The Ten Commandments are a bad idea

http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_055204413.html

The author says that you can’t argue with the Ten Commandments. I’m going to do just that. Most of the Commandments are not compatible with a free society. The author says that not even an atheist can argue with the Ten Commandments that statement is foolish. There are commandments that go against what being an atheist means. The following argument against most of the Ten Commandments will be from an atheist perspective but I’ll try to factor in viewpoints of non-Christian religions as well.

ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'

If I’m an atheist then I have no gods before me. Is that a breaking of the commandment? In a free society I should be able to choose to have 1 God, 20 Gods, or no Gods. In the article it states, “the Ten Commandments, a germane part of the Judeo-Christian belief.” Clearly, this law is not compatible with non-Judeo-Christian faiths, despite what the author tries to argue.

TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--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.'

This commandment is another assault on free speech and doesn’t really make any sense. If we were to live by it then we wouldn’t be allowed to display a statue of the Buddha. Even more unthinkable, for Americans, statues of the Founding Fathers would have to be removed.

THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'

Again, this goes against free speech. Not to mention, the Judeo-Christian God is not my God and if you do not prescribe to the Judeo-Christian beliefs then he is not “your God”. Therefore, feel free to take the name of God in vain.

FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'

Never mind all the absurd reasons you can be put to death for working on the Sabbath day in a society that functions in a 24/7 manner this just isn’t practical. If emergency workers get called to an accident on the day of the Sabbath they should not have to choose between God and saving a life.

FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'

We now come to the first argument that might be a good one to live by. However, what if the father and mother are abusive? Children should not have to subject themselves to abuse. This commandment prevents us from taking logical action to protect our own well being. It calls for a submission to authority that may not always be warranted.

SIX: 'You shall not murder.'

No arguing with this one though God seems to forget that rule again and again in the Bible.

SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'

Yes we shouldn’t commit adultery (even though polygamy was actually then norm throughout history) but, it is not something that should be made into a punishable offence. Think about the invasions of privacy this implies.

EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'

No arguing with this one.

NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'

I’m sure there are laws in place against making false accusations against anyone. It’s too bad religions themselves aren’t able to follow this one. The witch hunt comes to mind. Not a bad commandment, just not always followed by religions.

TEN: '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.'

Jealousy is part of what makes us human. Jealousy can be a motivator if channeled in a positive light. I go over to my neighbour’s house and see the brand new HDTV he has. It’s natural for me to want one myself, so I work and save up and soon I have my own TV. Jealousy can drive our economy. Also, what’s with the idea of putting the wife on the same levelhis animals? This is blatant sexism that should not be tolerated in a free society.

Whenever I hear people talk about how the Ten Commandments are a good code to live their life by they usually point to the ones referring to no killing, stealing, committing adultery, and respecting the father and mother. In our society the only three that could legally be enforced are stealing, killing, and false witness. People say the commandments are good without knowing what all of them are or thinking of the implications enforcing them could have.