Ten Commandments - Essay Example

Ten Commandments One of the weightiest arguments since time immemorial and bears so much on the rationale behind the Christian faith is about the existence of God. This in mind, it begs the question if whether one would follow the Ten Biblical Commandments if he or she knew about the existence of God. Many religious convictions believe the Ten Commandments form the foundation of morality and ideal behaviour. It becomes not only vital for religious purposes, but also for guiding proper and legal values of the people (Hamilton, 2003). After critical analysis of the Ten Commandments, am still not sure about God’s existence and if given a choice will not follow the ten commands. My opinions may differ from those of Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, inventor, writer and most notably a Christian philosopher. In his arguments, known as ‘Pascal’s wager’, he explains that as finite creatures we will never be able to recognize if God exists. This leads to a situation whereby we must make a wager and come to a decision whether to believe or not to believe in God, more so since the choice is unavoidable (Hamilton, 2003). According to Pascal, if we bet on the existence of God and it turns out to be right, considering that we also decided to follow his commands and laws, then the reward will be an eternity of happiness. If it turns out to be a lie, then we will not have lost much, maybe just the indulgence in immoral behaviour. The other argument is that, if we wager against the existence of God, the consequence however positive, would be limited and extremely small compared to what would happen if in fact God existed and one gets condemned into infinite pain (Hamilton, 2003). Therefore, an individual has everything to gain and nothing or little to lose through belief in God. If one does not believe in God’s existence; he or she has nothing or little to gain but all to lose through not believing in him. Pascal deduces that it would be unwise not to wager for God’s existence. Though there is logic in Pascal’s reasoning and opinion, I belong to a different school of thought. Regarding the commandments, I believe there is much to be argued about them. Following some of these commands from beginning to end is objectionable and I will base my case on three commandments. To begin with, the fourth commandment states that ‘we should remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy’, and is mostly founded on the Jewish culture and history. Just to mention, a look at the number of people who currently refrain from all kinds of chores on Saturday, one may get discouraged, because there is practically none. Since this commandment does not provide room for interpretation, it translates to a situation that demands pardon from any work, especially the Sabbath day (Hamilton, 2003). Imagine of a situation whereby everyone refrained from their normal activities and duties, the consequences could be catastrophic at least. Say all the emergency services, police and the doctors downed their tools for the sake of obeying this commandment. What would happen? There would be massive damage and so many lives would be at risk. Therefore, observing this commandment would lead to serious consequences for everyone. The fifth commandment states that “we should honour our father and mother”. This commandment ought to bring out the good aspects in children if used in a positive way. It is ought to strengthen family ties and also contribute in forming a society that is responsible and well structured in terms of morals. The main dilemma though comes about when trying to determine what honour means, and its application to certain aspects. Sometimes the children can have opinions that conflict with their parent’s due to what their parents impose on them. Sometimes obeying parents would mean prohibiting children from having freedom and emotional health, especially if the parents are insisting their children to follow certain relationships or activities that have negative results. There are circumstances whereby the individuals find it hard to obey their parents because the parents do not deserve there respect. A compelling example may be that of abusive parents and or parents who insist on their children to engage in immoral acts (Hamilton, 2003). The sixth commandment states that ‘You shall not commit murder’. This commandment is worthy and quite vital. Personally, the commandment may become inapplicable if one’s life or that of his/her friends and relatives is in jeopardy. This commandment gets broken daily by people who are not in the military or any armed forces just to make sure other people are safe. Most nations break this law when they use their military to protect their people. Most circumstances involve their fight against terrorism and terrorists. It is logical to murder somebody if he or she poses a threat to other people and if it is a means of protecting oneself (Hamilton, 2003). According to Pascal, a catholic philosopher, he argues that it is best to believe in God and obey his commands so as to receive rewards if it turns out that he exists rather than not believing in his existence and being wrong. The result would be a condemnation to an eternity of suffering and anguish (Hamilton, 2003). Other philosophers argue that they would not follow the Ten Commandments if they were not sure if God existed or not. This is because they would contradict what God would have done. This is evident through the Ten Commandments, such as the commandment that states that we shall not murder. Over history, cases of murder and mass murders have been experienced, from the time of Noah and the floods to the time of Sodom and Gomorrah. God lets people die without intervening, as a way of punishing them and he goes against His own command of not murdering. Therefore, the philosophers argue that they would also not follow the commandments since they believe that if God existed, then He would have prevented those incidences from happening (Hamilton, 2003). To begin with, a deep look at the Ten Commandments reveals that they were addressing a specific demographic and religion. Since the commandments advocate for everyone to follow them without raising any questions, it provides me with reason as not to follow them. If I am to define and decide on what true moral is, then I think the result will be another set of commandments based on my opinion, which differs from one person to another. When comparing the thoughts and opinions of different philosophers concerning this subject, we find out that most of them to begin with are not sure if God existed or not. Therefore, their response becomes split into two schools of thought, those that would follow the commandments and those that would not follow them. Those who would obey them argue that the reward is high enough if one follows the commands, and also the consequences of not following them are painful enough not to try and experience them. They also argue that those who follow the commandments live a life that has a purpose and direction, and will avoid destruction that comes about when living a life without purpose. They claim that by following the Ten Commandments, one gets assured of prosperity since they become able to avoid vices such as coveting their neighbour’s property, murder and stealing other people’s property among others (Hamilton, 2003). Those against obeying the commandments argue that the commandments got issued to the Israelites alone and not to all Christians. They also argue that people should not be restricted by laws, because they tend to limit one from freely expressing oneself and doing what they desire. Although, one of the commandments states that we should not bear false witness, meaning that honesty is vital, some philosophers tend to differ. They argue that sometimes white lies are vital in day to day lives. They can be the difference between life and death hence the saying what one does not know cannot hurt him or her. There are so many white lies told to ensure there is order, governments operate well without uprisings and lives get saved (Hamilton, 2003). Therefore, when I take a look at my opinion and what some philosopher’s state, I find that there is some comparison in the way we view the issue of obeying the Ten Commandments, more so in regards to its applicability in the modern world where much has changed since the times of the Old Testament (Hamilton, 2003). Going back to the main question, would I follow the Ten Commandments, especially if I was unsure of the existence of God? The answer would be a No. This is because as I stated earlier on, it is not about arrogance or self righteousness but because of what the Ten Commandments stand for, as a whole, which in most cases do not apply in my life. There are so many positive principles contained in the commandments. The commandments can be redefined and stated in other more relevant ways to apply to present day to day life experience. We have a responsibility, as well as the capability as a sophisticated group of people or society, to generate a set of own rules and laws that can better guide us in the process of making the planet Earth a better place (Hamilton, 2003). References Christopher Hamilton (2003). An Understanding Philosophy for AS Level AQA. Nashville: Nelson Thornes. Read More