Understanding the 10 Commandments

No document in world history so changed the world for the better, as did the Ten Commandments.

Western civilization, the civilization that developed universal human rights, created women's equality, ended slavery, created parliamentary democracy, among other unique achievements, would not have developed without them.

As you will see when each of the Ten Commandments is explained, These commandments are as relevant today as when they were given over 3,000 years ago.

In fact, they're so relevant that the Ten Commandments are all that is necessary to make a good world a world free of tyranny and cruelty.

Imagine for a moment a world in which there was no murder or theft.

In such a world, there would be no need for armies or police or weapons.

Men and women and children could walk anywhere at any time of day or night without any fear of being killed or robbed.

Imagine further a world in which no one coveted what belonged to their neighbor.

A world in which children honored their mother and father and the family unit thrived.

A world in which people obeyed the injunction not to lie.

The recipe for a good world is all there in these ten sublime commandments.

But there is a catch.

The Ten Commandments are predicated on the belief that they were given by an authority higher than any man, any king, or any government.

That's why the sentence preceding the Ten Commandments asserts the following.

God spoke all these words.

You see, if the Ten Commandments, as great as they are, were given by any human authority, then any person could say, Who is this man Moses? Who is this king or queen? Who is this government to tell me how I should behave? Okay, so why is God indispensable to the Ten Commandments? Because, to put it as directly as possible, if it isn't God who declares murder wrong, murder isn't wrong.