[ItsDarts]

Quote by: jamesbdunn If there is a God and it understands the relationships throughout time, then God would only need to speak once to be heard for all time.

Nice allegory, did you think that up all by yourself? Obviously god hasn't spoke then because I haven't heard him. I haven't seen these tablets, I only know that men wrote what was supposedly on these tablets in a book. Even if some tablets existed, you would still have to demonstrate how fire from a burning bush that doesn't get consumed could write in hebrew. If you couldn't demonstrate this, then I'm left with no choice but to think they are a forgery.

As for history books making loose reference to events that may or may not have happened, welcome to the real world. Most of history is neither recorded nor observable, and the few instances that are recorded are inadequately described with any detail.

Yet you choose to believe some invisable friend in the sky wrote on some tablets???

A person must use the information that is presented to their best benefit.

And who presented the tablets to you? Which version of the tablets were you presented with?

Removing as much contradiction as possible brings me to this conclusion.

What contradiction?

The stone tablets have a basis for existing and the rules quoted are consistent with rules that could survive a millenium without any required changes.

What basis? The first 5 rules are B.S. for the simple fact that there isn't any credible evidence to support this god. The second 5 rules are common rules that have been around LONG before the story of the tablets come into being. If the rules could be re-written, it should include Thou shalt not molest children.

I made these blatant statements to express my opinion and instigate a response. I am guilty of exactly what you say. So I will preface my statements henceforth that these are my opinions.

fair enough.

Many books reference the Ten Commandments. Like many history books reference a particular event and then go on to express their opinions about how to interpret the event.

History books don't express opinions on how to interpret the events. I'll agree that history is often written by the victor. But what does "many references" to the 10C's have to do with this? There are many books that reference Unicorns, leprechauns and magic flying fairies, but none of these exist either.

That many books reference the Ten Commandments gives it statistical significance since the books themselves are contradictory with one another.

The different references don't really contradict each other, they say pretty much the same thing with different wording. There is no statistical significance here. AS I said before, many use to think the earth was flat.

In my opinion, I do not believe that there are exceptions.

You know what they say about opinions, right?

These are social issues that change depending upon society. There are families in the world that are incestually sexually active and it is locally accepted. The roman times also present such acceptance. In our current society it is unacceptable.

OK, so if it's unacceptable in our current society, wouldn't you agree that it would be acceptable to break the rule about honoring such a parent? Ummm there has never been a society that condones the molestation if small children. There is a difference between a society that condone sexual activity at say 13 than one that does at 5. I agree that many societies have married off 13 year olds or when the girl has come of age by mentration, but there has never been one that condones this at age 5. Oh wait, you wrote more......

But let's take this to an extreme. A serial killer kidnaps children and the children are raped and mutilated. You have never known your real father as you were adopted. You find out that this Serial Killer is your biological Father. Can you still do what is socially right and still be reverent to your Father? Of course you can. You may not, I wouldn't imagine I could understand the complex feelings a person would feel in this situation. But yes, they could still have respectful feelings toward their father.

Well if your god was thinking, he would have written "Thou shalt not kidnap children" this is one rule that could last for milleniums. There are no societies that condone this type of behavior.

What rules do you think could be set down today, that would still be relavent ten thousand years from now and all time in between? Even with technological advances where cloning, accelerated physical development, extraordinarily long lifetimes, cybernetics, and a host of other technologies will significantly change our social behaviours. And make those rules so that we can understand them today, without knowing anything about what is going to be developed a thousand years from now.

Doesn't matter what I think could last for 10000 years. The basic moral code that humans have lived by were around long before your tablet story came about. You also seem to forget that there a large numbers of people (1 billion hindus for example) that don't believe in your god nor do they worship him, so the 1st 5 rules don't apply to them and they never have and probably never will.

I suppose the rules would have to contain the seeds necessary to grow a system of beliefs that would allow people to coexist socially and prepare themselves for greater things to come.

Like not molesting small children? Not kidnapping them? Not beating your wife? How about "Thou shalt not believe in any gods until one shows up that everyone can agree upon is the one true god."

Multiple threads, not all, are strongly related to my suppositions. I'm lazy, I really don't feel like retyping the basis of my viewpoint so many times. But it has allowed me the interaction I was looking for. I learn through multiple situations. Debate is one of them.

Debate is one thing. Unsupported opinion is another, and thats all you've offered.