Other Commandments?: A Sermon by Reverend David Weissbard, March 26, 2017
Preacher: Reverend David Weissbard
“Other Commandments??”
First Universalist Society
Central Square NY
David R. Weissbard
March 26, 2017
THE READING
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The Immorality of the Ten Commandments.
By Christopher Hitchens
The row over the so-called “Ten Commandments,” and whether they should be exhibited on public property, misses the opportunity to consider these top-10 divine ordinances and their relationship to original intent. We may ask ourselves why any sect, however primitive, would want to base itself on such vague pre-Christian desert morality (assuming Moses to be pre-Christian).
The first four of the commandments have little to do with either law or morality, and the first three suggest a terrific insecurity on the part of the person supposedly issuing them. I am the lord thy god and thou shalt have no other … no graven images … no taking of my name in vain: surely these could have been compressed into a more general injunction to show respect. The ensuing order to set aside a holy day is scarcely a moral or ethical one, unless you assume that other days are somehow profane. Whereas a day of rest, as prefigured in the opening passages of Genesis, is no more than organized labor might have demanded, perhaps during the arduous days of unpaid pyramid erection.
The next instruction is to honor one’s parents: a harmless enough idea, but unenforceable in law and inapplicable to the many orphans that nature or god sees fit to create. That there should be no itemized utterance enjoining the protection of children seems odd, given that the commandments are addressed in the first instance to adults. But then, the same god frequently urged his followers to exterminate various forgotten enemy tribes down to the last infant, sparing only the virgins, so this may be a case where hand-tying or absolute prohibitions were best avoided.
There has never yet been any society, Confucian or Buddhist or Islamic, where the legal codes did not frown upon murder and theft. These offenses were certainly crimes in the Pharaonic Egypt from which the children of Israel had, if the story is to be believed, just escaped. So the middle-ranking commandments, of which the chief one has long been confusingly rendered “thou shalt not kill,” leave us none the wiser as to whether the almighty considers warfare to be murder, or taxation and confiscation to be theft. Tautology hovers over the whole enterprise.
In much the same way, few if any courts in any recorded society have approved the idea of perjury, so the idea that witnesses should tell the truth can scarcely have required a divine spark in order to take root. Then it’s a swift wrap-up with a condemnation of adultery (from which humans actually can refrain) and a prohibition upon covetousness (from which they cannot). To insist that people not annex their neighbor’s cattle or wife “or anything that is his” might be reasonable, even if it does place the wife in the same category as the cattle, and presumably to that extent diminishes the offense of adultery. But to demand “don’t even think
about it” is absurd and totalitarian, and furthermore inhibiting to the Protestant spirit of entrepreneurship and competition.
One is presuming (is one not?) that this is the same god who actually created the audience he was addressing. This leaves us with the insoluble mystery of why he would have molded (“in his own image,” yet) a covetous, murderous, disrespectful, lying, and adulterous species. Create them sick, and then command them to be well? What a mad despot this is, and how fortunate we are that he exists only in the minds of his worshipers.
It’s obviously too much to expect that a Bronze Age demagogue should have remembered to condemn drug abuse, drunken driving, or offenses against gender equality, or to demand prayer in the schools. Still, to have left rape and child abuse and genocide and slavery out of the account is to have been negligent to some degree, even by the lax standards of the time. I wonder what would happen if secularists were now to insist that the verses of the Bible that actually recommend enslavement, mutilation, stoning, and mass murder of civilians be incised on the walls of, say, public libraries? There are many more than 10 commandments in the Old Testament, and I live for the day when Americans are obliged to observe all of them, including the ox-goring and witch-burning ones. Too many editorialists have described the flap as a silly confrontation with exhibitionist fundamentalism, when the true problem is our failure to recognize that religion is not just incongruent with morality but in essential ways incompatible with it.
THE SERMON
24 years ago I set out to preach a sermon on the Ten Commandments. I didn’t know what I was getting into. Next thing I knew, I had a tiger by the tail. I found far fewer books with modern scholarship and interpretations of the commandments than I expected. I decided that I would endeavor to fill that gap, and during a sabbatical from the Rockford Church, I devoted five months of full time study to the project. I suspect I did nearly as much studying during that sabbatical as I did in four years of college and three years of seminary combined.
