Isn't it time to ditch the supposed link between ethics and religion?

Religion is supposedly the source of morality, conveying God's instructions to the world.

In Christianity, the big picture - God's constitution - comes in the Ten Commandments, which offers such basics as "do not steal". The details - God's law - comes in Deuteronomy, Leviticus and elsewhere in the Bible.

Most modern Christians respect the constitution but are picky about the laws. Pat Robertson frequently condemns homosexual acts but I cannot remember the last time he reminded us not to keep different sets of measures in the house. That's a big problem for God, according to Deuteronomy 25:14.

Altogether there are about fifteen Commandments, repeated with slightly different wording in Exodus and Deuteronomy. Most Americans are familiar with the Protestant version.

The first four come in a bunch. Make Yahweh Top God; make no idols; do not blaspheme; keep the Sabbath holy.

There's a reason for these priorities. Having usurped his father El and siblings Baal and Asherah, Yahweh is still not secure in his position as The One And Only God. He needs to enforce loyalty in his worshippers. In modern terms, commandments one to four are martial law - military decrees after a coup d'état.

With dissension truly suppressed, God moves on to common law. Commandment five tells us to honor our parents, six not to murder, seven to abstain from adultery, eight not to steal, nine not to bear false witness and ten not to covet our neighbor's possessions.

They are a curious mix. We must respect our parents "so that our days may be long", but the link between the two is not explained. And no exceptions are allowed for abusive, criminal or neglectful parents.

Adultery appears here but pre-marital sex and homosexuality are only condemned elsewhere in the Bible.

Prohibiting theft and murder seems logical while the ban on bearing false witness against neighbors appears unnecessarily narrow. Who can we lie to? Who can we lie about? And when can we do so?

I am also confused by the last commandment: no coveting. If it is a warning against stealing, it simply repeats the eighth commandment. If it is a more general warning against envy, why are other negative states of mind, such as anger and sloth, ignored? Or is it proof that God is the ultimate capitalist who insists that the poor stay poor and the rich stay rich?

However we interpret them, the Ten Commandments remain a hodge-podge of divine egoism and miscellaneous advice.

They are also inadequate for the modern world. What does God say about such issues as recreational drug use or loud cell phone conversations in restricted places?

Yahweh's heir Jesus clearly thought the constitution needed updating. His version was summarized in the phrases "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind" and "love your neighbor as yourself".

I'm with Jesus up to a point. I promise faithfully to love God the moment he, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny move in next door, and I do, in principle, love my neighbor.

In principle, that is, because I've never met my neighbors, but I like the basic idea. Be nice to people. It's short and sweet and covers every occasion. Forget the Ten Commandments. One Commandment is all we need.

© Martin Foreman, all rights reserved