The 10 commandments according to George Carlin

Hey Backwardseden. My name is Blue. I just want to point out that you and I seem to agree on a few points, however, there are some that I don't agree with. I hope we can talk accordingly and try to understand each other's views. First, you're right: our nation wasn't founded on Christianity. America didn't have a Christian Founding in the sense of theocracy, however, our Founding was formed from Christians moral truths and values - also known as the 10 commandments. As for your comment about why there only 10 commandments, I believe that every commandment fits in with the natural law: the body of unchanging moral principles regarded as a basis for all human conduct. I haven't found any example that would submiss this. If you have an example, however, I would love to hear it. I also might note that I agree that 10 is an aesthetically pleasing number. Honor Thy Mother and Father: I think Carlin has misinterpreted this. First, the Bible says that parents don't have ultimate authority or control. "We must obey God rather than men." Acts 5 27:29. I also believe using respect is slightly different than using the word honor. Saying we respect Him is different from saying we honor Him. In this context, honor is meaning appreciation. Think about everything your parents have given for you. You honor them because they took time out of their life to provide for you. I hope this makes sense, backwardseden. Thou Shalt Not Steal and Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness: You're right on the stealing and lying part. I think that's important to note, however, they're different in terms of experience. Imagine this: You hear on the news that someone stole one hundred dollars worth of food at Costco. Well in this situation, we see the use of the commandment we shall not steal. However, where is the commandment about lying? The perpetrator, in a sense, isn't lying because nobody asked him if he stole the money. The word we would use for his actions is dishonesty - which is different from the word lying - because he chose to act on the action. If you have any more concerns let me know. Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery and Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Wife: You've brought up some interesting points, good job. I think throughout this the author has mixed up definitions, which can lead to false interpretations. You're right that coveting "takes place in the mind," however, it also can take place physically. If you start touching her or making weird sexual movements in front of her, that's also coveting. The main reason why these two don't correlate is that what if you fantasize about a friend's wife but you're not married? Well, it's not considered adultery, because you're not married. Also, the commandment that you proposed, "Thou shalt not be unfaithful" limits the person to being married in the first place. So that's why they're separated. One requires you to be married, the other one doesn't. Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Goods: This commandment is probably the most difficult to follow. If we are honest with ourselves we all would've violated this commandment once in our life. However, I don't understand your logic on this commandment creates jobs. Could you explain this to me, please? Thanks, Blue. Thou Shalt Not Kill: You're relating all religions - including Islam and Atheism (since you call that a religion apparently) - to this commandment. However, most of these examples are irrelevant to Christianity. I think the only example I could pull that was relevant to Christianity was the Inquisition. But even then, the Inquisition targeted not only Christians; it targeted Muslims and Jews as well. I don't know how to prove that ending, because it's irrelevant to what you described. You outlined why we should shorten the 10 commandments, but you never explained why we shouldn't follow them. So why should I have to prove their worth following if you aren't going to negate it?