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In the Holy Christian Bible, it is written that God engraved Ten Commandments for the Israelites on two stone tablets. According to the set record, it is estimated that this event took place almost three thousand five hundred years ago. The goal of the commandments was to mark God’s covenant with the Israelites in which, from that point forward the Israelites were Gods chosen people. Later, the Israelites mingled with other nations and introduced the commandments to them allowing them to study the same. The Ten Commandments have since then influenced people from different religions and backgrounds and have in turn become the basis of morality in the world. With regard to this, from the point at which Moses was bestowed with the Commandments, a sort of evolution has occurred.
While the Israelites were the original recipients, today the Ten Commandments have had an impact in many households and societies. The Ten Commandments are widely recognized and are at times involved in different teachings within and outside the religious setting. The effects they have had on the modern society have also gone beyond the church and Christian homes while at the same time have influenced the lives of many.
In the article 10 Commandments 2.0, Goldstein and Broyde state that, “The Ten Commandments don’t change based on time or place but are instead statements of high-order moral sentiments that tell how ethical people should conduct themselves” The term morality dictates acceptability within a given situation in a culture. In this case, morality is what people consider good and right as per religion and cultural norms. For example, adultery is immoral and commandment number seven warns against the act. While some might argue that good conduct comes with common sense, it still is a result of rules set prior for humanity to follow. It is also culturally unacceptable to sleep with anyone other than one’s marriage partner and in case this happens, a person can file for divorce. The seventh commandment mentions adultery and the rest of the commandments cover other aspects of morality.
In the modern society, morality is vital to ensure that the set rules and regulations are followed. It is important to note that with modernization, there came a time when society ceased to pay attention to each other. For instance, to avoid confrontations and misunderstandings, most people opt to stay out of other people’s way. This means that there is more freedom in today’s world than there was in previous years. With respect to this, morality is the only factor that provides a common ground for humanity. Good conduct, an outcome of good morals, keeps people in check and ensures the freedom experienced is not taken overboard and misused.
In any given society, for people to exist in peace and harmony there must be an understanding between the said people. While finding basis on the terms it can be argued that the Ten Commandments help ensure that societies do not fall apart. To elaborate this, Goldstein and Broyde state that, “Although Jewish tradition counts 613 commandments in the Torah, the Ten have taken on a life of their own, inspiring millions of Jews, Christians and Muslims over the centuries” The Commandments do not affect the targeted people alone, who in this case would be the Israelites then later the Jews. Instead, the message carried in each Commandment has with time, influenced the lives of people from different backgrounds and religions. The importance of this lies in the fact that in today’s world, cultures and societies have intertwined and brought a need to maintain peace.
The modern society entails interactions between different people with equally different characters. As stated before, this has brought forth the need for a common ground that is fair to everyone involved. The Ten Commandments allow this, because the set commandments are universal. It is therefore clear that the Ten Commandments allow national cohesion in any given modern society and they have helped people deal with different situations in the same. For instance, the ninth Commandment states that, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” (Caroll and Prickett). Since it focuses and gives advice on how people should coexist together, it is useful in ensuring the much desired peace among different people.
It can also be argued that the Ten Commandments have formed basis in the formation of laws and policy formulations. From the desired conduct dictated in the commandments, lawmakers have been able to dictate and differentiate between right and wrong. In “The Ten Commandments, American History, and American Law,” Price gives a good example of this when he writes that, “The one known document to reference a commandment is the document of Massachusetts colonial law from 1641” Price refers to the use of the first commandment that states, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Caroll and Prickett) in the drafting of laws in Massachusetts. According to the law, only the Christian God was to be worshipped in the land and anyone found doing something contrary to this was to be executed (Price). The Salem witch trials in the land followed soon after.
Price gives a direct impact that the Ten Commandments had on lawmakers and the drafted law. In modern society, this is not so, instead what the commandments warn about is believed to have fallen into place with what countries consider illegal and punishable. In other words, the Ten Commandments are detectable in most laws and policies. “Thou shalt not kill” (Caroll and Prickett) is the sixth commandment and it forbids murder and dictates it to be against God’s will. In the modern society, murder is illegal and there are laws that dictate punishment for the act. To ensure justice however, society has implemented justice in the form of trial in which the accused can plead his or her case. This is in line with commandment number nine that states, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” (Caroll and Prickett). From the identification of criminals, to the swearing of witnesses, and finally to the use of evidence to make persecutions, the Ten Commandments play a role in the justice system.
The impact of the Ten Commandments on modern society can be looked at as a whole and with regard to each commandment. As a whole, it is safe to say that the fact that people are aware of their existence and can say what the commandments state is an impact. This is so because Christians and non-Christians are aware of the commandments and can in turn, use them as guidance in life. Separately, the Ten Commandments relate to each other. For instance, Commandment number one dictates “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” and number four states that “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Caroll and Prickett). These dictate God’s relationship with his people in a direct manner. Acknowledge him as the true God and honor him by keeping the Sabbath day holy. On the other hand, the rest of the commandments help in maintaining peace as they generally ensure good conduct among societies.
With respect, while the Israelites were the original recipients, today the Ten Commandments have had an impact in many households and societies. Though different, the identified impacts exist because of the path shown by the commandments to a peaceful coexistence in the modern world. Though they were intended for a particular people, modernization has enabled its spread through the media and word of mouth, such as preaching. It is important to note that with modernization, people from different backgrounds come together and coexist in one society. Finding basis on the arguments made it is safe to conclude that the impact of the Ten Commandments have played a role in ensuring tolerance in today’s society.
Work Cited
Broyde Michael and Newberger Rebecca. "10 Commandments 2.0." Moment Magazine January 2011 .
Price, Robert. "The Ten Commandments, American History, and American Law." Rational Revolution (2005).
Caroll Robert and Prickett Stephen. The Bible: Authorized King James Version. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
