Ten Commandments For A New Century

[Amroth]

The Ten (Slightly) New Commandments

1. I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me – except the Gods of Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Greed, and Sloth.
   
   
2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain – except when thou bumpest thine toe on a stone (or something similar).
   
   
3. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or 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. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them – except when thou lookest at thine filthy magazines, or thine secretly bookmarketh web-sites; then thou mayest serve thyself.
   
   
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy – except when there ist something unholy happening, then thou mayest do what is pleasing to thee.
   
   
5. Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long – except when they get old and frail; then thou mayest stow them away in a retirement home, and visit them once a year, at most.
   
   
6. Thou shalt not kill – except when thou arth the Government (then thou mayest fry thine subjects), or thou arth at war; then thou mayest smite thine enemies with all thy might, and stomp on their remains with muddy feet.
   
   
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery – except when thou arth heavily intoxicated, or thou thinkest thine spouse wilt never find out.
   
   
8. Thou shalt not steal – except when thou arth the Government, or thou arth rich, or thou thinkest no man wilt ever find out.
   
   
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor – except when thou hatest his guts; then thou mayest bear as much false witness as thou wilt.
   
   
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's – except when the ass thou covet is particularly fine.

[IamthePope]

a fine satire of the tragic state of our post enlightenment, capatalistic, materialistic world.

[RusskiSoldat]

Damned enlightenment.
I wish the middle ages never ended!
I mean, better a nation of faithful field serfs then people who can actually enjoy our lives.

[IamthePope]

Damned enlightenment.
I wish the middle ages never ended!
I mean, better a nation of faithful field serfs then people who can actually enjoy our lives.

Who says the serfs of medeival Europe were not content? They were assured spiritual fulfillment whereas we seek in vain to achieve material fulfillment.

[Amroth]

You are all welcome to join the new Church of the Apocalyptic Apocalypse

- Apoc, High Priest of the CAA

[Last Roman]

Who says the serfs of medeival Europe were not content? They were assured spiritual fulfillment whereas we seek in vain to achieve material fulfillment.

lets go see you work out on the fields all day, live in a one room mud hut and have the lord (the non-God one) watch over your every move, then report back

[IamthePope]

lets go see you work out on the fields all day, live in a one room mud hut and have the lord (the non-God one) watch over your every move, then report back

At least Christendom would be unified. No more Protestants

[Last Roman]

No more Protestants

you know, Bush isn't Catholic

[Lord Tomyris]

At least Christendom would be unified. No more Protestants

Can't keep a good denomination down, eh?

[Ahiga]

At least Christendom would be unified. No more Protestants

There'd still be the wonderful Orthodoxy. Except they and the Muslims (Of which I'd convert to!) would be pointing and laughing at the toiling barbarians. It goes beyond mere quality of life but quality of existence - it was the crusades and the knowledge brought back from the east which allowed for actual medicine and art and civilization which would come about in the reinassance. As well, I believe we are holding the past to too high an esteem. Popes in olden times might give into immoral temptations when modern day popes would never consider such a thing. Some of the caliphates and Islamic kingdoms seemed far less fundementalist than the modern day taliban. It was not a time of spotless knights (on all three sides, be it byzantine, fatmid, or Frankish), and I have to seriously doubt that there was less modern day depravity just because of piousness, but rather, because of lack of material goods - And they sure loved booty (everyone did), so I don't think they were all ascetics.

If you are a christian (Barring orthodoxy), I think the reinassance would be a far better time to live. It still wasn't as quality a life as the modern times (And many still toiled and suffered a bad existence) but on the whole, it was far better than 11th or 12th cenuty europe. I can understand the fantasy daydreaming - I have similiar romanticized thoughts of what it would have been like as a migrating Aryan (not nazi! Iranian! Persian!) or Scythian or Bedouin, but the reality is that a life like those would have been horrendous were I to choose between my present one and one of those. In the case of those fantanacies, I always imagine myself at least a middle class individual, if not higher (not royalty, but certianly not a serf). I would be very skeptical if those who pine for the 11th or 12th century imagine themselves as a serf and not some gallant crusader in the first crusade. I'm not saying that criticizingly - I do the very same were I to think of living in the 11th century Middle east. Naturally, we would not imagine ourselves in the worst position of society, but the position which most were of.

