Friday, April 27, 2007

Kebra Commandments

In the section of the Kebra Nagast entitled "Concerning the Ten Commandments" I was surprised and reminded of an aspect of religious belief that turns me off and pushes me away:

And thou shalt not take to wife a maiden and her sister so as to make them jealous each of the other, and thou shalt not uncover their shame, nor the same of the one or the other as long as the first sister is alive. Thou shalt not go to a menstrous woman, until she is purified, to uncover her shame whilst she is still unclean. And thou shalt not go to the wife of thy neighbor to lie with her, and thou shalt not let they seed enter her... And thou shalt not lie with a man as with a woman, for it is pollution. And thou shalt not go to a beast and thou shalt not lie with it so as to make thy seed go out upon it... (60)

There are many aspects about this passage that push me away from organized religion and think that it is a joke. For one thing the author is writing to men about what not to do and in this passage is not concerned with women whatsoever other than mentioning that a man should not embarrass a women by sleeping with her sister while she is still alive, he should not sleep with a woman during her menstrual cycle, and he should not sleep with his neighbors wife. Who ever thought of making these ideas a part of the 10 Commandments is obviously infatuated with the idea of these things. I think to say live a morally conscience life and have sex to procreate implies don't do stupid things that will get you into trouble. God did not send an angel down from heaven to tell people these things. I think that too often "angels" are coming down to guide people into battle and doing things in the name of God that will hurt other people to give people a conscience excuse for their wrongdoings.

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