So who’s going to Hell? Three billion of God’s children on this planet and HE decides who gets the promised inheritance or a burning sensation for eternity. What a hellish task that would be – so many people dying all the time. Is there a point system? I wonder if it’s a yes or no equation. Are there exceptions to the Commandments? Do you think HE may be indecisive at times, like on the fence about someone crossing over into the light or dark? Maybe that’s where we get Purgatory from, when you’re in between Heaven and Hell and HE is making up His mind. In this semi-humorous, self-reflecting analysis, I question the order of priorities in which Moses chiseled these laws into stone.
Let’s make this simple and use The Ten Commandments as our Penal Code System for entering Heaven or going straight to Hell:
Commandments 1 and 2 can be combined. Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.‘ Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God.
Phew! I already feel better about myself. HE is a jealous God, and I am a jealous person too! Now I know where I get that from. I have also thought how naively submissive it was to bow down to humans, i.e. queens, kings, priests and popes. It’s a title of power that was given to them by humans who are sinners and not Holy themselves.
C3. Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of the Lord Your God In vain.
OMG! I’ve totally obliterated this Commandment over and over.
C4. Remember the Sabbath Day, To Keep it Holy; In it You Shall Do No Work.
This doesn’t work for me either. It’s Sunday and I am at my government job writing this article.
C5. Honor Your Father and Your Mother.
There must be some exceptions to this rule.
C6. Thou Shalt Not Kill. This is a good one. I think we can all agree not to do this. However, being No. 6 makes me wonder why it’s not No. 1. We sentence people to prison for life, and in Texas, most of the time death, for breaking this Commandment. This is high on my priority list of how not to go to Hell or prison. Working on a Sunday and respecting your parents is more important than killing someone? Are we sure Moses was paying attention that day?
C7. Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery.
Right! I agree we should not cheat on our spouses, and in some countries they are still stoning women for this. A little overkill comes to mind. But this sin rates near the top for me as a very important Commandment and trumps working on the Sabbath and honoring thy parents.
C8. Thou Shalt Not Steal. Has any politician in Washington heard of this one?
C9. Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness. This has got to be one of the hardest Commandments to follow for everyone with any ounce of social etiquette. My husband and kids lie to me all the time about my cooking. Does this fall into the “Little White Lies” exception? I confess, I tell lies too! Some big, some small. For instance, I’ve lied to my kids for years about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, oh! and that really obnoxious one about the Tooth Fairy. I lie to my kids about how one of their pieces of art looks great, when it’s not even a recognizable shape. Hasn’t most everyone called in “sick” to work just for a mental day off? Of course God doesn’t want us to lie. I get that, and most things that we lie about are preventable and avoidable. I really need to work on this one.
C10. Thou Shalt Not Covet. Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.
I’m actually ashamed of myself. All this time I thought covet meant to “have sex with” and so all these years I thought he was telling us not to have sex with your neighbor’s spouse and farm animals. I was so confident that I was never going to break this commandment! Yet, according to the Webster’s Dictionary, “covet” means “To wish for earnestly and to desire what belongs to another.” Covetousness is selfish in nature and because man is selfish, he covets, which leads to stealing, lying, adultery, murder and just a total disregard of others. In other words, do not be envious or jealous. God is concerned with our heart’s desires and being envious of someone else may be a temporary and fleeting character flaw, but we can all see where there are extreme circumstances and greed can lead to gluttony or extreme frugality. However, you could look at it the old 1776 way, that coveting in a broader sense brings forth imagination, invention and capitalism.
Reading the Ten Commandments has given me time to reflect on my sins. It seems as thou that little devil is pretty slick. I’ve asked for forgiveness for several forgotten and memorable sins including this article and yet these simple rules have given me clearer character goals to strive for. I have learned several things about the stone tablets, the ideals of these commandments and love for HIS creation (us) have been the foundations of countries, new religions, our Constitution and the moral compass that guides mankind. As for what I think is an amazing responsibility as to sending people to Hell or Heaven, I think we make the choice for HIM? I’m sure when I arrive at the Pearly Gates, HE will show himself to me as I fall on my knees, and he will ever so gently lift me up to wipe my tears away and say “You’re really not that funny Jenn.”