SADISTIC, VAIN, INSECURE and STUPID DEITY!While checking both versions of the Ten Commandments it occurred to me that any person, even an idiot, could write a better set. Most of 'god's' commandments are concerned with inflating his ego, making him feel important and mighty. Those which appear to be worthwhile e.g. "Thou shalt not kill", apply only to his "chosen" race. The Old Testament is replete with examples of 'god' ordering his henchmen to slaughter "inferior" races, to steal from them and to enslave the remainder.
To me it makes no sense at all for the creator of the entire universe to single out one tiny segment of 'his' creation on Earth, and then instruct it to slaughter or enslave the rest. Anyone with one active brain cell should be able to see the falsity of this.
But if there is one thing which proves to me that the Ten Commandments were written by man, and heartless man at that, it is the ommission of any mention of children. Donkeys (ass) get a mention, but not children.
Here is one man's attempt at writing a better set of commandments.
The HUMANIST TEN COMMANDMENTS
1. Do not corrupt children! Children are born pure and unpolluted. It is a sin to fill their minds with ideas of racial, national, religious or gender superiority. History and religion should be taught in schools from a world perspective, everyone's point of view being considered, and no one's point of view being elevated above that of others.
2. Thou shalt not ill treat children, neither physically nor mentally. Do nothing to instill feelings of guilt or inferiority in the mind of a child. Children are beautiful and defenceless. It is the lowest form of cowardice and the gravest sin of all to harm a child in any way. Love children above all else. Care for them as though your own life depended upon their happiness.
3. Do nothing unto others that you would not like done unto you, (courtesy the Buddha).
4. Go out of your way to befriend people of different races. Learn from them. Seek ways to build bridges, not chasms, and meet in the middle.
5. Care for your planet. It is the only one you have and the only one you are likely to have. Do nothing to the environment that you would refrain from doing in your own home.
6. Kindness, consideration and care are the three golden rules. When faced with the choice between two evils, and no third choice is available, choose the lesser of the two evils based on which is the kinder.
7. Treat animals as though they are your relatives, for in reality, they are.
8. Amass only so much wealth as can be reasonably used for your immediate needs and enjoyment. Do not horde wealth while others go hungry and homeless. Nothing raises the self esteem more than knowing that you are a valuable member of the human race, a person who makes a difference.
9. Be courageous. Speak out against prejudice and cruelty. To remain silent while harm to others is being planned or is occurring is to condone and countenance evil. Contribute your energies to a kinder, more intelligent, more humane world.
10. Take nothing at face value. Question everything.
Darwin Copernicus