The Ten Commandments have been the bedrock of religious
values for 3000 years. Though they still contain insights about human behavior,
it’s time for them to be rewritten. And I am taking on that task.
Why me? Why not me? I haven’t seen a burning bush or been
spoken to by God or ascended Mt. Rumpke. I’m just an ordinary guy.
So here goes. In these times, it’s hard to give
commandments. So I’ll call them
The Ten Lessons.
1.
God expects humans to love one another. Follow
no God who leads you to evil and brutality.
2.
God can only be known in the individual aspect
God reveals to each of us. So respect all the aspects of God, for in this way
the fullness of God is revealed to us.
3.
Respect God by listening for God in the creation
around you. Let your actions speak this respect.
4.
Set aside a timeplace where you are alert and
responsive to God and the workings of God’s spirit in you.
5.
Honor those who gifted you with human life and
those who gave of their lives to nurture you toward full humanness.
6.
Respect the sacredness of all human life. The
taking of any life diminishes your own, and can only be redeemed in the sincere
and conscientious petition for God’s grace.
7.
Let sexual union be always an act of loving and
giving. If a sign of commitment, live that commitment. If the commitment no
longer holds, end it with compassion and integrity.
8.
Be led by generosity, giving back with humility.
Take only what you need so as to preserve the dignity, integrity and innocence
of the world around you.
9.
Know your own good heart, and don’t betray it.
Let honesty be the measure of your dealings with others.
10.
Use the material world as a means to the
spiritual world. Let what you need come from what you have earned by your work,
and let your abundance be
shared
according to your blessings.
