The Ten Discommandments—Things God Did Not Say to Moses
Is it me? Or does it seem that notwithstanding what scripture says, people today live according to the following precepts.
I am the Lord your God, but feel free to worship fame, money and sex.
You shall have no other gods before me, but see rule number one above.Put fame, money and sex first, these things really matter.
Thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain, unless it is to browbeat a co-worker, bully someone, enjoy one of the new acts in comedy, which seemingly require massive doses of profanity, or just to be cool.
Remember the Sabbath.It is a day of rest.Sleep in.Take in a ballgame if you can.Indulge yourself.I only created you.Hey, no sweat.I can live without your appreciation.
Honor your father and mother, especially when you are very young and need their assistance.When you reach adolescence you will realize how incredibly stupid they are, and by the time they reach old age you will see them as disgusting, decrepit and unduly burdensome.Let them hire help.
Thou shalt not kill.However there are many exceptions to this rule:the just war theory; preemptive strike---haven’t you heard of an eye for an eye?; revenge—yes, that same eye for an eye applies; sheer indifference—if people around the world are dying but you can ignore the suffering, that lessens the pain (to you).
Thou shalt not commit monogamy.Marriage can be for a long time and gets tiresome after a while.There are a lot of willing men and women who can leave father and mother to cleave to each other. Cleave away.
Thou shalt not steal.Stealing is such a harsh word.But if you can keep up with the Joneses by surreptitiously squirreling away another’s possession, more power to you.It’s only stealing if you get caught.
It is a dog eat dog world out there and if you need to bear false witness against another to get ahead, especially given the office politics, go for it.Remember rule number one above.
Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s wife or goods.But moderation in all things. So if your neighbor’s wife looks like a supermodel, or he owns the latest 5 Series, all bets are off.
The above is not intended to be sacrilegious, but rather to point out the profane that seemingly surrounds us every day. There is a reason the eternal verities are eternal. The problem is reminding the modern world of the verities. That was the most significant reason I wrote To the Close of the Age.
The book’s premise is a husband and wife team of scientists invent a time machine. With enough fuel for only one trip, they decide to visit the seminal moment in history, the first Easter Sunday in 33AD to see if Jesus really rose from the dead and to bring back proof to the modern age.
The idea is to present scripture in a context that might appeal to modern readers. With a little luck and God’s good grace, the book should be available by early November. I welcome your feedback. Please share your thoughts with me at KTZemsky@gmail.com.