Theos-Talk Archives (August 1994 Message tl00141)

Hello Gerald, you wrote:

> I do not want to reject ethics, Jerry.  Rather, I simply want us
> to be aware of the relativity inherent in them.  Any code of
> ethics that you want to define would be tenuous and subjective,
> at best.  Probably the best known ethical code is the Ten
> Commandments, and just look at how folks have interpreted those
> to suit themselves.  You sometimes have to be a Philadelphia
> Lawyer to determine if?...

I want to state that, 10 commandments are not moral commands in
their form, they are rather in a same form than the normal
secular laws; for example, in most countries the killing of an
other human being is illegal.  I think, that in philosophy, or
in eth ics, we are more concerned about internal values,
consciousness, morality, etc.

10 commandments may be quite universal and easy to apply, but
better in ethical sense is, by my opinion, the Mountain Preach,
and its 5 Commandments that Jesus spoke of.

(I don't know the English, proper Biblical phrases, so I use my
own translation from Finnish.  You can check Matt.  6-7)

1.  Do never get angry.

2.  Be pure in your thoughts.

3.  Don't take oaths.

4.  Don't resist bad.

5.  Love your enemies.

Modern Christianity has rejected these commandments quite well,
I think it is because they are so individual, that if people
would follow them, the society would have difficulties in ruling
them.

Here in Finland we had a Theosophist, Pekka Ervast (1875-1934 ),
who regarded these commandments very theosophical, and wrote a
few books of their application.

Peace, Love, aki.