Here’s a little something that Jagannath sent to me and I thought I’d share it with all of you :)

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

3. Do not murder

4. Do not commit adultery

5. Do not steal

6. Do not give false testimony

7. Honor your father and mother

Today, a Christian, specifically a follower of Christ, confronted me as he quite often used that particular expression. He had heard me talk of the commandments on earlier time and this time he took his time to disagree with me in a shrill voice and flaring nostrils.

He kept disagreeing with me until the he was interrupted by the security who promptly escorted him out due his disruptive behavior. Apparently other clients of the establishment had made several complaints of his screaming and yelling, it scared the children. Truth to be told, I was not all that calm myself either as the word firebrand is quite apt in his case.

But his point could be easily condensed to two things, there are Ten Commandments in the bible and only those following them are followers of Christ. Now, my counter points were drowned by his antics but I decided to write about the commandments.

Now to me a follower of Christ is one who follows the New Testament. The Old Testament is mainly concerned of Judaism and of those that god decided to kill for one reason or another. That is the main point in my view of Christianity. You cannot follow both testaments but you have to choose or be merely religious groupie. You either follow the teachings of the Christ to be a so-called true Christian. You might disagree with the distinction, but as always it is your right.

Then to the actual commandments, the Old Testament versions are well known but those in need of a refreshment course can break open the book on Exodus 20:3-17. But are those Christian commandments or the commandments Jesus acknowledged?

I use the gospel by Matthew for references as it is most often used and frankly, the other gospels are quite alike, in a more terse form. So what is the first commandment by Jesus?

“‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘”Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”

-Matthew 22:36-40

So number one is total devotional love of God followed by love your fellow man. And those are to be the basis for all else. Jesus actually mentions the love your fellow man in more than one occasion so one can say he like that one more.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

-Matthew 5:43-45

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.”

-Matthew 7:12

“Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

-Matthew 19:19

Now the last one is other part of my reasoning for the number of commandments for Christians. It seems that Jesus followed only half of the commandments given by god, but such is the way with life, sons tend to want to improve upon the works of their fathers. Jesus told a man to keep the commandments to which the man promptly replied with a query, which? And the answer can be read above.

Clearly Jesus believed that they’re to be only five commandments worthy of following from the old set of ten. And I tend to agree, as those are good rules for all to follow, not killing, not committing adultery, not stealing, not lying and honoring parents are good rules. The one rule Jesus seemed to be quite insistent on, love your neighbor, is always a good one to follow. He was actually so insistent on that command that he even wanted Christians to love their enemies and pray for them.

So there is only seven commandments by Jesus and of those, two are by Jesus while the rest are by god but the laws of Jesus are, at least according to the man himself, the two most important laws of all. Noticeable difference being between the two sets of commandments that all the strict laws of god reverence are gone and replaced with voluntary desire to love god.

Maybe if those would be the commandments Christians would follow, I might not have so much trouble with them as I do love my seafood and rounded beard.

–Jagannath

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