Why is following the Ten Commandments considered so vital to be a good Jew or Christian, while at the same time there are other rules in the Book of Exodus that were given by God that if followed today would be considered offensive and sacreligious to even the most conservative follower of the Christian or Jewish faiths? For example, in the book of Exodus there is a passage in which the Lord gives a law that says that if somebody is caught doing work on the Sabbath day, he should be put to death. The issue I have with many devout followers of the Judeo - Christian way is that they claim one cannot selectively obey some of God's laws and consider himself or herself a 'moral' person. Are not these right-wing religious individuals as guilty of obeying God's rules selectively as are, for example, people who have sex before marriage but who other than that 'more or less' follow the guidelines of the Old and the New Testaments?
User Detail :
Name : Mark, Gender : M, City : Courtenay, State : NA Country : Canada, The Ten Commandments, which is considered part of the law, was never meant to be a list of rules to live by. The book of Exodus lists many, many more of God's laws to the Jewish nation, not just 10. No one and I mean no one can or has ever kept The Ten Commandments and it was not God's intention for man to keep them. They were intended to show the sinfulness of mankind's heart. The Bible states that if you offend in one, you are guilty of them all. The Ten Commandments are there to show us our need of a Holy God. If you're having sex outside of marriage, it is called fornication and is just as sinful as lying. We all make provisions or excuses for our sin and try to make it right in our own eyes, but sin is sin. We are all going to stand before a Holy and just God one day and give an account of the lives we led. God does not expect perfection, but He does expect obedience.
User Detail :
Name : Redeemed-One30113, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 53, City : Newport News, State : UT Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Yes.
User Detail :
Name : Rick29897, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : Springfield, State : OH Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, First and for most, No man is perfect except for Jesus the son of Christ. We are to strive to be Christ like. We as Christians are not to judge the faults of others useless we are with out fault. Jesus die on the cross to save us from our sin. Giving us the opportunity to be forgiven for those sins. We all fall short of the glory of God. Regarding the Old and New Testament Laws Matthew 5:17 says 'THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO DESTROY THE LAW, OR THE PROPHETS: I AM NOT COME TO DESTROY, BUT TO FULFILL.' Example: Jesus fulfilled the punishment of death for those that worked on the Sabbath as in the initial question. The 10 commandments are still set in stone. However Mark 29-31 stress 'The first of all the commandments is hear O Israel the Lord our God and THOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY SOUL, & WITH THEY MIND, & WITH ALL THEY STRENGTH this is the first commandments and the second is like namely this THOU SHALL LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THEY SELF THERE IS NONE OTHER COMMANDMENTS GREATER THAN THESE. If we live by these two commandments alone we would not break many of the commandments because our love for Christ and others would not bring us to committing murder or steal etc. Do not take my words as fact check it with the New Testament in the Bible where it talks most regarding Jesus fulfillment of the old laws. This section gives enlightment to the laws & commandments.
User Detail :
Name : Dayze day, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Joplin, State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : Real Estate / Webmaster / Programmer, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, I was having this conversation with a friend of mine the other day. I am a Christian. I believe that to disobey ANY of the Commandments or laws set forth by God is to be disobedient. People like to be selective to their own whims in the world. A lot of people who feel as if they are 'holier than thou', forget about the 'less publicized' of God's Laws that they, too, don't apply to their lives. A sin is a sin...so I hate when people get judgmental about specifics if they, too, aren't specific to every law.
User Detail :
Name : Raquel, Gender : F, Age : 31, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, In Jewish tradition, there is both the written law and the oral law. The oral law, which is considered a living thing, takes precedence. Of course, there are different interpretations of the oral law (which was actually written down over the centuries) which is why there are different observances among Jews. And it isn't supposed to be a free-for-all, the interpretation is traditionally done by respected teachers or schools.
User Detail :
Name : JerryS, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 52, City : New Britain, State : CT Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, This is a strange truth that ALOT of Christians ignore. I myself find myself slipping CONTINUOUSLY. But what people don't seem to understand is that you can't be Christian by yourself true Christianity comes from following God and ONLY God not yourself OR ANY MAN/WOMAN because you can always be led astray. Seek the Lord for yourself and He WILL show Himself To You. In the end you (meaning them) can't blame your unbelief on anyone BUT yourself if you choose to stray OR not accept him personally. I believe most so called Christians know but will not accept this fact because it is SO hard to believe in things not seen. You can't be God by yourself and change rules. But thats where faith comes in it all comes Down to God Plain and simple. Believe in only Him because we are humans are at times ignorant and obviously make mistakes.
User Detail :
Name : Natasha, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : A bit of Everything, Age : 21, City : Huntsville, State : AL Country : United States, Occupation : Receptionist, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, The laws in the book of Exodus were written for the Isrealites (Jews) at that time. They needed to follow certain things to remain pure, and they needed to make sacrifices to be cleansed of sin. When Jesus died on the cross, he was the ultimate sacrifice for all sins, and the Jews were freed from many of the old laws, including sacrificing animals. Jesus said in Matthew 19:18 'Thou shalt not murder, THou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, THou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.' He also said He is the only way to God, and only through Him we can be saved NOT by following rules and regulations but only by the Grace of God. No one can get to heaven by being a good person. You must ask Jesus into your heart and ask for forgiveness of sin. He said if you acknowlege Him before men, He will acknowledge you to God. Its important to try to follow the Bible and to lead a good life, but nobody is perfect...we can only try our best. The ten commandments are very good rules to live by, our country wouldn't have so many freedoms and privileges if our founding fathers didn't believe in these Golden Rules.
