The U.S. Supreme Court building itself has four displays of the Ten Commandments, three of which are carved in stone; The first is the Ten Commandments, engraved on the lower half of two large oak doors as you enter the Chamber. The second is a marble frieze in the Chamber itself, showing Moses holding a copy of the Ten Commandments inscribed in Hebrew. The third is two allegorical figures, representing "The Power of Government" and "The Majesty of Government," which stand beside a carved flat-faced tablet with two rows of Roman numerals, marked I to V and VI m XI this is an obvious rendering of the Ten Commandments. The fourth is located in the most prominent plane in the building: just above the place where the Chief Justice sits. There you will find a carved stone banner which read. "Justice, the Guardian of Liberty." Centered above the banner is Moses, seated and holding a copy of the Ten Commandments. "The U.S. Supreme Court Chamber is which cases related to religion are heard is decorated with a notable and permanent not seasonal symbol of religion: Moses with the Ten Commandments,"-U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger, (at his majority opinion, Lynch vs. Donnelley, 465 U.S. 668, IIC. decided March 5, 1984. State courtrooms and capitols across the nation have housed displays of the Ten Commandments for decades. "In fact, the Ten Commandments are more easily found in America's government buildings than in her religious buildings, thus demonstrating the understanding by generations of Americans from coast to coast that the Ten Commandments formed the basis of America's civil laws," David Barton, The Ten Commandments A Part of America's Legal System for Almost 400 Years, a paper presented in court battle against the ACLU. Sir William Blackstones Commentaries m the Laws of England, considered the leading commentary on English law, has had the profoundest impact on American law. He wrote this: "Human laws are only declaratory of an act in subordination to Divine Law " quoted In Gary DeMar, America's Heritage, p. 75. The legal statutes of America are founded on prohibitions against blasphemy (third commandment), dishonoring parents (fifth), murder (sixth), adultery (seventh), theft (eighth, and perjury (ninth). http://www.bible-tencommandments.com/10C-Statesmen.htm
I would say that the story of the Torah is more that God is saying you can know there is one God and that he is that God and that you know that through the fact he keeps his promises as seen in the story of his people.
I would say it's more to insure complete dominance of the Jews in Israel, the "Chosen People." There are some jewels in there. My favorite is the part where after Adam and Eve got kicked out of the garden of Eden, where they could just eat all day all they wanted, the women started having pain when they bore children. Just like the scientists tell us that is what happened to the monkeys when they started walking on two legs.
From the article: Many of the precepts found in the Ten Commandments are common-sense rules that have existed for centuries. Some Religious Right leaders fall back on the argument that, while the Constitution may not explicitly recognize the Ten Commandments, American common and statutory law surely does. After all, our laws say it’s wrong to kill, lie and steal – just like the Ten Commandments! The argument fails a simple historical analysis. Activities like murder, theft and lying are detrimental to all societies. If these actions aren’t punished, they make it nearly impossible for people to live together in peace. Thus, they are always banned. Other ancient lists of laws, such as the Code of Hammurabi (which is older than the Ten Commandments), proscribe these actions as well. Even the U.S. Supreme Court gives a nod to this fact. In the court’s main chamber, a frieze along the wall depicts historic lawgivers from many different eras. Moses is depicted carrying two tablets, but he’s not alone. Many other lawgivers from the ancient world, including Hammurabi, Solomon, Solon, Confucius and others, are there too [bold mine]. Veneration of the Ten Commandments as the font of all wisdom and the source of all laws is a modern-day affectation of the Religious Right. It doesn’t go back to the founding period.
How many times do I have to tell you? None of it has anything to do with the constitution. The laws of this land and all civilized lands are based on the Ten Commandments whether they were written on stone and given to Moses or delivered to Buddha in a state of meditation or revealed to Mohammed when he took a break from fucking his dog. What is your goddamned problem with the Ten Commandments? Ten Laws which are just about common sense to any thinking person. Nothing very controversial in there. Everybody knows they feel good when they disobey them. I love coveting my neighbor's wife. But if you keep doing that over and over again it fucks up society and in the end your own personal life.
more douchey strawmen from db. who says it is the source of all laws? zero nada no one of any authority and perhaps no one at all. you and leftist buddies argumentation is a worse than a pre school child's argumentation.