The Important Subtleties in the 10 Commandments

I have a philosophical position that believes that that the natural entropy of human nature is towards corruption.  That is, left to our own devices, people manipulate and bend/break the rules in their societal situation to unduly benefit themselves (often to the detriment of others).  As proof, I often cite the 10 Commandments and the prevalent use of the word ‘not’.    You’ll notice that 8 of the 10 commandments are telling us things that we should not do…

1. “I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have any strange gods before Me.”
2. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
3. “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.”
4. “Honor thy father and mother.”
5. “Thou shalt not kill.”
6. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
7. “Thou shalt not steal.”
8. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
9. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”
10. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.”

I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty convincing to me.