User Detail :
Name : R-Kerr, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, City : Attica, State : MI Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, The Old Testament was based on the Law and the New Testament is based on Grace. It says in the New testament that God wants obedience, not sacrifice. Basically when Jesus came, a new way of living took place. It's all based on Grace and no sacrifices where needed. That's also a reason why we don't need to make burnt offerings to God. So it's not like we choose to obey only what is convienient, but the New Testament shows us how to live our lives. Read 1 Corinthians... it's a really good book! =O)
User Detail :
Name : Brenda19422, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Christian, Age : 21, City : Phoenix, State : AZ Country : United States, Occupation : CSR, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, In Christianity (I can't speak for Judaism) some rules are still there (Love your Neighbour, Don't lie, steal, murder,), others have gone. The reason is that when Jesus died, He took some of those rules away. In my opinion, all of these rules have a moderen aplication (yes, even not cutting the sides of our hair, or not mixing certain types of clothing!), that are always needed. Yes, a lot of the Old Testemant Law was culteral, and some of those rules are not followed by Christians, because God has taken away these rules, by Jesus's death on the cross. And by the way, this is NOT God changing His mind, as the Old Testament Law was created to show God's plan of salvstion, first via the Jews, then the Gentiles.
User Detail :
Name : Gary21774, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 21, City : London, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Most Christians do not follow all the rules in the Bible because in the New Testament Jesus refutes the purposes of these rules. Also, Christianity is centered more on Christ than on ritual. It is Him that leads people to heaven and not good works. However, some secular Christians (such as myself) are open-minded enough to see that not all parts of the Bible are divine, and that it has a great deal of man's bias in it. It is also important to note that the Bible reflects a different time and culture --- some of the rules laid down were to protect people's health, because the knowledge of 'germs' and 'disease' was virtually foreign to them. Examples of these could be found in what type of food they were allowed to eat, and certain cleaning and 'purification' rituals. Some of the other rules also reflect cultural differences. It is my opinion that it doesn't really matter if you follow what a 'religion' says is right or wrong. I believe you need to follow your heart and the law. If you feel it is wrong, then it is wrong, period. If you feel it is ok, then it is ok. Most normal-minded people have a similar sense of what is right and wrong -- you don't have to have a 'religion' to make them feel overly guilty all the time. To me, anything that hurts another or yourself is what is truly wrong.
User Detail :
Name : Kristina, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 20, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : Transcriber, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, The 10 Commandments were written by the very finger of God, is why these commandments are held so dear. Dietary laws and sacrificial laws were secondary because they didn't come directly from God, but through Moses etc.(If one would look through church history, there were some early church fathers who taught that even the 10 commandments could be 'adjusted.') But who can keep all the laws? Even the strict Jews realized they it would take a great effort on their part to keep the laws perfectly. Matt5:20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. The ability to keep the laws can only be kept by a 'pinch-hitter,' Jesus Christ. The Christian is called to become more like Christ, but in the meantime, doesn't rely on his own ability or lack thereof, but relies on the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ for his standing.
User Detail :
Name : Arnold Urbonas, Religion : Christian, City : Edmonton, State : NA Country : Canada, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, If every christian followed every word in the bible, there'd still be slavery, and bull-burning would be a common occurance. I have an equation for you: fundmentalist = ignorant. Oh, and God didn't write the bible; Man did.
User Detail :
Name : Josh29140, Gender : M, Age : 22, City : Guelph, State : NA Country : Canada, Religion is manmade, and being a Christian is something you have to do mainly on your own. God doesn't expect us to be perfect. All religions have a fault or two, and it's up to you as to what you think is right or wrong. As the times change, so do the rules; it's up to you to figure it all out. That is the point of our lives. We all know what is right and wrong in our hearts, and it's up to us to listen. Some might listen deeper than others.
User Detail :
Name : Kris, Alberta, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 21, City : Edmonton, State : NA Country : Canada, Occupation : na, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, I am going to answer this via a Christian viewpoint. The 10 Commandments is a unit of basic law that God gave to Moses to present to the Israelites -- a set of laws to live by. There are many other rules and regulations listed in the Old Testament that were given for a particular situation, such as dietary, social order, etc. that are not pertinent for us today. In fact, there are verses in the New Testament where an old rule is shown to be no longer valid. Peter had a vision where God told him it was no longer necessary to follow the strict Jewish dietary rules he had always followed. This vision also served to inform Peter that it was OK to speak to/associate with/teach non-Jews. Of course,Christians break the rules all the time. Why so? Our faith teaches us that Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law. As God's son he paid the punishment for our sin -- our infractions, our law-breaking. Does this mean Christians should do whatever they want because we know we will be forgiven and covered by God's grace (unmerited favor)? No. Paul tells us in the New Testament that grace is not a license to do whatever we want. We still need to be striving to keep the 10 Commandments. They are very basic instructions on how to live. Honor God; love one another; honor parents; live justly, etc.
User Detail :
Name : Annie D., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 50, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : copy editor, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences .
