The Ten Commandments: A Religious Analysis

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Every religion has a moral code or set of laws that believers adhere to. This is known as religious law (Gellman). In Buddhism, novice monks and nuns adhere to a moral code entitled the Ten Precepts, which are voluntary rules they undertake (“Access”). In Christianity a code of ethics called the Ten Commandments is followed. The Gospel of John reads, “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5.3). Through a comparison of the Ten Precepts of Buddhism and the Ten Commandments of Christianity, insights into variances within a moral code can be determined through the exploration of violence, human desire, and treatment of others and oneself. Through the examination of the Ten Precepts and the Ten…show more content…
Regardless of the fact that the Fifth Commandment is in regards to killing another human being (since that is the definition of murder), suicide is viewed as a violation of this commandment by Christians. One can confirm this stance by referring to the Bible, which states, “no one has power over the day of his death” (Ecclesiastes 8.8). This means that no one except God has the authority to take life away from someone, which supports that Christians do not believe in suicide. The First Precept states not to harm any living creature, but is suicide harming oneself if death is the result wanted? Since Karma and Rebirth lie at the heart of Buddhist teachings one knows that in Buddhism dying essentially leads to the formation of new life, thus suicide is considered counterproductive, not effective in ending the cycle of rebirths, and tis forbidden (Beesly). To explain, nowhere in the Precepts or other Buddhist teachings is suicide deemed as acceptable as it brings about bad karma that will make one suffer in the next life (Beesly). Therefore, suicide is forbidden in both religions because it goes against their moral codes; however, the reasons for such in Christianity is because one’s body comes from God and the reason for this in Buddhism is because it affects one’s next life. Through what is meant by killing, abortion, and suicide one gains understanding of the Buddhist and Christian view of

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