The 10 Commandments:
By KARAN MINNIS, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter -
Nassau, Bahamas:


Honor thy mother and thy father. Thou shalt not steal; Thou shalt not kill; Thou shall not commit adultery. Do these statements sound familiar?

They were all taken from the Ten Commandments that God bestowed upon Moses within the pages of the Old Testament, and were given with the purpose of being both life lessons and guidelines for all to follow. But, today some may wonder if these guidelines have lost all value as the country is now living in a time when it seems that anything goes. Children use profane language nonchalantly in everyday sentences, without so much as a cringe from anyone. And the adults drop the "F" bomb without even caring if any little ones are in ear-shot.

And then there's the drinking and smoking, and in most instances, the youth are engaging in these activities it with people who are supposed to be parental figures. And it's happening at a time when the murder count in the country has soared to 61.

There are those in society who know the 10 Commandments by heart and who take the time to reflect upon their values, while others who struggle through five. But even for those who can't even recite the first one: "You shall have no other Gods but me," there is still hope, according to some local religious leaders who say that it's not too late to get back to the basics.

Bahamas Christian Council president Bishop John Humes says that although our nation is going through a transition period and although crime is at an all-time high, hope will always remain.

"What is really causing this high rate of crime and criminal activity in The Bahamas is the absence of, or the apparent delay in justice being administered. And I will say that the policemen are doing a very good job in arresting and solving most of the criminal and seriousness of murder in our country, but the justice system is not been properly administered," he said.

"But what is also happening is a loss for respect of God's Laws. Most of the problems in our country are here because we have disobeyed God's laws," he said.

"We have a sin problem. And sin is a transgression of the law and in transgressing God's laws we have caused the consequences to be upon our children and this nation. What we see here today is not something that happened over night, but rather we see what has been happening over generations. And it's because of that fact, that in this country we have persons who put away the laws of God and turn towards what men think. And now we're at a place where people do what's right in their own eyes, as opposed to God's. And we have to change that."

According to Humes, this is where the church comes in.

He said that we have to go back to the fundamental Christian values, and that we have to go back to the laws of God and force them into our people, from the earliest stage of the life of our young children.

"We need to go back to Sunday and Saturday schools, family devotions, discipline in the schools and in the home. Parents need to discipline their children and they need to raise these children in the right way. Bottom line, we need to go back to the basics, which are the Ten Commandments," said Humes.

Father Mel Taylor of Scared Heart Catholic Church, East Shirley Street, said the guidelines which we should follow are plainly stated, and can all be found in both Exodus 20: 2–17 and Deuteronomy 5: 6–21, and added that living by these words are all about commitment.

"I think that the 10 Commandments are great guidelines that should be followed, and I don't think that any one of them should be changed or forgotten. But to make my point, I will quote G. K Chesterton, a famous writer, in this case. Chesterton once wrote that 'Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.'

"Personally, I think people really do not try to follow the commandments. I think that they see parts of this as difficult, and so they say, 'tomorrow, I'll try that tomorrow.' So I don't think that people really take them serious enough."

Taylor said that we should all be following the 10 Commandments, or that we could be doing a better job of doing so. "People already know the 10 Commandments, but it's more of a question to living out the commandments. I think people make the commitment, but the biggest thing to strive for is that conversion of heart. That's the goal," he said.

But Father Clement Neely of Shekinah Kingdom Ministries, Gladstone Road, says the focus should not be solely on the Ten Commandments.

"I think that there is a misunderstanding when it comes to the 10 Commandments and our modern day times and the misunderstanding is that, we have people who hold them with the view that by living to the [them] they are automatically justified before God, and that's not so.

"The 10 Commandments were only designed to point toward the new testament revelation of 'Kingdom living,' that's what they were for. They were only to be a format or outline for which the New Testament was to be built upon. And they are the foundation of our Christian life. But the New Testament believer does not have to live solely by them, because in the New Testament Jesus establishes something that is higher than the 10 Commandments, which is Kingdom living."

According to Neely, Kingdom living is simply what Jesus taught.

"When Jesus came he said that the Kingdom of God is at hand, and so the New Testament is built on that teaching, and on kingdom living, which is just a new system of living, living the God controlled life. And I'm really referring to the Beatitudes. That's what we should be living by. And these can be found in Matthew 5:3-10."

The 10 Commandments

You shall have no other Gods but me.

You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it.

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy.

Respect your father and mother.

You must not kill.

You must not commit adultery.

You must not steal.

You must not give false evidence against your neighbour.

You must not be envious of your neighbour's goods. You shall not be envious of his house nor his wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbour.

10/25/07