Master of Religion Lesson 2 Homework
The second lesson's homework was two-part. The first part of it was to memorize the names and order of the books of the Old Testament of the bible. For me, and I'm sure many others, this is an almost impossible task. I have been trying to do that for many years, with no success. So to solve the problem I have tabs placed in my bible for quick reference to the book I desire to read.
The second and more in depth part of the homework was to select and defend a version of the Ten Commandments.
When I was reading through this lesson I was becoming more and more confused. It kept referencing the 'catholic' commandments, and they were not the same as what was in my catholic edition bible, what I had learned through school (I went to a catholic high school), nor the same as what I had learned in the recent Catechism class I just completed.
Through school, and the catechism course we referred to the various commandments using the shorter definitions that were listed. ("Remember the Sabbath day." rather than "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days….") However it was the full commandment that we were taught. I have to look into it more as to whether the 'full commandment' was that from the protestant, or Hebrew list.
However that is really beside the point. I have always used the list directly from Exodus.
Exodus 20:2-17
New International Version (NIV)
2 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 "You shall not murder.
14 "You shall not commit adultery.
15 "You shall not steal.
16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
I have used this version because it is the first set of the Ten Commandments. The ones listed in Deuteronomy could have been written differently because of the cultural differences. However the version in Exodus seems to better apply to any and all cultures. It is also the version that most people know and use.
Ultimately though I use the Exodus version of the Decalogue because it sits best with me; it rings true. And this is the case no matter what version of the bible I read them in.
For me religion is a very personal matter, and this is no different.
Rev. Jonathon Roulston
www.ulcsouthwestministry.org
www.ulcsouthwestministry.org
