48736 - Ten Commandments

vorpal blade · Post by **vorpal blade** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:07 am

The question in #48736 was "Question: What does the monument of the Ten Commandments at Pioneer Park read and why would it be construed to be different from the LDS view of the Ten Commandments?" In part Waldorf and Sauron state "It [the monument] doesn't seem to match with any particular Biblical translation in word choice, though the principles are entirely unchanged from the standard 10 commandments accepted by all Christians."

Here is what the monument says:

I AM the LORD thy God.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven images.
Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

Is that the version we accept, and is accepted by all Christians? I was rather surprised to learn on my mission to Italy that Catholics are not taught the same 10 commandments that we are, in a way. They number the commandments so as to bring out some things, and not bring out other things. According to this site, http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2004/0403fea3.asp, "the Catechismâ€™s traditional presentation of the commandments for memorization are:

1. I am the Lord your God: You shall not have strange Gods before me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Lordâ€™s Day.
4. Honor your father and mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighborâ€™s wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighborâ€™s goods."

The way the 10 commandments were displayed on a monument in an Alabama judicial building is probably the version Mormons are more familiar with:

1. I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness.
10. Thou shalt not covet.

You will notice that the Catholic version omits the separate commandment "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image." Instead, it breaks the "Thou shalt not covet" commandment into two commandments having to do with coveting. The Catholic site I referenced argues that the Catholic version of the 10 commandments is better. You can understand that the Catholics would be offended by the version seen in the monument in the Alabama judicial building. They are rather sensitive to charges about worshipping graven images.

Which I think explains why the lawyer in question 48736 said, "As it happens, the version of the Ten Commandments on the Eagles monument isn't even the Mormon version of the Ten Commandments. That might raise sensitivities in this town." The version on the Eagles monument is sort of a combination of the Catholic and Protestant versions of the 10 commandments. The lawyer was giving a half truth.

Just seemed like an interesting point to me.

yellow m&m · Post by **yellow m&m** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:11 am

That is really interesting. I didn't know about different forms of the ten commandments. Thanks!

wired · Post by **wired** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 9:31 am

Thank you! I think that explains it for me. I still think the lawyer's statement is very misleading, but it can be construed to be truth.

Once again, great answer. Thanks!

361 · Post by **361** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 12:22 pm

wired wrote:I still think the lawyer's statement is very misleading, but it can be construed to be truth.

Werf's a lawyer... I think that's kinda the point...

vorpal blade · Post by **vorpal blade** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 1:31 pm

361 wrote:
wired wrote:I still think the lawyer's statement is very misleading, but it can be construed to be truth.
Werf's a lawyer... I think that's kinda the point...

Let's be fair, 361. Not all lawyers are dishonest. It's just that 95% of all lawyers give the others a bad name.

Giovanni Schwartz · Post by **Giovanni Schwartz** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:15 pm

Where do liars go?

To law school!

Someone said that to me today, when I asked if they knew where liars went.

Yarjka · Post by **Yarjka** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:02 pm

When I first read your joke, I thought it said:

Where do lawyers go?

To law school!

I thought it was brilliant.

Giovanni Schwartz wrote:Where do liars go?

To law school!

Someone said that to me today, when I asked if they knew where liars went.

Giovanni Schwartz · Post by **Giovanni Schwartz** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:07 pm

I almost typed that, actually.

Werf_Must · Post by **Werf_Must** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:04 pm

How many lawyers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
It only takes one lawyer to screw things up!

Man I have some good lawyer jokes... but it is because I have several friends who are lawyers and I am interested in law...

One problem is that whole law school=serious student loans, so if I did go, I would not be able to become a stay at home mom, at least not for several years

Wisteria · Post by **Wisteria** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:29 pm

People, people! Graduate school in the hard sciences is the only way to go- *they* pay *you*!

Werf_Must · Post by **Werf_Must** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 4:47 pm

Hard sciences=hard!

The closest thing to a science that I even vaguely consider majoring in is Psychology, which is a social science (although if you go into the experimental psychology, that is rather sciency...)

Actually, in my state I could actually have my entire degree paid for if I got my bachelors in some kind of science OR math... and I qualify for it too, all I would have to do is do it... but it is so not my interest!

vorpal blade · Post by **vorpal blade** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 9:14 pm

Werf_Must wrote:One problem is that whole law school=serious student loans, so if I did go, I would not be able to become a stay at home mom, at least not for several years

One of my daughters became a lawyer, but the rest of my children turned out okay.

Nanti-SARRMM · Post by **Nanti-SARRMM** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 12:38 am

Just how old are you?

vorpal blade · Post by **vorpal blade** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 9:48 am

Nanti-SARRMM wrote:Just how old are you?

I was wondering if you would think I was joking about my daughter being a lawyer. Actually, that part was true.

I'll be 62 in less than a month.

Thanks for asking.

Portia · Post by **Portia** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:52 pm

Wisteria wrote:People, people! Graduate school in the hard sciences is the only way to go- *they* pay *you*!

Way to represent us female hotties of the Widstoe building, eh?

(Even though I fail because I am merely going into the lowly social sciences, it looks like. Um, in my defense . . . good GRE score? Nope, Wisteria wins this game. :) )

Fredjikrang · Post by **Fredjikrang** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 2:07 pm

(I split of the Vorpal discussion. It can now be found in the "Random Chatter" section.)