What About Trying Just Five Commandments? by George Gerharz

Things today are pretty upsetting. A pandemic is in full force. World-wide and in America polarization extends from the national level, to local communities, and into families. Many of our religious and political leaders call upon the ten commandments to guide us in these troubled times.

But ten commandments may be too many.  Maybe we could agree on five. Here is a possible list.

1.   Do not make humans, either you or others, God.
2.   Do not kill, injure, or hurt others in your group.  
3.   Do not take things from other group member.   
4.   Do not lie about big things to group member.   
5.   Do not neglect to raise your children.

 Man should not make gods of other men or women in their group. The deification of a person or group of persons is fraught with problems. All humans make mistakes; human fallibility is a given. Some higher authority is required.  This authority can be an inaccessible being. It can be grand ideals such as life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. A god outside of the group provides it a framework and identity. God or ideals are needed to serve as a higher standard to guide behavior.

A society’s members should not arbitrarily kill, injure or harm others in their group. No society can exist when members live in constant fear that those around them will cause them harm. Some members may break rules and they will need to be punished for their transgressions; those who obey the rules are fine but need to be protected from those who violate the rules. There are groups that have inflicted or intend to inflict harm on us, our group. When required, we need to take actions to protect us. We need to feel safe.

Group members should not arbitrarily take things from another.  Societies differ in what is identified as belonging to an individual.  It may be pots, spears, land, or stocks. Once a determination as to what is the individuals, we need to make sure that an individual’s property is protected.  A sense of control and a security regarding individual belongings is essential to a group's survival and the ability its members to live with one another.

We cannot lie. We need to tell each other the truth about big things. Humans need to communicate honestly about both the basics of life and a variety of other core societal issues.  Humans need to be able to trust what others say both to live in the present and to prepare for the future.  

We cannot neglect all of our society’s children. Adults need to assure that children learn to abide by the rules of their society, acceptable behaviors, and consequences for unacceptable behaviors. Children, imbued with the rules of society, are needed to continue and perhaps grow and improve the society into which they are born.

Maybe we can agree to live by five commandments.