Along the way, I did find some books which, had I encountered them sooner, would have satisfied my need for resources, but I’m glad I didn’t because none of them is quite “on target” from my perspective. I continue to this day to fantasize about completing the book. I have delivered a series of sermons as a result of my research. They still need editing and expansion [or contraction] for a book.
[to date]
To summarize in a nutshell, the evidence is clear, regardless of what the biblical literalists claim, that people have always re-interpreted the commandments for their times. Our modern understandings, or even the pre-modern understandings of the literalists, are a far cry from what they appear to have meant to the Hebrews of three centuries ago. I suggested, therefore, that it was perfectly appropriate for us to interpret the principles underlying them in the context of our time, without claiming in any way that these were the original intentions. Using the common numbering (the Calvinist, which is not the Jewish, nor Roman Catholic or Lutheran numbering ), I suggested that the first commandment (no other gods before me) might be seen as being about the value of being clear about our priorities. To me, the second (idol worship) is about avoiding false values; the third (taking the holy name in vain) is about distorting religion, the fourth, (the Sabbath) is about making room in our lives for the spiritual – non-materialistic dimensions of life; the fifth, (honoring parents) is about cherishing family; the sixth, (killing) is about revering life; the seventh (adultery) is about being faithful to promises; the eighth (stealing) is about creating a just distribution of wealth); the ninth (false witness) is about truth telling and avoiding character assassination; and the tenth (coveting), can be seen as being about acceptance of what we have without trying to keep up with the Joneses. I also have one, which I have yet to share with you, about what some consider the eleventh commandment – some form of the Golden Rule – doing unto others as we would have them do to us – or not doing to them what we wouldn’t have them do to us – or doing to others what they would have us do to them.
[how about others?]
One question I was asked several times before, during, and since my sabbatical was, “What about the principles of behavior which were not a part of the original ten, even by extension, but which are important today. In response to that, I invited the members of the Rockford congregation, and the congregation in Albany in which I grew up, and the congregation in Bedford, Massachusetts which I first served, to give me their lists of commandments which were important in their lives. I received something like 400 cards, which averaged four commandments per card – some gave me ten, some one or two, many four or five – a couple gave me eleven or twelve.
I entered the 1639 suggestions I received on my computer, and then I went back and tried to group them. I came up with 48 categories and a large miscellaneous group which seemed not to be categorizable – only one or two people included them. This morning I will share with you the results of that process. I’m going to start at the bottom and work my way to the top. Some are, not surprisingly, modern statements of the original ten, which is why I believe the whole project is worthwhile – they are still compelling. The numbers are not precise because I really need to go back and review some of the category choices I made, but they are close.
[miscellaneous]
Among the most interesting commandments suggested by only one or two people and included therefore in my miscellaneous category were:
be spontaneous
thou shalt not be tiresome
thou shall gate at the moon (ie dream)
thou shalt contribute to public radio
check out pre-Christian Wiccan principles from before men took over the world and screwed it up
never have more than 3 credit cards
don’t pee in the wind
thou shalt not be dead
live simply
do not speak psychobabble even though you are in counseling
live with chutzpah
thou shalt hold none guilty for the sin of another (which made me think of Muslims who are being discriminated against for the sins of a few)
phone home
be in each moment as much as possible, and
thou shalt avoid using “thou shalt” in general conversation
[48-36]
Some of the occasionally mentioned new commandments were be polite (4 votes), appreciate the arts (4), grow (5), trust (5), question or challenge commonly accepted truths (7), think (“think before you speak,” “thou shalt develop logical thinking,” “ consider the alternatives”)(8), be faithful to your partner (the original 7th) received 9 votes.
Working for balance or harmony in life (“everything in moderation,” “balance hard work with rest and contemplation,” was specified by 10, as was the prohibition of gossip as in the original 9th commandment. Working for peace was chosen by 11, as were teach others and appreciate (“be appreciative of what you have,” “count your blessings often, especially remembering people who have enriched your life in the past,” “be grateful.”) 13 people picked up the old 8th and said not stealing was an important principle to them. It ranked #36.
[35-26]
14 people chose the next three principles: “don’t kill” (the old 6th commandment), “establish priorities”, which is how I interpret the first commandment in what is probably my longest stretch for relevance – among the ways the respondents expressed it were: “prioritize and make deliberate effort to walk the talk,” “get my priorities straight,” “say no when I am overloaded,” “find a higher purpose and organize your life around that,” and “thou shalt not be pointless.” And the third in that category was “be patient”: “turn frenzy into focus,” be patient with yourself and others,” be time rich: don’t rush, “I shall try to control my anxiety.”
Fifteen people chose an affirmation of the value of “community”, and fifteen affirmed the “unity of the human family” (“remember you are a part of all humanity and made of star stuff,” “remember we are all connected,” “we all share equal space,” “try to see my life in the context of the people of the world.”)
One person said “‘smell the daisies’ from time to time,” and two said, “take time to smell the roses,” but I included 20 in that category when they said things like, “rejoice in the beauty of nature,” commune with nature,” “make time for love and beauty,” “watch the sunsets,” get out in nature every day – don’t just look out the window or at a tv.”
22 declared one of their guiding principles as being that we should “not judge” one another: “do not presume to judge the choices of others,” try to understand not judge,” or “when making judgements, try to put yourself in that person’s shoes.”
The need to “communicate” with others was designated by 23 as a modern commandment of importance to them: “be open and up front,” “learn how to communicate fairly,” “speak softly,” “speak your mind – kindly,” say what you mean, mean what you say, don’t say it mean,” and I included in this category, “hug often.”
You can see the influence of modern American life in the selection by 24 people of commandments which I included in the category of “health.” “Keep myself as healthy as possible,” “take care of the body,” “maintain healthy nutritional intake,” “I will treat my body as a Unitarian temple,” “live a healthy lifestyle – take care of yourself.”
Kindness was identified by 25 respondents as being a guiding principle for them: “be kind to people who annoy you,” “be kind,” “thou will be kind,” be kind even to those who show no kindness to me,” “be considerate,” “no gratuitous unkindness.”
[25-16]
We have reached the half way point with “caring” ranked As the 25th most popular. I was tempted to link caring with kindness, in which case it would have made the top ten. If, in fact, I had included helping, which I see as also linked to caring and kindness, it would have been #1. It seems to me that you are kind to people because you care about them, and helping is the active manifestation of that caring. In caring I included: “cultivate sympathy – life is tragic,” “be compassionate,” “be sensitive to others needs and feelings,” “care for those with less of everything,” “show concern,” “give comfort to those who cry,” “be nice to others,” “keep the needs of others as a guiding principle for our own actions.”
The next highest was the 24th category which included various forms of the “golden rule”, which, as I said, I have already included as the eleventh commandment. Then comes “justice” with 30 mentions. “Fight injustice,” “try to treat people equally,” “create better social systems in the world,” protect the helpless,” “fight the onset of barbarism,” “hate injustice, love justice,” “play fair,” “be a voice in changing imperial and patriarchal control.”
“Forgiving” is next on the list. “Don’t hold grudges,” “no anger or revenge,” “hatred and revenge are destroyers,” “be quick to forgive,” I shall work to keep aware of the hostilities and annoyances of others and forgive – and be aware of my own and forgive.” I also included, “Thou shalt do your best, but be nice when you inevitably screw up.” The forgiveness category included forgiving oneself and well as others.
Being “humble” was included by 34 of those who participated. “Often reflect on your place in the grander scheme of things,” “As a creature, be humble, you know little,” “thou shalt not condescend,” “don’t take yourself so seriously,” “thou shalt not live within lies of the unknown of subjectivity,” “live as simply as one species in the world deserving no more of return than any others.” I also included, “Thou shalt not offer unsolicited advice,” which, it seems to me, to be about humility. There were a lot of judgement calls.
Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller have had an impact: #20 from the top is “positive thinking.” “Thou shalt not whine,” “welcome each day with optimism and joy,” “thou shalt not give up, never lose faith in the power of collective thought and action,” “thou shalt hope,” “let not the trials, deceit, and cruelty of the world make you too cynical to see the goodness in life,” “ look to the positive and do not deny the negative,” “perform your duties with laughter and a kind face,” “do expect the best – but be ready for the worst,” “maintain a positive outlook,” “remake thyself in a positive image.”
Tied with “positive” was “Listening.” “Truly listen to what others are saying,” “Listen to both sides before making a decision,” “be silent and pay attention,” “thou shalt listen with all thy senses to another,” “ask people what’s on their minds,” “a babbling tongue is tiresome to oneself and others” (which I assume means stop talking and listen), “listen carefully,” “listen inwardly and outwardly.”
