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Pogue

I think most Christians would believe that the 10 commandments were: 1. Given to Moses by Yahweh. 2. Written on stone tablets. 3. Are referred to as the 10 commandments in the Bible. The one that people usually call the 10 commandments are in Exodus 20 were only spoken to Moses and not written down nor were referred to as the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments in Exodus 20 are 

1. I am the Lord thy God, thou shall not have any gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything.
3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house, wife, or property.

The REAL 10 commandments are in Exodus 24/34. In Exodus 24, Yahweh took 40 days and 40 nights to make (weird 6 days for the universe yet 40 for something that people at the time could do much quicker) were destroyed in Exodus 32. When people worshipping a golden calf he destroyed them and we do not know what was on them (after this Moses ordered the killing of thousands). 

However, in Exodus 34, God said he would put the same commandments on the new one that he did on the one Moses broke. These were actually called the 10 commandments in the Bible. So, what was on these. Well they are 
     1. Thou shalt worship no other God beside me
     2. Thou shalt make no molten Gods
     3. The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep.
     4. The firstborn male ox or sheep belongs to Yahweh
     5. 6 days thou shalt work but on the 7th-day thou shalt rest (or else death)
     6. Thou shalt observe the feasts of weeks
     7. Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.
     8. Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven
     9. The first fruits you bare belong to Yahweh
   10. Thou shalt not boil a baby goat in its mother's milk

So, are the 10 commandments, even the one in Exodus 20, the basis for Western Civilization's laws and systems. 

someone234

No, they are not.

Pogue

They are not the basis for Western Civilization (the ones in Exodus 34). Religious freedom is very important in the West. However, the 1st commandment in both Exodus 34 and Exodus 20 say to only worship one god. The second one is done by everyone. We all make idols for ourselves and someone we want to be like. I...I don't even get the 3rd one that is in Exodus 34. For the one in Exodus 20, there is nothing prohibiting that. People work on any day of the week and a lot of stores are open on Saturday and Sunday. I again don't get the 6th. We don't do sacrifices anymore so the 8th one is useless. We don't give our earning to a supposedly omniscient and omnibenevolent (which is actually contradicted many times) being. However, for the 10th one, people don't usually boil a baby goat in the mother's milk so I guess that one stands.