Also, I seem to recall that it were the serfs of the eastern roman's (Though perhaps they were the serfs of norman and crusader landlords in the balkans who set up fiefdoms following the 4th crusade, unless they were removed by then by the byzantines) whom were happy to be relieved from their landlords by the Ottomans (before someone accuses me of being a closet Islamic-sympathizier...well, your right, but I've heard conflicting reports on the attributes of the early Ottoman conquest of eastern europe.). I would think that many in byzantium had better lives than in europe, but there was still a large population of poor serfs, whether in Egypt, China, France, or Greece.

[Last Roman]

humanity has always been like this, it's just on a greater scale these days. now excuse me while I go get drunk and try to hit on my friends girlfriend while stealing his stuff.

[Rhinosaur]

I enjoy my freedom to choose right or wrong thank you very much. And don't forget George W. Bush belongs to one of those heretical churches.

[Obi Wan Asterix]

Moved to Ethos, Mores et Monastica....

[Zenith Darksea]

The pre-enlightenment era wasn't all bad. Look at the citizens of the East - they were generally well-educated and led relatively prosperous lives, unlike their Western neighbours. I must say, there is something appealing about returning to the sort of culture that existed in the Byzantine Empire at its apogee, apart from the civil wars, of course.

[KingOfTheIsles]

And the periodic plagues, devestating wars, horrible famines and such like? Damn medieval romanticists....

[Shaun]

The pre-enlightenment era wasn't all bad. Look at the citizens of the East - they were generally well-educated and led relatively prosperous lives, unlike their Western neighbours. I must say, there is something appealing about returning to the sort of culture that existed in the Byzantine Empire at its apogee, apart from the civil wars, of course.

The only appealing thing about returning to a pre-enlightenment is the prospect of being someone important. Would you want to be a serf, living in harsh condition, working all day for little pay? No, but thats they way most people lived back then.

[The White Knight]

Perhaps spirituality is important. I too have a deep repulsive of overly-spoilt and materialistic capitalists, even though I'm browsing on the internet with a modern computer, being a materialistic person myself.

Christianity, islam, bouddhism, all ways to reach enlightment. So they say.

[I Have a Clever Name]

This is the era of TWC. None surpasses its glory and splendour.

[I Have a Clever Name]

Who says the serfs of medeival Europe were not content? They were assured spiritual fulfillment whereas we seek in vain to achieve material fulfillment.

The reason the vast majority of the underclasses were devoutly religious was because they subsisted in abject poverty and endured constant strife, hence their desperate desire for a posthumous utopia was all too compelling and irresistible.

You'll find in areas of the world where poverty is more widespread (usually certain parts of Latin America and Africa) Christianity is gaining enormous amounts of proselytes. Why? Promise of a better future. Its called preying on the weak-minded and desperate.

Also I don't appreciate the use of 'we' when you refer to 'our' alleged materialistic endeavours. I am not materialistic, I wish only to live comfortably, expand my knowledge and contribute to my collection of priceless Renaissance art works.

[IamthePope]

Also I don't appreciate the use of 'we' when you refer to 'our' alleged materialistic endeavours. I am not materialistic, I wish only to live comfortably, expand my knowledge and contribute to my collection of priceless Renaissance art works.

I using the word "we", I was referring to the present materialistic state of our society in general. Not to all of us individually as there are bound to be exceptions, though it is difficult to see how anyone could entirely escape the attitudes that society imposes upon us all.

you know, Bush isn't Catholic

Yep, but if he lived in the 12th century he would be.

This is the era of TWC. None surpasses its glory and splendour.

It would seem that we are at the high point of technological and industrial accomplishment. But as a culture are we any better than what has come before us?