Why are the ten commandments so important?

because they gave ancient fictional characters control over the minds of real people. quite sad really.

They're Religious Commandments. They're important to religious people and unfortunately they make up the majority.

That said how many of them actually FOLLOW all ten commandments? How many can name all ten at the top of their head? In fact I dare any Christian here to name all ten WITHOUT referring to the Bible or the internet.

Goes to show how important they really are...

Also, what most Christians don't know (or maybe selectively forget) is that there are TWO ten commandments. The first one was smashed by Moses, so the story goes, and the second in no way resembles the first. Read my source!

The Ten Commandments are Gods perfect law. They were written to reveal sin and bring people to repentance.

Most of rabinnical law beyond that was man-made, but the Ten Commandments were the original divine revelation of the Law.

Go to the end of Galatians 3 for their fullest importance.

Important to WHOM???

They're certainly NOT important at all to pagans,

and most of the world's hundreds of different

religions are pagan religions.

Indeed, Pagans put almost all other Gods before that

petty tribal dude Jehovah, so we take serious objection

to the ridiculous command to "have no other Gods."

I have to wonder how the Christians would like it,

if we Pagans tried to enact the commands of our

holy pagan Gods and Goddesses, and post their

sacred commandments in public buildings?

Hey, here's a good start:

1.Thou shalt never worship a God without also worshipping a Goddess.

2. Thou shalt exalt the Horned God above all other Gods.

3. Thou shalt never worship any LESS than twelve different Gods, at the very minimum.

4. Keep the statues of the Gods naked, and thus holy.

5. Whenever anyone shall preach against the Many Gods, falsely claiming only one god exists, then shall ye take up banana cream pies, and smite them on their faces, yea, wheresoever they may dare to utter such false, hateful,and abhorrent doctrines.

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Well, okay then. Five down, five more to go...

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They are a tool that shows mankind is incapable of living up to this standard put forth by God. It should lead a person to see that based upon their own efforts, they can never measure up to God and achieve salvation based upon their own efforts. It therefore points to the need of another way to salvation.

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" We stake the whole future history of this nation upon the ablility of its people to govern & control themselves according to the 10 Commandments". -- James Madison ...Chief Archetect of the US Constistution and 4th Pres. of US.

The Decalogue reflects the holiness of the God, the Law-giver.

I was looking for a good answer on this too

They are the commands of God, he told Moses to read them aloud.

a powerful moment indeed!