The first question most children ask without having to be taught is "Why?". All of us want to do what we want to do, that's human nature. Just as a parent stops their child from doing things they shouldn't do because they know the consequences won't be favorable, God tries to do the same with mankind. Most people see Christianity as a bunch of do's and don'ts. In reality, religion is made up of a whole lot of man imposed rituals of what we should or should not do, which is contrary to the teaching of God: Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8); Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)
Christianity is freedom given by God to do whatever we want, just as long as it does not demean Him or cause harm to others: Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. ...You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. ... I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! (Galatians 5:1-15)
So let's look at a synopsis of these rules, and answer the childhood question of "Why?": ...I would not have known sin except through the law. (Romans 7:7) And God spoke all these words, saying (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:1-21):
1. “I am the Lord your God, ... “You shall have no other gods before Me. Why? So we won't think of ourselves more highly than we should, and in turn treat others as being less than they are - we are all human beings, made of flesh, bones, and blood - no one is better than another.
2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. Why? So we won't spend so much of our time trying to get more, more, more - more for what? It's all temporary and it can not bring permanent satisfaction, and when we die, it will belong to someone else anyway.
3. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Why? So we won't make promises we can't keep - your names is only as good as your word - just say what you're going to do and do what you say, no more no less.
4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work:... For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Why? So we wouldn't live in a world where an employer thinks its ok to run a "sweat shop", or where an employer treats their employees unfairly by making them work ridiculous hours for an unfair wage.
5. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Why? So that we would treat all people with respect and wouldn't have a large homeless and hungry population. So that the elderly, which we all one day may live to become, wouldn't be neglected.
6. “You shall not murder. Why? So that we wouldn't have to hear on the news about another child found dead in a trash can, in an alley, or people being randomly shot due to a drive by, while out minding their own business.
7. “You shall not commit adultery. Why? So that we wouldn't have people dying of sexually transmitted diseases, or unknowingly or even knowingly infecting other people with clamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, syphilis, crabs, HIV.
8. “You shall not steal. Why? So that we won't have to live in a world where we have to use burglar alarms, pepper spray, tasers, or lock our doors, or put bars on our windows.
9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Why? So we wouldn't have people spending time in jail for crimes they didn't commit, even if eventually they are aquitted, they can't get that time back.
10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, ..., nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” Why? So we wouldn't have to worry about our credit being messed up due to identity theft.
Statistics source: http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference-Shelf/Data.shtml
Whether we choose to believe in God or not, we all still have to live on this planet together. Who wouldn't want to live in a world where there were certain rules we ALL had to live by, so that we could avoid coas, living in fear, and being treated unfairly. For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. (Ecclesiastes 9:1)
2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. Why? So we won't spend so much of our time trying to get more, more, more - more for what? It's all temporary and it can not bring permanent satisfaction, and when we die, it will belong to someone else anyway.
3. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Why? So we won't make promises we can't keep - your names is only as good as your word - just say what you're going to do and do what you say, no more no less.
4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work:... For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Why? So we wouldn't live in a world where an employer thinks its ok to run a "sweat shop", or where an employer treats their employees unfairly by making them work ridiculous hours for an unfair wage.
5. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Why? So that we would treat all people with respect and wouldn't have a large homeless and hungry population. So that the elderly, which we all one day may live to become, wouldn't be neglected.
6. “You shall not murder. Why? So that we wouldn't have to hear on the news about another child found dead in a trash can, in an alley, or people being randomly shot due to a drive by, while out minding their own business.
7. “You shall not commit adultery. Why? So that we wouldn't have people dying of sexually transmitted diseases, or unknowingly or even knowingly infecting other people with clamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, syphilis, crabs, HIV.
8. “You shall not steal. Why? So that we won't have to live in a world where we have to use burglar alarms, pepper spray, tasers, or lock our doors, or put bars on our windows.
9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Why? So we wouldn't have people spending time in jail for crimes they didn't commit, even if eventually they are aquitted, they can't get that time back.
10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, ..., nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” Why? So we wouldn't have to worry about our credit being messed up due to identity theft.
Statistics source: http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference-Shelf/Data.shtml
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