Years ago a former pastor of the Church of God taught Bible History classes at SSC (his name escapes me). He suggested that THE BOOK THAT MADE YOUR WORLD is a book everyone should have, so ever since I purchased this book, I have used its information in various conversations as well as shared shared it in this column. It goes through history, documenting how the Bible created the soul of Western civilization.

In this writing I’d like to share and paraphrase some excerpts from it about how the 10 Commandments affects us still today. If it triggers your interest to want to know more, do your research by researching the internet and/or from your Christian library.

The 10 Commandments were God’s acts and words, seen, heard, and affirmed by the whole community. The Jews first believed that God himself wrote the Commandments on stone for Moses to share with the Israelites after they left Egypt. God had greater authority than human constitution: ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt from slavery.’

Al Gore alluded to the fact that modern Western Civilization’s idea of the rule of law flowed from the idea that God is our ultimate ruler. Mostly Huguenots (French Protestants) understood that the absolute sovereignty of God overrides the sovereignty of sinful men, and this liberates the common people. Huguenots suffered severe persecution from the Roman’s church majority, causing survivors to migrate to France.

The covenant of the Commandments founded the modern principle, or rule of laws. Britain’s institutionalized it with the Magna Carta in 1215, founded on common law, tracing to the code of Alfred the Great. The Mosaic code was the foundation for such legal codes in the West. Ultimately, the word of God was the basis for laws and government.

To illustrate this, Paul Robert’s painting, JUSTICE LIFTS THE NATIONS, hangs in Switzerland’s Supreme Court, showing litigants standing before the judges. How will the judges decide? Lady Justice points her sword to an open book, on which is written ‘The Law of God.’ America uses ‘One nation under God, and ‘In God we trust’ to show ‘Human rule flowed from God’s rule.

Believe it or not Plato had no respect for the ‘voice of the people.’ In AD 798, English scholar Alcuin expressed this to Emperor Charlemagne: ‘And those people should not be listened to who keep saying the voice of the people is (from) the voice of God, since the riotousness of the crowd is always very close to madness’ (Mangalwadi 339).

After the Reformation, nations were not bound to obey questionable commands by high church leaders and kings. Since the Bible became available, the people could read it and know for themselves God’s will. When debates occurred, the common people studied God’s word to determine God’s voice in the matter to justify God’s principles.

Even today, this is still being challenged. New Bibles have been printed to leave out many of God’s laws because people are wanting to do whatever they please instead of going by God’s standards for a healthier, happier, and more successful life. (The Bible tells of the consequences of their choices, but this fact is left out of newer Bibles.) Some rules are found in Galatians, Ephesians, and many other books in, for instance, the King James Version Bible and The New American Standard Version Bible (both said to be closest to original Hebrew and Greek writings).

I’m not giving opinions here, but just sharing what you can find through documented research.

Google or research for yourselves of these people, quotes, and events. It’s pretty neat to learn our country’s basic laws were set up in using Bible principles. ... And to think, some people consider the Bible is just outdated with useless information. Do we really want to trash the 10 Commandments? Read them again...