Dreaming of a Nation Governed by the Ten Commandments?

When those with a Christian cultural affinity feel their way of life is under siege, the idea of plastering the Ten Commandments on school walls or anchoring national laws in biblical precepts often surfaces as a kind of panacea.

If we’re serious about this, we’d need to draft ourselves some new laws. I’m game to assist. But before we go ahead, I have two questions for anyone who actually entertains this idea:

1. Have you actually read the Ten Commandments?

2. Have you really thought this through?

Or is there just a hazy Sunday School impression that they somehow encapsulate the entirety of Christianity?

Let’s take a look. And just so we’re clear: my tongue is firmly in cheek here. I’m ribbing a mindset, not the Bible. So here are my notes to send on to the committee.

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From Exodus 20:1–17

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.”

Right from the start, note the context. The “you” here refers to the Hebrews, freshly delivered from generations of Egyptian slavery. These words weren’t for everyone, everywhere, always—they were covenant terms for a newly freed people learning to live with God. Any attempt to make these into modern legislation must start with that context in the preamble.

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I. No Other Gods

“Do not have other gods besides Me.”

This would be a real challenge today. We’d need to de-platform money, power, hyper-individualism, nationalism, and all the rest. God would have to take precedence over country. Good luck drafting that legislation.

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II. No Idols

“Do not make an idol… You must not bow down to them or worship them…”

Physical idols? Not so common now. But we’ve got plenty of modern-day equivalents—status, image, stuff. The deeper message is about not placing our trust in anything tangible. But even the Hebrews broke this one within days.

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III. Don’t Misuse God’s Name

“Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God…”

It’s often interpreted as banning profanity. But more accurately, it’s about not using God’s name to justify things that aren’t godly. Ever seen someone slap a divine stamp on their personal agenda? Exactly.

God says He’ll handle the punishment on this one. Maybe we don’t need new laws here—just a bit more fear of God.

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IV. Remember the Sabbath

“You must not do any work…”

This one’s tough in a modern economy. Are we shutting down hospitals, public transport, emergency services every seventh day? And newsflash: biblically, the Sabbath is Saturday, not Sunday. We’d need a nationwide re-education campaign and probably a backup workforce for critical infrastructure.

To the ex-slaves, this was radical grace—a guaranteed day off. For us? It’s mostly a lost art.

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V. Honour Your Parents

“So that you may have a long life…”

This could translate into better protections against elder abuse and better support for carers. We might also need some fines for teenagers who talk back. Pocket-money-sized, perhaps.

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VI. Do Not Murder

Already illegal. Nothing to add.

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VII. Do Not Commit Adultery

Are we ready to criminalise affairs? We’d need to double the size of the prison system.

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VIII. Do Not Steal

Covered.

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IX. Do Not Bear False Witness

That’s perjury. Already on the books.

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X. Do Not Covet

“…your neighbour’s house… wife… servant… ox or donkey…”

Coveting—wanting what isn’t yours. Plotting to snag your neighbour’s house, spouse, or shiny new lawnmower is a no-go. While oxen and donkeys aren’t common these days, the essence remains—don’t scheme to swipe what’s not yours. In a consumer culture driven by envy and comparison, this would require major retooling of advertising, influencer culture, and capitalism itself.

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So, What’s the Point?

This little exercise illustrates the danger of wielding the Bible as a legislative hammer. The Ten Commandments aren’t a legal code for modern states—they’re more like house rules for God’s first attempt at communal living with humanity.

The Bible’s bigger aim isn’t behavior control through law. It’s heart transformation through story.

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A Related Observation

Some say the Bible is just a big list of do’s and don’ts. Really?

Compared to the thousands of new regulations governments produce annually, the Bible is a minimalist. Just ten? That’s not oppressive. That’s restraint.

The real point is to attune yourself to the storyline—to sense the melody running through Scripture. Once it starts to resonate, you need fewer laws, not more.

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The Story Behind the Stone Tablets

Let’s take a step back.

There can be goodness in the world—but often, there isn’t. There can be goodness in your life—but often, there isn’t. Been irritable, greedy, lazy, selfish lately?

The Ten Commandments point to the truth: something is off. As imagers of God, we should be giving life, creating beauty, blessing others. But we imitate each other instead of God—and we spiral into pride, competition, deception, harm.

It’s the story of Adam and Eve grabbing for godlike status. Cain killing Abel. And all the variations since.

To live together peacefully, we need guardrails. So, in order to counter the desires we have to “get ahead at all costs”, we need to be told to not kill each other (VI), steal from each other (VIII), lie about each other (IX), or obsess covetously each other’s stuff (X). In order to counter destructive selfishness of extra-marital affairs we have to be told to not do that (VII). That’s what commands VI through X are: boundaries against self-centered survival strategies—murder, theft, adultery, deception, envy.

But boundaries aren’t enough.

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The Heart of the Matter

What if the real solution is not more legislation, but heart renovation?

How do we start returning to beauty, glory, and innocent trust? We reconnect with our Maker. That’s what commandments I and II are about: surrendering pride and realigning ourselves with the Designer.

And if we can’t even honour our own parents—the longest, most formative relationship we’ve got—how can we honour anyone else? That’s V.

And IV? We need to remember that we are not machines. Work is not our god. We need rest, reflection, community, and communion with the Creator.

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Final Word

The Ten Commandments don’t belong on a wall. They belong in a heart.

They’re not a political trophy. They’re personal.

They are not be looked on as a benign religious text from days gone by, but wisdom to reapplied in every generation to tame our unruly hearts.

ABC - Ten Commandments in Schools in Louisiana