Defining the Decalogue Day 8

Thou shalt not steal Is stealing acceptable in order to feed oneself and one's children? What about to redistribute wealth, at the thief's discretion?

Why I Was Not Chosen

I could never have been the mother of the savior,
Not only because I'm not immaculate;
If any of Mary's trials had befallen me,
I'd have thrown a royal fit.

When I had to give birth in a stable,
I'd have been quaking in my fear.
I'd have never felt safe and protected,
With only my dear husband near.

When Herod came to kill the babies,
I certainly would have run.
Then and there I would have decided
What my son was not going to become.

The day he stayed behind in the temple,
When I finally found him there,
I'd of sent his dad in to scold him,
And drag him out by his hair.

When Pilot began torturing him,
And the apostles didn't save him,
I'd of been in there beating on them,
Calling them less than men.

The day he died, I'd have been
Screaming like a banshee,
Beating on the soldiers,
Until they set my man/child free.

Poor Mary, when her boy was thirteen,
She had to give him up to study,
Never to experience him,
Growing up to be her best buddy.

He never produced grandchildren,
Nor had the comfort of a wife.
No, I am surely not strong enough
To have lived Mary's life.

Defining the Decalogue Day 7

Thou shalt not commit adultery Does this only apply to sex and marriage, or is it referring to the making dirty of what should be treated as sacred?

What Will We Do When We Have No War?

Perhaps the reason we continue killing each other is simply force of habit. The animal kingdom has never needed many males to keep their breeds going, so they fight each other over the most fit mothers. These fathers don't care whether the mothers will tend their young; they only care that they produce healthy offspring. What happens after that is not the concern of the father.

Human animals need many years of careful tending. This keeps the mothers vulnerable for, not only the gestation time, but for all the nurturing years. The brood must be protected for all these years. A mate who is not protective of the vulnerable in other areas of life is not likely to be a good human parent.

Competition must by tempered by compassion. Bonding becomes better than brutality in enforcing order. Self-discipline dictates the rules of the roost, understanding that animal children are imprinted with the actions of their same sex parents. By observing and imitating, they learn how to become their adult animal selves.

When we send our young men off to learn only how to compete and kill, how are they to learn human life lessons? When our women are made to cower at the command of an angry authority figure, how can they become competent caretakers?

Humans have the luxury of being able to bond with their young for a lifetime. Men must learn that this is a great blessing to all the earth. They must teach each other how to hold and be held by exhibiting this behavior with their sisters, mothers, mates, and children. The earth will do better when we admit we all need tender touch, not torture. Competition on the courses of sports arenas should be all the testosterone testing we need.

Defining the Decalogue Day 6

Thou shalt not kill How is this to be applied? Most of what we eat must be, first, killed. What are we not supposed to kill?

Defining the Decalogue Day 5

Honour thy father and thy mother Does this mean following their example or understanding their history, and choosing which parts to incorporate into your own behaviors?

Defining the Decalogue Day 4

Remember the sabbath day Shouldn't every day be devoted to doing the work of your God (Sacred Spirit, etc)? Do you celebrate a sabbath? What day of the week? What makes the sabbath different? How do you spend the sabbath?