Something on my Mind: You Shall not Murder (1)

A ton of thoughts flood my mind as I start this column, mostly based on the myths surrounding this sixth commandment. In fact, this may be the mostly hotly-contested of them all.

Much of the confusion, in my mind, revolves around the words "kill," and "murder" (as in, Which one is it? And, Are the terms interchangeable?). It also touches on the sanctity of life, capital punishment, pacifism, and self-defence, just for starters.

To try to develop each one of these hot-button topics, yet limit them to just a few columns, is a near-impossible task.

So when I say "myth," I am referring to all sorts of loopy ideas that come out of this prohibition, not the commandment itself. And needless to say, in keeping with my other columns about the relevance of the Ten Commandments for our world, it would be a better place if we followed it (and the rest of them)—absolutely no doubt about it.

Because of the wide variety of Bible translations, interpretations and applications, all of which are worth sincerely looking into, I could be writing till Remembrance Day (at the point of writing, that would be four columns away). Now that would be ironic, wouldn't it?

I'll be hard-pressed to squeeze my thoughts into a few columns, so I plan to pare my thoughts down and do just one or two. (I plan to, but I don't promise to—a big difference.)

The word in the original language, Hebrew, has the thought of murder, not kill. It has the thought of slaying, crushing, and dashing to pieces. The main thrust is actually the "intentional taking of the life of another human being."

So this is where we must be clear-headed and rational when applying the Bible to this dialogue. There can be extreme views on either side, and both tend to miss the point of the passage.

For starters, then, these commandments are directed at how humans relate to their Creator (the first four) and mankind (the next six), and fits right in to the theme of humans getting along (or not) with fellow-humans.

This is not what Bible students call a "proof text" against hunting animals. Animals are not in the context, for starters; as well, the culling and killing of animals is actually encouraged in the Scriptures. There is a humane way for hunting animals, especially when there is a need for food or protection; plus, there are a lot of examples for animal sacrifices in the Old Testament.

It likewise does not allow any discussion on the evil of gun control. Every time there is some senseless murder, and there are a lot of them these years, the rabid Left start spouting off about gun control.

By the way, have you ever noticed that when liquor or cars contribute to the death of someone, they don't rise up and call for the banning of liquor or cars? But when guns are involved, the same mindless rabble want to ban guns? It's the people that commit the crimes need to be dealt with, not guns. The Liberals have it all backwards. I understand that there are more deaths by knives than guns these days.

Nor does it touch on capital punishment. I am not coming down on either side of that argument at this point. I fear innocent men and women have been killed needlessly by the state, but that is not the issue here. I'm simply saying one can't argue for sweeping clemency based on this text.

An inherent danger in this sort of topic is when one has a tentative grasp of truth (more bluntly stated: people who know very little about a subject) become very dogmatic and defensive. Don't make "you shall not murder" mean something entirely off-base. It's a warning I take seriously for myself, by the way.

See I told you: I'll need another column to flesh out my thoughts. In the meantime, play it safe.

Something on my Mind: Mom and Dad (2)

I have been in enough homes, classrooms and workplaces in the last 40 years where I have seen, heard, and even felt a serious lack of honour towards those in authority. And it's not a pretty sight, sound, or feeling, I can assure you.

I assume you likely have experienced the same breakdown.

The resulting tension and stress is very unhealthy, and no doubt it has spawned all manner of phobias, anger, and mental disorders that can be directly attributed to this "honour collapse."

A little caveat is in order here: Where do you draw the line when it comes to honouring what you cannot honour? The stickler, in my mind, is when honour is due, but the object is not honourable. That's worth a column on its own, but I really have no original thoughts on that right now.

When kids are trained in a warm and consistent way, by parents who love each other, and them, families are better off. Actually, we're all better off: schools, streets, public gatherings, and workplaces. Absolutely no question about it.

Let's start with the kids themselves: They are not designed to get their own way all the time, or show disrespect or contempt when they don't. Parents are to train and mould them to be self-disciplined and others-oriented. I know, I know, that's a gross over-simplification, but you get my point.

It's unhealthy for kids to get what they want when they want it (okay, I may give in to demand breastfeeding). If they do, they could grow up and be demanding, insubordinate monsters—hey wait, maybe that's what wrong with many kids these days.

Honouring one's father and mother, then, means respecting their rules, their expectations, their house and all its possessions. You see, when one learns to respect one's own property and possessions, it follows that there will be a greater respect for other people's property and possessions. Hence, vandalism and burglary would diminish. (We'll touch on that further when we tackle the "don't steal" commandment.)

