The Indian Ten Commandments
1. Treat the Earth and all that dwells therein with respect.
2. Remain close to the Great Spirit.
3. Show great respect to your fellow beings.
4. Work together for the benefit of all mankind.
5. Give assistance and kindness wherever needed.
6. Do what you know to be right.
7. Look after the well-being of mind and body.
8. Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.
9. Be truthful and honest at all times.
10. Take full responsibility for your actions.
——————–
Old Testament 10 Commandments:
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or 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; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall 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.”
Just thought it was interesting to note the only real correlation between these two sets of commandments lies in “be truthful and honest at all times” which covers Biblical commandment not to bear false witness. “Do what you know to be right” covers murder, adultery, stealing, and coveting (and more) all in one. Show great respect for your fellow beings extends the 5th commandment of honoring your father and mother to an all-encompassing respect for all which is similar to the Golden Rule concept. The rest of the Biblical commandments can be attributed to God’s vanity and hold very little moral guidance. One might say that taking the Sabbath day off and looking after the well-being of mind and body are similar except, again, the Indian commandment encompasses more than just resting for a day and not only for holy reverence. In my opinion, the Indian commandments seem more important lessons regarding how we treat ourselves, our neighbors, our land and it’s inhabitants, even in the modern era.
What’s your take on it?