After all this talk about us being a Christian country or not, I thought I'd start with printing below the Ten Commandments.
Let's see, how many of these commandments have our lawmakers deigned to change? 'Do not Kill' for one. Babies are killed in the womb every day in this country and many others. 'Do not steal'? Helen's pledge card comes to mind.. And that's only the tip of the iceberg.
Yesterday I read some of the comments made by Herald readers criticizing Brian Tamaki for his statement; some of the readers said things like, 'oh but what about the Maori gods? They were here first', and a Michelle B wrote
Yes, the Maori were here first with their gods and laws, but I hardly think we would like to go back to eating each other or to return to the child sacrifice rituals of the Mayans and other cultures.
If we don't have these immutable laws, then all we have is the opinion of those who rule us to create the rules we should live by, based on their personal thoughts and interests, and we all know what their opinions are worth today (witness the smacking, prostitution, and civil union laws among others).
- You shall have no other Gods but me.
- You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it.
- You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
- You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy.
- Respect your father and mother.
- You must not kill.
- You must not commit adultery.
- You must not steal.
- You must not give false evidence against your neighbour.
- You must not be envious of your neighbour's goods. You shall not be envious of his house nor his wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbour.
Let's see, how many of these commandments have our lawmakers deigned to change? 'Do not Kill' for one. Babies are killed in the womb every day in this country and many others. 'Do not steal'? Helen's pledge card comes to mind.. And that's only the tip of the iceberg.
Yesterday I read some of the comments made by Herald readers criticizing Brian Tamaki for his statement; some of the readers said things like, 'oh but what about the Maori gods? They were here first', and a Michelle B wrote
'Frankly, if NZ is declared to be a 'Christian Nation', where our laws/legal system, and discussions on rights are all based strictly on Christian principles (as in adherence to the Bible), then this is not a place I want to live. 'Guess what, Michelle? Our laws/legal system is already based on those principles. I'd challenge any non-Christian or atheist (even were they to disregard the first four laws which talk about honoring God) to point out where our law should deviate from these commandments.
Yes, the Maori were here first with their gods and laws, but I hardly think we would like to go back to eating each other or to return to the child sacrifice rituals of the Mayans and other cultures.
If we don't have these immutable laws, then all we have is the opinion of those who rule us to create the rules we should live by, based on their personal thoughts and interests, and we all know what their opinions are worth today (witness the smacking, prostitution, and civil union laws among others).