T
ThinkingSapien
Guest
There is a ubiquitous statement about modern USA law being based on the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20 version). I know whether or not that is true is the topic of debate for some but I’m not interested in debating the truth value of that statement (so let’s grant it as true). My interest are in identifying present laws that are in significant agreement with the ten commandments (regardless of whether or not they were actually inspired by the ten commandments). Some of the laws that used to align with the ten commandments are now no more. Finding laws for commandments 6 through 9 is easy, so I won’t be considering them here any further. It’s some of the others that seem to be challenging.
Some areas in the USA have Blue Laws remaining that seem to align with not working on the day that many (but not all) Christians identify as the day of Worship. As of 1 January 2012 the last Blue Law in the area in which I live (prohibition of the sale of alcohol on Sunday) is no more. Also enforcement of commandments 1 through 4 could constitute a violation of the first amendment of the United States Constitution (there actually had been some other Blue Laws that are now no more because they were found to contradict the First Amendment)… A few other states still have laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol and vehicles on Sunday but that seems to be it.
I could loosely associate commandment 5 with laws that grant parents rights to make certain decisions about their offspring for the first 18-21 years of their lives. Is there anything else that could be added to this?
On my own I couldn’t identify laws that align with the 10th commandment. I asked a Christian Lawyer about this one and she said that establishment of ones “mens rea” (which might be aligned to this commandment) is important in Criminal law. Can any one think of anything else for this one?
Some areas in the USA have Blue Laws remaining that seem to align with not working on the day that many (but not all) Christians identify as the day of Worship. As of 1 January 2012 the last Blue Law in the area in which I live (prohibition of the sale of alcohol on Sunday) is no more. Also enforcement of commandments 1 through 4 could constitute a violation of the first amendment of the United States Constitution (there actually had been some other Blue Laws that are now no more because they were found to contradict the First Amendment)… A few other states still have laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol and vehicles on Sunday but that seems to be it.
I could loosely associate commandment 5 with laws that grant parents rights to make certain decisions about their offspring for the first 18-21 years of their lives. Is there anything else that could be added to this?
On my own I couldn’t identify laws that align with the 10th commandment. I asked a Christian Lawyer about this one and she said that establishment of ones “mens rea” (which might be aligned to this commandment) is important in Criminal law. Can any one think of anything else for this one?