A Discussion of the Ten Commandments

[Felicity, Miles, and Carter are discussing the Ten Commandments]


FELICITY:
	Pointing to the Ten Commandments seems to be a favorite
	passtime for Christians. But Jesus hardly mentions them.
	So why do his followers talk about them so much?

MILES:	Every society is looking for order. The Ten Commandments
	are a simple way to define an orderly society. Jesus
	preferred to say, "Love your neighbor." Love may be more
	fundamental, but "do not steal" is easier to enforce.

F:	Talking about enforcement seems so negative! Don't the
	commandments point us toward building happiness for all?

M:	Enforcement may sound negative but it is really important.
	People do bad things. Maybe some people are bad people
	but even good people can get lost in bad ways of thinking.
	Enforcing rules sets a boundary for how people behave.

CARTER:	Rewards are the key. People act in the way they do mostly
	to get something of value in return. The Ten Commandments
	offer value for everybody. Some of that is obvious: "Do
	not steal" means you give up walking off with my iPhone X
	but you get protection for your classic 1955 Cadillac. A
	command like "Honor your father and your mother" may not
	have an obvious reward, so the Ten Commandments spells
	out the reward: to "live a long time". In other words, if
	you take care of old people your society will survive to
	take care of you.

F:	Can the Ten Commandments push us in a positive direction,
	Carter? Your emphasis on rewards seems just as negative
	as Miles' focus on enforcement. I think God wrote these
	commandments for our happiness.

C:	All I'm saying is that people need a reward to make the
	right choices.

M:	"Right" choices? You're saying we make all our decisions
	based on cost and profit. But profit won't lead to the
	right choices unless society is built the right way.

F:	Do you think an orderly society always makes the right
	choices, Miles?

M:	It has to be the right kind of order. That's why Carter's
	rewards bother me. Isn't that trying to build society on
	people's worst traits?

C:	No, what I'm saying is that everything God made can be
	harnessed for good. Seeking rewards is no more evil than
	avoiding punishments. In the Ten Commandments God uses
	what human beings are like to help humans be better.

F:	All that you guys have said makes sense. But what is the
	good that the Ten Commandments is pushing us toward? Is
	it only an orderly society? Or do the Ten Commandments
	lead us to greater happiness?

M:	Let's say "holiness" instead of "happiness". Somewhere in
	Leviticus there is a command that says that we should be
	holy because God is holy. The Ten Commandments encourage
	us to be more like God.



						September 9, 2019