V.  Thou shalt not kill

 

 VI. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

VII. Thou shalt not steal.

VIII. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

 IX. Thou shat not covet your neighbor's spouse

X. Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbor's.

 

For Discussion
  • Is what is holy  -   holy because the gods approve it, or do they approve it because it is holy?
    Plato( 428---348 B.C.)  records that Socrates (470-399B.C.  Euthyphro) asks the above question.
  • Is honoring our parents honorable because  God commands it, or does God command honoring our parents because it is honorable? 
  • Is rape immoral because God forbids it, or does Go forbidding rape make it immoral?

"Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. and Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son."  (Genesis 22: 9-10)

 

See also my pages on the Golden Rule

Comment on Abraham & Isaac

The sacrifice of Abraham was a test of Abraham's obedience and it was a prefigurement of the crucifixion.  God can dispense from the natural law and in this case he directly inspired Abraham to do this.  He cannot dispense from the natural law when it comes to himself because this would involve him in self-contradiction.  But since He created the world, He can dispense with it when it comes to his creation which he did in the sacrifice of Isaac.  The angel stopped it, though, to that God does not approve of infant sacrifice, something characteristic of Canaanite religion at the time and also because Abraham showed he was willing to give up his most loved object from love of God.  No one else can dispense from the natural law, except God.  It is a mystery of faith.