The importance of “family” was designated by 37 people. This is another instance in which a case could be made for combining or refining categories because the next on the list is children. If the two were combined, this would be one of the highest, but some of the children responses included all the world’s children , so I made all children related-commandments one category.
The family list includes: “respect your family,” “respect your ancestors,” “I will be a force for peace in my family,” “maintain strong ties with family,” “honor your relationships with family and friends,” “create a healthy environment for family,” “feel the love of your family,” “ love my wife, and children, and grandchildren,” “support, feed, clothe, and shelter your family.” The 43 ”children” commandments included: “support children both materially and emotionally,” “watch over the world’s children,” “love children,” “protect and nurture children,” “care for the children,” “be responsible to your children or don’t have any,” “aid children and others who are growing in their ability to be independent intellectually and otherwise,” “seek the company of good companions including children,” give as you are able: nurture your family, especially the children; nurture your community, especially the children.”
There were 44 commandments which I deemed “spiritual.” There were two or three people whose lists were largely focused in this area, thus skewing the count somewhat. “Follow my inner spiritual voice,” “meditate your mind,” “nurture my own spirituality,” “be still and know thy God,” “attend to the sacred,” “pray,” keep the sabbath holy, but also greet each day spiritually and with joy,” “bow your head before the spiritual,” “remember the God within,” “worship a spirit greater than oneself,” “see the people in my life as spiritual beings having a human experience.” [It was suggested that I might have added the “smell the daisies” category as a part of spiritual.]
[15-11]
The other categories which were very difficult to deal with were the “love” categories: “Love of self” and “Love of others.” They are, of course, linked. In fact, many people combined them, but not always. If this had been one category, it would far and away have been the largest, but there are differences. I suspect if I had a lot of time to go back a couple of more times, I would have moved some of these from one category to the other. As it was, I divided them and included in position 16, the 45 responses in the “love of self” slot. The commandments included: “value yourself,” “be good to yourself first,” allow yourself to be human,” “take time for yourself first,” “don’t lose yourself in another person,” “value your capacity to value,” “learn to love yourself, warts and all, so you may love others,” “don’t apologize for existing,” “discover yourself,” and this one which came from a card signed by one of the matriarchs of this congregation, “don’t put up with shit.”
As I indicated earlier, “helping others” was high on the list with 45 inclusions: “help the helpless help themselves,” “spend some of each week in contemplation of the needs of others and act on it,” “Empower others – more than just help,” “thou shalt be helpful to others without being interfering,” “mow your neighbor’s lawn,” “be useful to someone each day.”
Affirmation of the value of “diversity” merited the attention of 49 – more than 10% of those who submitted cards. “Value and allow differences between people,” “don’t hate those different from yourself,” “put the toilet seat down – respect others differences,” “I shall fight back against discrimination against my disability,” “value the universe in all its diversity,” “walk in another’s shoes,” “know that everyone has strengths and weaknesses.”
Tied for eleventh place are “integrity” and “sharing,” both of which were included by 52. Integrity included: “respect thy self,” “thou shalt not keep silent in a room with hate,” “live out your beliefs,” “give to yourself the gift of honesty and freedom,” “learn to honor your own voice,” “be consistent in matters of principle,” “courage to deal with conflict,” personal integrity,” recognize/appreciate your own continuity,” “witness for what you believe.”
“Sharing” commandments included; “share willingly,” “be generous even when it hurts,” “be generous in all things,” “in giving find happiness,” “it is better to give than to receive,” “no unfair distribution of goods – share with others.”
[10-6]
OK – now we have reached the top 10.
Number 10 with 53 mentions is “respect.” “Respect life,” “respect all living things,” “treat everyone with respect,” “thou shalt not strive to run the lives of others,” “I will treat others with respect even when I don’t agree with what they do,” “respect others for being that – good and bad.”
Ninth was the category of “no harm.” One respondent entered “never violate” ten times – I only counted it once, however. “Do not hurt,” “never hit,” “do no harm knowingly,” “be gentle with all living things,” “feel as you will but don’t inflict,” “I will not hurt anyone intentionally, and if I do, I will make amends.”
