Can Your Moral Compass Distinguish Between Right from Wrong?
Where is Your Moral Compass Pointed? Some say, “if it feels good, Just Do It!” So, is it OK to take something if you just feel like it, even if it wasn’t yours? Would you feel OK if another person just took something of value from you? Probably not, so you might call their action – STEALING!
How can we know Right from Wrong? What is good or bad anyway? One person feels it’s OK, but another completely disagrees. Disagreements based on the conflicting Moral Compass of people start great arguments, mutual distrust and even wars! To avoid most conflict IS there a set of fair unchangeable rules that can be applied to everyone? Yes!
Where Did These Rules Come From?
3360 years ago, on Mount Sinai located just outside Egypt, a leader named Moses was given Ten Commandments by God. The 10 were used to keep one million undisciplined nomad refugees from chaos. These Commandments are so perfect, each is still as relevant today as when it was written.
To survey Moral Compass attitudes, I’ve asked many Americans to name the Ten Commandments. Few got more than 4 or 5 correct! Just for fun can you place these Ten in their original order?
Here are the Ten Commandments. Can you put them in the proper order! (No fair looking ahead!)
_____ A. You shall not Murder! (Not kill! Plotting then killing an innocent person.)
_____ B. Honor your Father and your Mother! (Benefit? You’ll live a long life.)
_____ C. You shall not take the name of your Lord in Vain (Make His name Useless/Empty)!
_____ D. You shall not Steal (take ANYTHING that doesn’t belong to you)!
_____ E. You shall not bear false witness (tell lies) about your neighbor!
_____ F. You shall not commit adultery (sex is allowed only between husband and wife)!
_____ G. Observe the Sabbath Day and keep it Holy. (Don’t work, but spend it with God!)
_____ H. You shall not Covet (intensely wish you had) something/anything that is your neighbor’s.
_____ I. I am the Lord your God. You shall not have any gods before me!
_____ J. You shall not bow down to anyone or any image, real or imagined anywhere above or below!
Answers for Ten Commandments in Order
- I 2- J 3- C 4- G 5- B 6- A 7- F 8- D 9- E 10- H
How Did You Do on the Quiz?
Wouldn’t we be more trusting and feel safer if everyone followed these Ten? How many of the Ten, do we actually follow? If you feel these are too many to follow, just try the following 2!
You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is equally important: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Therefore it’s important to love yourself as well.) All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.
