In ancient Israel, legal proceedings usually took place outside at the gates of each city where the elders of the town gathered for judgment. This gave members of the local population the opportunity to observe these trials and stand witness if called to do so. The beginning of the story of Absalom’s revolt against his […]

“Do not give false evidence against your neighbor.” -Exodus 20:16 This Word of God is usually interpreted as a general prohibition against lying. While that is not necessarily incorrect in terms of the spirit of this commandment, that is not exactly what is being referred to here. Like some of the other Words, the original […]

“Do not steal.” -Exodus 20:15 The usual understanding of this commandment is that it is speaking out against theft of all sorts of personal possessions such as animals, silver and clothing etcetera. This traditional understanding is of course well attested to in Biblical law as is apparent from the following verses. “A thief must make […]

For the longest time, I have had serious struggles with pornography addiction. In fact, if there is any one part of my life where I felt like my prayers went completely unanswered, it is in this area. I so sincerely wanted to achieve victory over this problem. I prayed unceasingly as I was told to. […]

The 7th Word of God to not commit adultery is often and mistakenly interpreted as a sweeping statement about sexual morality. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is an extreme example testifying to this. In addition to adultery, they use the 7th Word of God to forbid masturbation, pornography, prostitution, rape, homosexuality, contraception, artificial insemination, divorce, […]