8th on the list is “acceptance.” I included in this category everything which had to do not accepting the world as it is and accepting what you have, even though it may not be what your neighbor has. On that list are: “accept people as who they are not who they should be,” “cherish change,” “thou shalt look for the best in life and accept whatever comes,” “respect death, for without it life has no savor,” “this too shall pass,” “get up after falling,” “do not desire what you do not have,” “find good in all things,” “feel and accept your pain,” “put the past in the past,” “expect not what cannot be,” “avoid greed,” “remember everything changes.”
I called the seventh category “accomplishment.” In it I grouped all those commandments which stressed the importance of our doing something important with our lives. “Keep on plugging,” “strive for potential,” “hard work,” “have pride in your work,” “leave the world better than I found it,” “husband thy time on this earth (no couch potatoes),” “help effect change,” “pass on the best of yourself to your next generations,” “become all that you are able to be.”
Next, and related to that, but I think separate is “be responsible.” This is the place where, in contrast to the twelve step programs’ “letting go,” we affirm that we are, in fact, responsible for what we do and what we do not do. “Clean up after yourself,” “honor commitments,” “act as if the ‘system” were only the frame and you are responsible for the picture,” “live a life that you and the world can accept,” “Be worthy of trust and respect,” “live your life as if there were a tv crew filming your every move,” “live as if your eternity is the way you are remembered.”
[the top 5]
Number 5 is the category I called “enjoy.” I first called it “fun” because that word appears in many of the commandments I grouped here, but it is deeper than that. This substantiates that ours is a pleasure seeking culture, but I’ll go along with it anyhow. This would certainly have been alien to the drafters of the original ten, and is alien to many in our world today. “Thou shalt spend sufficient time playing,” “celebrate,” “laugh a lot,” “happiness every day,” “sing and be joyful,” “thou shalt have a good sense of humor,” “thou shalt find joy in life, onself, and others,” “laugh a lot, spread joy.”
#4, which received 59 mentions, is the one which stresses the ongoing nature of “learning.” “You should learn everything you can,” “keep an open mind,” continue life-long learning,” “know that life is a classroom, unending lessons precipitate change,” “engage in an ongoing search for meaning,” “it’s all a lesson . . .,” “seek the truth,” “thou shalt learn from your inevitable screw-ups and move on,” “treasure wisdom.”
#3 is a restatement of the original ninth commandment as interpreted by modern scholars – it has to do with “honesty.” 66 people said things like: “be true to your word,” “be honest in all things – to yourself, to others, all dealings of your life,” “be honest to the best of my ability,” “speak the truth,” “do not cheat,” “no misrepresentation,” “acknowledge wrongdoing and set it right,” “practice basing relationships on truth.”
Number 2 was no surprise, “Loving others.” “Love your neighbor,” “visit your neighbor,” “celebrate love,” “practice unconditional love,” “live love,” “friends are more important than possessions,” “tell someone you love them and mean it – it’s good for them and you,” “thou shalt be more affectionate,” “cultivate interpersonal relationships,” “find ways to reach out,” “thou shall follow thy heart.”
[#1]
And now, the big number one. The commandment which was not included in the original list of ten which was chosen by the largest number of people (75) for inclusion in their own lists is a commandment dealing with our place “respecting the interdependent web of all existence.” “Care for all the living things of earth,” “respect the natural world,” “thou shalt support life,” “take care of the earth,” “take care of the earth our mother,” “live in the interconnectedness of all,” “live lightly on the earth,” “honor all forms of life,” “don’t be wasteful – use only what you need,” “I will show reverence for all life and the earth.”
Well, those are the thoughtful and impassioned guidelines that members of three Unitarian Universalist congregations tole me they strive to live by. It is an impressive list.
As with the original ten, I certainly do not see this as a legalistic compendium of rules, but rather as a statement of the principles which guide some of us as we make our way on the journey through life. Each of these offers possible illumination as to how we might live better, more richly, more honorably. I commend this list to you for use in your contemplation, in your personal evaluation of how you are doing and what are the things to which you might pay more attention.
I am going to leave you with a form on which to suggest your own top ten. I will be back next Sunday, so I would welcome your thinking about this subject over the week and offering me your suggestions. Again, we are not looking for rigid laws, but some of the principles to which you aspire in your life. I look forward to your input.