Every one of the Ten Commandments, all of which I agree with btw, can be boiled down to one thing: Don't steal.
Murder? The unjustified theft of a life.
Theft? Well, that's just....theft.
Coveteousness? That's "pre-theft", no matter if it's your neighbors ass, his fields, or his wife's ass.
False witness? That's the theft of the Truth.
God's name in vain? That's the theft of the respect owed to God.
I don't have a problem with God, nor with Jesus. I have a problem with the dozens of varieties of "doctrine" floating around out there. From one denomination to the other they're often mutually contradictory or just plain silly.
L
Well, I’ve sometimes had lunch with Evangelicals at conventions, and I had a glass of wine while they turned theirs upside down.
And I once had dinner with a few old Evangelical friends, and they didn’t mind my having a beer even through they had all vowed to stay off of it. They agree to respect my faith, and I respect theirs.
This was faculty from Evangelical colleges. They have to vow not to drink, and they generally keep that vow whether or not they think the Bible demands it, because it’s important to keep your word.
I can respect that, and I’m not sure it doesn’t set a better example for the students than the falling-down-drunk that I saw all too often in my dorm when I was an undergraduate. I would prefer to teach the students self-control, how to drink without abusing it, but abstinence is probably second best.