Adam Shock

2-12-15
Relevance

The Ten Commandments are relevant on todays society because they have helped shape the
morals of our society and many of the laws that America and other first world countries are required
to follow. The Ten Commandments have been around since circa 1450 BC and they set boundaries
on how the Jewish people lived, making it immoral to murder, steal, commit adultery, covet,
disrespect your parents, worship another god, make idols, work on the Sabbath, use Gods name in
vain, or bear false witness against your neighbor. If America is taken as an example, then it is easy
to identify where some of these commandments reveal themselves in our laws because the ones
against murder, theft, and bearing false witness are punishable ranging from a fine to death. Some
other conduct that is not included in the laws of America is the one against adultery. Although
adultery is not against the law it is highly frowned upon because it reveals someone who is not
committed and is neither faithful nor loyal. Adultery is enough to be considered a breach in contract
after it has been committed because it can be grounds for a divorce. Honoring your mother and
father is something that is considered socially proper because it doesnt just refer to your parents
but it really means that you should honor your elders and not show disrespect toward them because
most people will not stand for it. When the commandments say believe in no one but me, it is
another statement of loyalty which can be used in ancient countries or dictated countries to control
their people by punishing them if they commit treason. This is so that the people believe that their
country is the best so that the government can have complete loyalty one way or the other. The
commandment that says not to covet is reflected in todays society when people get jealous and say
that they want something that they dont have when it is someone elses property, which is
important because it was meant to keep conflict over property, wealth, and power minimal. The day
that is meant to not be worked on is reflected in schools because the Judaists day of Sabbath is
Saturday where the Christians day is on Sunday and schools are not open on the weekend partially
because it was influenced by these major religions. The commandment that states that no one shall
create idols is not very relevant today because few, if any, churches or people follow this
commandment. The relevance of not taking the Lords name in vain is because it is similar to
swearing which most mature, intelligent adults do not need to do to get their point across and is
seen as obscene and disrespectful.