AreAmericanLawsBasedOn theTenCommandments?

Manylawmakersandpublicfigureshavestatedinthepastfewyearsthat theAmericanlegalsystemisbasedontheTenCommandments,andhave usedthatasjustificationforthepostingofsaiddocumentandthe erectionofmonumentstothemonpublicproperty.However,thetruthis thereislittlerelationshipbetweentheAmericanLegalSystemandthat setforthintheBible. The American legal system derives directly from the legal system of the nationwewerecoloniesofGreatBritain.Thecodeofprecedentweuseis basedonEnglishCommonLaw,andearlycaseswhereprecedentwasused becauselawsdidnotyetexisttocoversituationsnewtothefledglingnation referredtoEnglishCommonLawprecedents.TheEnglishCommonLawwas made the law of the Kingdom of England with the signing of the Magna Carta,whichwasthefirstdocumentinhistorytoguaranteealevelofrights whichtheCrowncouldnotrevoke. ButsurelyEnglishCommonLawwasbasedontheTen Commandments? No.EnglishCommonLawisprecedentbasedlaw,gainingfullforcefrom thetimeoftheNormanInvasionin1066.Atthetimeofthesigningof theMagnaCarta,itwassolidlyinplace.Itwasalawofvillagesand manors,notofAssize(CourtofAppeals)Courts,andassuch,relied heavilyonlocalcustomsandculturalartifacts.Itwasalsothelaw thatappliedtothecommon,ratherthanthenoble.RoyalandNoblelaw wasderivedfromLexSalica,theSalicLawofClovisinthe400's. CommonLawwasamixtureofthelawsderivedfromthewerhgeld,or triballaw,andremnantsofRomanlaw,alongwithcommonsenseand precedent.Theselawswereallstronglysecular,andthoughthemedieval mindwassteepedinreligion,theSalicLawandthewerhgeldare surprisinglylowonreligiouscontent. <<ThereisadiagramherechartingtheevolutionfromRomanLawandthe SalicLawtoModernAmericanLaw>>

WastheLexSalicaortheCorpusJurisCivillisbasedontheTen Commandments? TheLexSalicawasmuchmorestronglybasedontheAncientEuropean werhgeldthaneventheEnglishCommonLaw.TheLexSalicamostly codifiedwhathadbeentraditionalpracticesamongstthetribaland seminomadicpeoplesofPreModernEurope.Itisessentialtoremember that,afterthefallofRomein476CE,Europewaswithoutaunifying governmentorevenasolidcommunicationsystemforover300years. Locallawsandrulingsbecamemuchmoreimportantthancodesor distinctionsmadebydistantprincesorBishops.TheCorpusJuris CivillispredatesChristianitybyseveralhundredyears,althoughit evolvedevenduringthattime.Atthetimethatitwasintroducedto Britain(53BCE),Christianityhadyettobeborn,andtheRomanEmpire wasstillpolytheisticandpolyreligious.WhileJewsweretoleratedin theRomanEmpire,theywerenotthegovernment,andfew,ifanysaton theSenate.TheTenCommandments,andtherestoftheJudaicLaw,were notpartsoftheRomanCivilLawCodes. RomanLawwasalsoprecedentbased,anditmeshedwellintowerhgeld, theLexSalica,andlatertheEnglishCommonLaw.Forthemostpart, RomanlegalphilosophywasbasedonthemanyRomanandGreek philosopherswhohadwrittenonthebehaviorofmanandthegoverningof anempireforcenturies. ItisimportantforAmericanstoknowwheretheirlawscamefrom.Our lawsareofnaturalevolutionfromtheearliestdays,whenhumansfirst startedlivingingroupsofmorethanextendedfamilymembers.Ourlaws areheavilybasedintheNorthernEuropeantraditions,andmanyofour codesreflectthat.Paymentforwrongfuldeathandinjuryisthesalient featureinthewerhgeld,whereeventhefamiliesofslaveswouldbe compensatedforthedeathsorinjuries.TheconceptsofHabeasCorpus, innocentuntilprovenguilty,andindividualasagentofthegovernment areallstrongelementsoftheCorpusJurisCivillis.Thelawsof inheritancethatarestillthechiefprecedentforprobateintheUSare primarilyderivedfromLexSalica,whileinsurancelawmoreclosely resemblestheLexSalicaandthewerhgeldthanitdoestheBiblicallaws. WheredotheTenCommandmentsfitin?

Inshort,itdoesn't.TheTencommandmentsareadifferentcultural document,derivedlooselyfromtheCodeofHammurabi,ratherthanthe RomanorGreekTradition.ThelawsoftheOldTestamentoftheBibleare verylooselybasedontheCodeofHammurabi,thoughtheinterpretation ispoor,andmanyimportantpiecesoftheCodewereleftoutofthe Commandments.Itisimportanttorememberthatwhilebothcodeand commandmentsreflecttheirculture,theywerenotdevelopedforNorthern Europe.InsteadtheCodeandtheCommandmentsweredevelopedalmost exclusivelyforanomadic,desertdwellingpeople.Socialinteraction varianceswillrequireadaptation.Sincelawsreflecttheculture,and cultureisinfluencedbyclimate,religion,familystructure,and economics,thelikelihoodoftwocultures,withdifferingclimates, economies,socialstructuresandreligionshavinglegalsystemsthat bearmorethanapassingresemblanceissmall.Manyoftheinstitutions oftheOldTestamentwereforeigntoPreChristianEuropeansfast days,inheritedslavery(asopposedtotermdebtbondage),asingleday forworship.ThelawcodeofNorthernEuropewouldhavebeenasoutof placeintheMiddleEastastheOldTestamentwasfortheEuropeans. Finally,NorthernEuropewasprimarilyagricultural,whiletheJudaic traditionisseminomadic.ASmallfarmingtownhasadifferentsetof legalneedsthanawanderingtribeinthedesert,thoughthebasics stricturesagainstharmingothers,theftandrespectforthelawtend tobecommon. Finally,rememberthattheTenCommandmentswereandareareligious document.Thefirstthreearesolelyreligious,andtheattending regulationsofExodusareimpractical,cruel,andoutmodedforModern WesternSociety.ConsideriftheTenCommandmentswereourlegal basis,wewouldhavetopostpoliceofficersateveryexpensivecar dealershiptowriteticketsforcoveting.Obviously,thereisonlythe mosttenuousresemblancebetweenourlawsandthelawsoftheBible. Sowhatdoesthismeantome? Itmeansthatyoushouldbeskepticalofpoliticianswhoclaimthe UnitedStates'lawsarefoundedontheTenCommandments.Thisperson eitherhasnorealknowledgeofourcountry'slegalhistoryors/he's doingsomethingknowninpoliticalcirclesas"socialgrandstanding", tryingtogetapersonalandsocialviewlegislated.

Now,sincethreequartersofthepoliticiansinStateandFederal governmentarelawyers,itisinexcusableformosttonotknowthelegal historyofthecountry.So,bewary! Italsomeansthatyouhaveammunitionwhenajudgeoraschoolboard wantstoputupcopiesoftheTenCommandmentsthere'snosecular purposeforthemtobeinanypublicplace,andiftheyareinapublic place,thentheyviolatetheEstablishmentClauseoftheFirst Amendment,whichstatesthatCongressshallnotfavoranyreligionover anyothers.

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