It isn’t. Perjury is.
Could you explain what pergery is?
(Derleth, wagging a finger at Bobby Roberts’s misspelling)
Pergery is the careful application of a trademarked laminated floor surface, Pergo™.
perjury is a crime, but if called you a nitpicking, anal retentive idiot that sleeps with donkeys (just as an example -no offense 
) then that would be a civil matter of restitution, and not criminal, thats why I gave it a half.
:smack:
Uh… maybe you should read my post one more time, Freyr…
Are we assuming here that God literally handed the Commandments down to Moses and that prior to this occurrence there were no existing human laws regarding behavior within a society?
Is that what we’re saying?
C’mon!
Didn’t you see that Charlton Heston movie?
Its not so much the claim that the 10 Commandments are the basis of our legal system that is particularly obnoxious as its the fundy manner of arguing it. I mean, these guys are getting even wierder than normal about all this.
One angle that has not been mentioned is that the judicial system has influence beyond the codified, legislative law. The laws on the books take their meanings by the word of judges. If the judges staunchly believe in the 10 Big C’s, this will likely influence their decisions, and the INTERPRETATIONS of the laws will use the 10 Big C’s as the basis for the legal system.
As far as Democracy being a Greek idea, we are a Republic, no matter how much we like to toot our horn about Democracy. I’ve heard that many comparisons can be drawn between the Isrealites system of government before the installation of Saul as king. The twelve tribes were semi-sovereign and met to work out issues of national importance, and when necesary for national defense.
But none of this should be shoved in the faces of atheists, agnostics, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, Scientologists, or any other non-JudeoChristian believer when they walk into a government building. Sure, we once had de facto government sponsored religion… the changes of the last half century are called Progress. But I’ll stop there cuz this is stepping into GD territory…
Yes, very GD territory.
D’oh, wrong thread. Lemmie try again
Were murder, left, and perjury illegal in common law before the influence of Christianity?
I’m pretty sure Hammurabi’s Laws mention perjury (Law 3), theft (Laws 8, 6 and others), and murder (Law153 deals with both that and adultery).
Hammurab’s Laws date from around 1792 - 1750 BC. When were the Ten Commandments written?
bnorton: I quickly checked my Encarta CD and see that it lists Moses as being around 1500 BC[E].
bnorton: I quickly checked my Encarta CD and it says that Moses was around back in 1500 BC[E].
Not in this thread, no.
I’m asking if the Decalogue had a direct influence on the formation of English common law, which is the basis of our legal system, here in the States.
Of course, Judge Moore might not see it that way. I’m guessing he’s seeing it more as you phrase it: God literally handed the Commandments down to Moses and that prior to this occurrence there were no existing human laws regarding behavior within a society.
I think the answer is still no either way you phrase it. No, the Decalogue was not the first legal system in existence and no, it did not influence the formation of English common law.
Ack!! My bad! My bad! :smack: