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Are the 10 commandments a bucket list for Atheist?

I know for me I have broken at least 8 of them. Having trouble finding an ox and ass. I find for the most part some of these make sense. It is good to have rules in a society that govern acceptable behavior. I don't think I would now or ever use Gods name for evil purposes. Religion needs to check itself on that one!

Fluffykytten 5 Dec 15
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18 comments

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1

Christians believe there is only one God but yet rule number one is "thy she have no other god but me." Hang on one sec. If there is only one God why make the number one rule not to have another god. Makes no sense. Would think love thy neighbor is a better rule. Maybe wrong but anyway....

No apparently your not suppose to love your neighbour..its one of the 10

Once again another plot hole, they really need to write a sequal to be explain the numerous inconsistencies in the first novel.

1

I have developed this habit of taking a step back and asking why? Specific to religious texts. The easy example from Judaism is "why kosher?" Most specifically,why isn't pork kosher? Gawds it taste so damned good and really, there isn't anything wrong with it... well, wait, is there?

Go back two thousand years (really, you just need to go back a hundred or more) and look at things. The big problem is trichinosis. This is a form of roundworm parasitic infection from under cooked pork that happens to be infected. Symptoms include diarrhea. abdominal cramps. fatigue or low energy. nausea. vomiting. In todays world it really isn't very fatal but, imagine you are in year zero, or before? These symptoms might well be fatal far too often... and I am not even looking for a complete list of diseases, I am focusing on just one.

If you were the religious leader of your small village, and you noticed that several families who ate pork were having such problems, what would you do to help your village thrive? Remember, your villages survival is YOUR survival and you are talking to a bunch of people who are... probably not at all educated. Well, state that Yaweh has stated that these foods are no longer... hmm, what word should we use? Kosher! Yeah, that works!

Fast forward to today, and realize that the foods are now safe and... well, are you going to say that your rules, handed down from your god aren't really that important anymore because man has come up with ways to handle the 'evils' of eating non-kosher foods? Nope. That would undermine the power of the word, no?

Also, eating healthy is just good. So, why NOT tell your flock to... eat healthy?

Apply the same reasoning to the 10 commandments and you find that they are less sins and more good ideas for how to have a stable and safe community with low incidents of neighbors being pissed off at each other... under that reasoning: why not?

It's less about the source of the good idea. It's whether or not the idea itself is good.

That is similar to Catholic not eating fish on Friday. I remember loving fish and chip Fridays, never bothered to question it, when I did I was mostly told the church says so. Why does god care what day of the week food is consumed on?? Does God follow the Gregorian Calendar?? How does he know Sunday is the 7th day....yes I got into a lot of trouble for my constant questions

1

No - as an atheist the 10 commandments are a set of rules that are based on a faith that you don't accept as a basis for morallity.

Some of those commandments, however, make sense - such as 'Thou shalt not kill' - so yes, I agree with that one.

Then there are others like 'Thou salt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain' - Jesus Christ, what garbage that is! For god's sake ...

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name, this is the version I learned, from exodus. How many churches and governments and groups that have claimed to be christian led have broken this one. The in vain as a Catholic I was told was using god or Jesus as swear words, or calling out during intimate times lolololol

5

Not this atheist. Although, I will admit I haven't killed anyone. Yet.

3

I don't think they are a bucket list for atheists. The ten commandments are woefully incomplete though. Things like slavery and rape would seem to be okay with God??

MattW Level 6 Dec 15, 2017
3

The only people I know who have broken the majority of the commandments are believers.

2

Who doesn't believe in the golden rule? Do unto other's as they would do unto you. If you live by that one, everything should work out, right?

2

I'll have to admit I've coveted a lot of neighbor's wives.

BD66 Level 8 Dec 15, 2017
5

It's not a bucket list for me, but my adherence has been pretty spotty. I was reared Catholic, so I'll use their version of the 10 Commandments:

  1. I am the Lord your God; you shall not worship other gods.
    I don't believe in any gods, especially Yahweh. So, technically I'm following the rules, but I reject the premise.

