The Ten Commandments and My Ten Suggestions

Atheist Parenting, atheist

What if, instead of climbing Mount Sanai to a burning bush or whatever to get essential rules for living, someone important had asked me for some ideas? In fact, I wish they had because I know I could have done better...especially had I known my messenger was going to have to carry huge stones with the words written on them; couldn't I have invented papyrus first?!

What is with the ridiculous commandments that some Christians consider so stellar and beloved?

I mean, have you read them lately? 
If you had the chance to leave enduring hallowed imperatives, wouldn't you take your time and really make them count? I'm sure I can't be the only person to think about this, but why are the Ten Commandments so ...weak?  
In case you haven't read them lately, allow me to remind you:

Did you really read those? If so, certainly you have some questions about them.
Why would anyone waste two important tenets for one's own self-aggrandizement? Actually the first four. And let us not covet forgoodnessake because that would be bad. Like one of the worst things. Not to mention the many, many, many essentials of community living that are completely absent from the list.

It's not just comical, it's almost criminal that the Ten Commandments are so useless. It amazed me that so many people consider the Ten Commandments to be imperative in anyway. Many Christians consider the commandments to be an exhalted and fixed set of guidelines for moral behavior from on high. But there must be some Christians somewhere thinking this is it? These are the words from Our Lord? 

Just one specific comment though, I always found the fifth commandment Honor thy father and thy mother kind of funny when this is also in the book:  

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, 

and mother...he cannot be my disciple.

(Luke 14:26)

That's one of those things that occurred to me when I was a teenager but it doesn't really refer to the commandments.  Let's at least look at a few things that the Most Holy could have said:

• Lord Krishna at least said  ...destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance...
• Buddha said: all component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting.
• Ra said:  Listen, Oh hours, the requests are addressed to you, act on your account, among you! The place of your rest is your pylons, your breasts are in the darkness, your posteriors in the light.     Ahem.

I won't insult your intelligence with criticism of each commandment specifically, only to say that the list is woefully inadequate. With all of the time in the world, or so they say, seems this list would be exquisitely relevant. 

While writing this fairly intelligible piece of drivel of a blog post (I'm on painkillers for a pinched nerve, maybe this post isn't as erudite as I imagine...) I decided to create my own set of suggestions, you know, for now, until something better comes along.

 

Enjoy my suggestions or, better yet write your own.
Because after all, there is no hell and it's your life.

To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance. - See more at: http://harekrishnaquotes.com/category/quotes-category/authors/a-lord/01-ord-krishna/#sthash.4gOAkfKX.dpuf

To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance. - See more at: http://harekrishnaquotes.com/category/quotes-category/authors/a-lord/01-ord-krishna/#sthash.4gOAkfKX.dpuf

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All-Knowing, All-Powerful, Ever-Loving God
Relativism and Atheism
It Takes More Faith to be an Atheist
Knockin' on Heaven's Door