Isn't There Need For A Moral Value System Anymore?

Nadene Goldfoot                                         

       Consisting of only 2 things to do and 8 things not to do, that's the 10     Commandments,  Each item has undergone many a debate.  

Judaism's moral values were spelling out for us with the Ten Commandments given to us by Moses who led us out of Egypt.  For 40 years we traveled by foot, wagon and camel a rather short distance today, but took Moses longer in order to condition our minds to a different way of life through 613 Commandments with the first 10 most important.              

Around 1300 BCE (the Late Bronze Age), humans lived during the peak of empires like New Kingdom Egypt and the Hittites, farming open field landscapes, building stone towers in Europe, and using bronze tools.

 This happened about 3,000 ago.  Our sages figured that  Moses' lifespan was from 1391-1271 BCE,  Can you imagine that length of time ago? 

The Ten Commandments are a set of moral and religious laws given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, written on two stone tablets. Found in the Bible in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, they guide people on how to love God and respect their neighbors.  It's the respecting their neighbors is where our values come from.  

1776 when  our country, The United States, was born: "The United States was symbolically "born" on July 4, 1776, with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence."

Overall, global and long-term data show that interest in religion is getting less as more people leave organized faiths. However, recent short-term polls show small, unexpected bumps in interest among specific groups like young men.

Christian church attendance is generally declining over the long term, though recent data indicates that the decades-long drop may be leveling off or stabilizing at a lower baseline. Overall participation rates remain lower than they were twenty years ago, affected by a growing number of religiously unaffiliated individuals. 

On Reddit, opinions are mixed regarding the causes of lower church engagement, with some users attributing it to shifting cultural priorities and secularization, while others view it as a symptom of broader societal and media influences.  The 10 Commandments were once used by all of us, but then these 10 rules of conduct were forbidden on public property which might have lost interest in Christian communities as well.

Mosque attendance and the number of mosques in the United States have grown steadily, driven by population growth and immigration, though trends vary by demographic. The Islamic moral code centers on accountability to God, justice, and compassion, derived primarily from the Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. Growth in Numbers: Data from the U.S. Mosque Survey shows that the total number of American mosques and overall weekly Friday (Jum'ah) attendance increased by roughly 16% to 31% over a decade-long study period, reflecting a growing population base.  Muslims view the Ten Commandments as authentic divine laws originally revealed by God (Allah) to Moses (Musa). While the Quran does not use the exact phrase "Ten Commandments," it affirms their core moral and spiritual principles, and nearly all of them are repeated throughout Quranic verses.                        

The 10 Commandments were ageless rules of a moral code to keep in mind. Ageless but not old fashioned.  But, many can't follow them;  they are too hard.  They're still something to accomplish that hasn't been by all.  We don't have police of religion, that's even against the 10 Commandments.  It's up to each individual to follow any or part or none.  One rule we have that is part of the 10 is  THE GOLDEN RULE:  Don't do to others that which you don't want to have happen to you.  All the rest is commentary.  This is what we have learned from the list.  If you do that, our lives should be much better.  

Nationwide overall local police arrest rates have generally trended lower over the long term compared to pre-pandemic (2019) and historical peaks (1994), continuing a multi-year decline—though specific targeted federal and local operations (such as high-profile federal crime and immigration crackdowns) have driven sharp increases in localized or specific categories of arrests.  Yet, here's what's happened:  

In 2026 there were at least 68 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 24 deaths and 34 injuries nationally.

HARRON POWELL with a photo of son LeGend Taliferro. The 4-year-old was sleeping when he was shot in 2020 in Kansas City, Mo. (Charlie Riedel Associated Press)

By Jim Salter

and Claudia Lauer

ST. LOUIS — Gun violence is killing an increasing number of American children, from toddlers caught in crossfires to teenagers gunned down in turf wars or drug squabbles or for posting the wrong thing on social media.

Shootings involving children and teenagers have been on the rise in recent years, and 2021 is no exception. Experts say idleness caused by the COVID-19 pandemic shares the blame with easy access to guns.

LeGend Taliferro, a 4-year-old who loved dinosaurs and basketball, was sleeping on the floor in an apartment in Kansas City, Mo., when he was shot on June 29, 2020. A man who had been involved in a dispute with LeGend’s father is awaiting trial on second-degree murder charges. A probable cause statement said the suspect had been trying to find LeGend’s dad after that altercation.

“Why do we have to resort to violence because we’re mad?” LeGend’s mother, Charron Powell, asked. “What are other ways we can figure out an issue without harming somebody?”  So there it is;  lesson #1  What do you do with your anger?  No idea?  

 For us, 250 years ago took us back to the year, 1776.