  2. Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.
    I've never understood why "in vain" is taken to mean "in anger" but I've done both. I have no qualms about offending believers by my rhetorical language.

  3. Keep holy on the Sabbath.
    To keep holy is often interpreted to mean attending church and to do no labor. I avoid churches except for weddings and funerals. I often work on Sundays, especially if there's gardening or snow removal or something else around the house that needs attention.

  4. Honor your father and mother.
    Honor and respect are earned. I had a strained relationship with my mother, but so did everyone else in her life. I have a good, functional relationship with my father, but I'm not sure I "honor" him.

  5. Do not kill.
    The biblical mandate clearly doesn't mean to not kill anything, or to refrain from killing one's enemies or slaves, but rather to not kill within the tribe. I've never killed another human, and I have no intention of doing so. Mice and insects, though, have not been so fortunate.

  6. Do not commit adultery.
    I've never cheated on a partner, but I have been "the other man." It was quite stressful, despite being "in love," and I don't recommend it at all.

  7. Do not steal.
    As a kid, I took a few things that weren't mine. As an adult, I've taken a few office supplies for home use (but I also volunteer some of my time to work, so I don't consider $10 worth of notebooks and pens over 13+ years to really be stealing, and it's often been for work purposes at home anyway). I have also downloaded pirated software, music, and videos from the web, but less in recent years and only when I can't easily get it through legitimate means. I don't take anything else that's not mine or explicitly offered to me.

  8. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
    Some people take this to mean never lie. Clearly that's not the original meaning. This is a legal issue. I've never falsely accused anyone of a crime or wrongdoing. As for lying, I'm pretty honest overall but I use my own discretion on a case-by-case basis, especially when put on the spot for something that's nobody else's business.

  9. Do not covet your neighbor's wife.
    I've coveted the hell out of others' wives and girlfriends, but I don't act on it (except for that relationship in my younger days, and even then I resisted her advances but she wore me down — but, again, I really don't recommend it).

  10. Do not covet your neighbor's goods.
    I'm not especially materialistic. I have what I need. I don't really think about the belongings of other people.

1

there mostly crap.quite a few of them are saying the same thing so don't need ten. george carlin explains beautifully.

0

I don’t want to know someone that wants to Bucket List the Ten Commandments.

1

Moses brings tablets with words on down from a mountain (the majority probably couldn't read them, shouldn't god have just told them?) he breaks them, he goes back up the mountain and returns with new tablets, the new tablets are inconsistent with the first set!
Taken out of context they sound great but take for example rule 5
The Fifth Commandment says: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”
"That your days may be long upon the land" this bit is because if you didn't honor them you would be used as target practice for the stone throwing championships.
Anyone that practices these things are no friends of mine.

Dav87 Level 6 Dec 16, 2017
1

If there is a god (no caps not real) it owes us an apology.

2

The Torah has 613 commandments. I could have loads of fun with them on a bucket list!

1

Hmm... It seems I have broken a lot of them too.

I've always had a problem with he ten commandments though. For instance the one tht says to honor your father and mother seems to presume that you have parents who are worth honoring. Should children who are beign physically or sexually abused by their parents just submit to the abuse?

Archeologist say the Jews (or Hebrews) were originally a tribe tht was formed out of the outcasts of other tribes. I think the ten commandments was just a set of rules to creat commonality between various mixed traditions to get along with each other... and to keep children obedient. In addition the laws set out in Leviticus ws to set their new tribe apart from others, and to create their own unique traditions.

1

I will like to live my life without murder on my resume.

1

I had to become atheist because I broke them so often.

godef Level 7 Dec 16, 2017
1

Which 10 commandments?
I don't have access to goats, so I can't boil a kid in its mother's milk.

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