Ten Rules to Live By

A rose by any other name, is still a rose.

The bible says that the Ten Commandments are a set of rules or laws that God gave to the people of Israel.

The ten commandments are intrinsically a set of guiding principles that we can and should live by. But because the first four commandments are centered around “God,” and the last six about how we treat each other, our public institutions reject the document as a whole. I believe that this has been a huge mistake, as our children need guidance. They need a set of basic rules to guide their internal world. The ten commandments have been that lode-stone for raising children for as long as Judeo-Christian civilization (as we know it) has been in existence. The de-emphasis of this document as a core component of childhood education due to the logic of the separation of church and state has been a great loss to (US) American society.

“There are some things that we all know are right”. - Pastor Dr. Kirk Milhoan

Many children today no longer have the benefit of a solid grounding in Judeo-Christian ethics.

Therefore, today while sitting in the European Union and waiting for the International COVID Summit to start, Dr. Milhoan and I devised a “secular” version of the ten commandments, one which could be hung in school rooms throughout the country.

Ten Rules to Live By

1. Respect for (good) authority.

2. Respect requires humility. Humble yourself and respect other people.

3. Take care of your environment. Leave only footprints.

4. Remember one must work as well as have time to rest and reflect.

5. Honor your father and your mother, be healthy in thought and deed - so that you may live a long life on earth.

6. Do not murder.

7. Do not commit adultery.

8. Do not steal.

9. Do not lie.

10. Do not poison your soul with jealousy and envy.

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Please feel free to print, post and use these rules wherever it is appropriate.

Please share them with your children, friends and families.

These rules should be suitable to hang in any classroom through out the country.

A note: this is not meant to replace the Ten Commandments.

This is a document that can be used in secular and government spaces and buildings. Children need guidance and a set of values in their public school education, this or a set of similar rules can help provide that gap, while still maintaining a secular wall between the state and religion.

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