Kids who honour their parents don't mouth off at them, defy them, and go out of their way to break their hearts. Parents don't even have to be present for that to kick in: A kid who honours father and mother even when the parents are absent is a well-trained kid, and is on his or her way to becoming a well-balanced citizen.

And that's where the societal benefit comes in.

As an aside, and a big one at that, when the family unit breaks down, ie., by desertion or divorce, the biggest losers in the skirmish are the kids themselves. Oftentimes with that breakdown comes broken hearts and spirits, bitterness and anger, often leading to poor attitudes towards others in authority.

When kids become adults (they do grow up, you know), and if that baggage has not been properly dealt with, then drink, drugs, promiscuity, and insubordination ensue. This is not good for the person in question, his or her relationships, and society at large.

And it all begins with the lack of honouring one's parents.

To be honest, this is a gross over-simplification, but I'm writing a column, not a doctoral dissertation.

I can think of countless authorities, besides parents (teachers, employees, pastors, peace officers, for starters) out there that would think they died and went to heaven if their subordinates would treat them with a little respect. Note, I didn't say "a little more respect"; I said just a little respect.

Respect is far more than lip service ("yes dad" [mom]). It's a full package here,: attitude, tone, and lifestyle, We would be so much better off if we could honour those in authority.

It starts with us adults: Maybe we could model what it means to honour those around us.

Something on my Mind: Mom and Dad (1)

You've seen the professional football dude, during his television interview, send his "yo momma" message back Georgia, haven't you? The player will face the camera and speak squarely into the mike, as he makes sure his message gets out. Note, though, that it's never his dad, just his mom.

Hockey players, on the other hand, when they have the same opportunity, will thank both parents indirectly—meaning they will say positive things about their parents to the interviewer, but not into the camera.

Either way, anytime a player acknowledges his parent(s), it's a good thing, and a good lesson for us all.

We non-jocks tend to (or at least should) do it ourselves usually twice a year, whether or not we've scored a touchdown or goal: it's called Mother's Day and Father's Day, and it comes in the form of a phone call or a card to our parents, respectively. Mind you, not all kids do it each year, I can assure you, but it's nice when some token honour is given to them..

With that, I introduce our fifth of ten commandments, namely, "honour your father and mother." Unfortunately, this is a stretch for many.

It's a stretch if the father has abandoned the family, and the child doesn't even know who he is. It's tough if father's gone, but there are multiple father-figures (mother's "lovers"). Or, father is not gone from the family, but he's never around (must not have read and followed the previous commandment perhaps). So that's a hard one, too. And finally, father is home but, read slowly, he demands honour, but doesn't command it.

The above is true for mothers, too ("honour your father and mother"). If you're like Maurice, I'll need to explain: you need to honour both.

Parenting has many heavy demands, so a card here or call there is such an encouragement

Please note that this commandment is directed towards the kids, not the parents. And, unlike the other commandments, it comes with a promise and a blessing.

Sometimes there is a little confusion between the words "honour" and "obey." At times they are inter-changed, as if they mean the same thing. Well, they don't.

Children must obey and honour their parents. But as they grow up and mature, then move on and out, the obedience part is no longer required, but the honour part is for life.

Take me, as an example. I left home just days before I got married, thirty-six years ago. Up till the day I left, I obeyed and honoured my folks (okay, not consistently or willingly, but more or less until I went to university ). But once I left, things changed, though not too drastically. To this day, I still honour my widowed mother in a variety of ways (weekly phone calls come to mind).

The practice of honouring those in authority in those formative years has stood me in good stead over many decades. I transferred that attitude to other authorities over the years and in different spheres. For myself, once I learned to honour my parents, it was natural to honour my classroom teacher, the officer on the street, the elders in the church, and my boss in the workplace.

The inverse is tragically true as well, namely, a lack of honouring one's parents can easily lead to insubordination, frustration, rebellion, even anarchy.

The societal gain of the young honouring those in authority (eg., the student or citizen or employee honouring the school or the law, or the business) would be incalculable, utterly incalculable.

There are too many societal benefits to list here, but, suffice to say, petty crime, unemployment, and personal vices would be drastically impacted. Eradicated? No. Diminished? Yes.

There is nothing inherently religious about honouring one's parents. But there is something inherently practical and productive about it.