Ten Commandments

Thou shalt have no other gods before me—

—but that’s not to say you should only have one God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: All one God, but at the same time three, like a three-leaf clover, or the anatomy of an egg, or Neapolitan ice cream, or whichever analogy suits your fancy. Not monotheistic, but monolatrous.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image—

—although sacred art—frescos, sculptures, paintings, statues, monuments—all of this is perfectly acceptable as long as you don’t mistake symbolic worship for worshipping symbols.

Thou shalt not take God’s name in vain—

—but do use God’s name when in earnest. You are taught not to swear, yet also to swear when called upon. The line between sacrilege and saintly humor is a thin one.

Keep the Sabbath Day holy—

—while keeping in mind that to abstain from labor is not to abstain from love. For many, more oxen are pulled from mires on the Sabbath than any other day. A Sabbath made for man might include work, might be a day of restlessness, might in fact be on a Friday or Saturday. Keeping the Sabbath Day holy must not slip into keeping the Sabbath Day only.

Honor thy father and mother—

—but not to the extent of jeopardizing your own honor. A parent may be admired but not emulated, or respected but not admired, or acknowledged but not respected.

Thou shalt not kill—

—unless it is your civic duty. Or your sacred duty. Or mercy’s mandate.

Thou shalt not commit adultery—

—but be prepared to act counterintuitively when called upon. What would otherwise be adulterous—relations with a harlot, or with a foreigner, or with a nonbeliever, or with a servant, or with a second spouse—often has its place in God’s unseeable itinerary.

Thou shalt not steal—

—except when God commands you to steal back for him what was rightfully his. Or when you are so deprived of food and fundamental rights that your family’s sustenance depends on it.

Thou shalt not bear false witness—

—save when propriety requires it. The lie against an innocent man is damnable, but the lie which leads a condemned man to salvation, or prevents unjust judgment, can be a ministering angel.

Thou shalt not covet—

—unrighteously. But do nurture holy envy, and admire others’ virtues enough to acquire them yourself.