Debunking the Ten Commandments

FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor as they energetically demolish the Ten Commandments, both as moral guides and as an influence on U.S. law. The pair also recap FFRF’s activism to remove Ten Commandments from public schools, and the state of the law about the bible edicts on public property.
Learn more about the Freedom From Religion Foundation at ffrf.org.

[@randyclere7756]

One does not need religion to have a good and compassionate moral code.

[@mavrosyvannah]

One needs a religion to be immoral cruel and planet destroying.

[@TimGreig]

Wait. Do you nobody else see the irony of people being put to death for breaking one of the 10 commandments… When one of the 10 Commandments is, Thou shalt not kill?

[@CarlosSanchez-dv1ew]

Killing people for thousands of years for only questioning the bible ...yet in the ten commendents say ..thou shalt not kill ..

[@elainegoad2111]

Why are we still asked to awear on a bible when testifying in court ? Why is the bible even a book in the court house?

[@ericmoore6769]

What if I swear on an upside down Chinese bible with half the pages missing? Would that still count? (George Carlin quote)

[@Strange9952]

Sky daddy doesn't want you to lie to the judge

[@YouTw1tFace]

You can choose to not do that.

[@julianwaugh8221]

It's not nesscery I tried to get out of jury duty as I refused to swear on the Bible or say so help me god Anyway that oath doesn't make people tell the truth especially if they believe the lie that there. Is a God.

[@cartninja6479]

Because its better than swearing over a hamburger

[@aultnathanielsz3273]

How can anyone expect moral laws to emanate from an immoral, narcissistic, psychotic being?

[@floptaxie68]

That doesnt respect his own law, that is not his at all!

[@MatthewFisherUSA]

The 10 Commandments can be reduced and we can come up with a list that's much shorter, more workable and more logical ... And here is my revised list: 1. Though shall keep thy religion to thyself. Moses could've carried it down the hill in his pocket! 😂

[@tomquimby6432]

You stole that from George Carlin

[@paulwellings-longmore1012]

Thou Shalt Not Steal material from stand up comedians

[@superfly2449]

Thanks for reminding me of GC’s revision of the TCs.

[@DSanto-bk6oq]

I totally enjoyed a George Carlin bit where he whittles the ten commandments down to two commandments, with a third new one added, "Thou shall keep thy religion to thyself." I can get behind that. 😄

[@garyc7125]

I like these. Please do more debunking.

[@Candace-Loves]

Thank y'all for what y'all are doing! I hope I can find a way to help/donate soon. Your delivery is so calm and peaceful to watch, that I wonder if I could put this on with my grandma in the room and she might even sit and listen. ☺️💗🙌

[@Woodlawn22]

I once heard a rabbi say that he saw the commandment to not take the lord's name in vain as meaning do not claim to be a religious person and then behave otherwise. It still makes me smile to think of him saying that when I see examples of what he was talking about. Thank you for your videos and efforts to loosen the grip that religion has on our lives.

[@ericmoore6769]

I like to tell Christians : "It's ok to say God Damn, that commandment is about not praying during sporting events".

[@donnadayle3762]

E...my hubby & i used to have a service business and we had a regular customer...a lady who was a rabbi. every time we went to work at her house she seemed to start getting more 'radical'. the tea party cult was just starting up. she had 'faux' on tv and told us she was learning to train dogs to attack and also joined the NRA and showed us all her 'assault weapons'. this was an extremely educated woman who we could tell...never needed to want material things. she had it all. i thought the religion i was raised in was actually a cult...i have never known anything about rabbi's or any other religions but this just seemed off to me. i thought rabbi's were peaceful?...

[@seanjones2456]

I love the honesty and integrity that these two showed while being interviewed by the ignorant and woo woo master, Oprah Winfrey. They showed how an intelligent human being does not have to believe in supernatural bulls**t to have a fulfilling life. Keep it up kids.

[@G--do8ro]

I saw that episode too. Oprah could barely hide her contempt stemming from typical religious judgment. Oprah fooled everyone for a long time.

[@wajutiem08]

This Ten Commandments movie used to scare the shit out of me when I was a small child. I was very scared and afraid of God.

[@Scathingly]

@wajutiem08 - Yep. Now I didn't come up with this myself but when I read it, I thought spot on. What the commenter said was that he thought such indoctrination of young children is a form of CHILD ABUSE-

[@ChillAssTurtle]

Child abuse is cringe

[@WizardOfWor]

My mother & my aunt loves that garbage. I don't watch it.

[@Machiavelli876]

I loved that movie as a child. My brother and I watched it dozens of times.

[@kpk1958]

Thank you Annie, Dan and FFRF for your continued efforts to expose the perversions, inconsistencies and idiocy of religion.

[@AmitKumar-qz2us]

When I think of all the harm the Bible has done, I despair of ever writing anything to equal it’ - Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), Irish author

[@keke8880]

Just saw you guys on the Oprah Chicago show! That was so cool! Would love to hear the behind the scenes stories if there are any or a reflection of your experiences

[@RitchieCollins]

I came across this excellent video by accident. I must say it is refreshing to hear clearly intelligent and well articulated arguments against the so called commandments. I have happily subscribed and look forward to learning much more. Thank you so much.

[@chrishw]

Thank you Annie for saying that the commandment about honoring father and mother should be the reverse... I have been subject to my parents abuse my qhole life, abuse and dictatorial parenting..I never loved them..and when I grew up , I was blamed for hating them.. Yes, they should honour us ..this is child right...what a commandment! .inhumane

[@keke8880]

I agree. Children have few rights and many adults don't respect children at all. Adults make fun of kids for being kids. It's bizarre to me

[@G--do8ro]

Agreed. Religion treats women and children terribly. Children are thought of as objects owned by the parents. It’s shameful.

[@alleynejoelle]

I love this! Their demeanor almost comes off like sketch comedy, like from SNL.

[@narqiez4669]

"You know that’s a good thing that that commandment is there. I’ve been sorely tempted to take a goat and boil it in its mother’s milk. Do you ever felt like that?"- Dan Barker I can't stop laughing

[@specilegg]

The human heart is desperately wicked man, if it's there it's for a reason to keep people from further corruption.

[@mohamedsirker4858]

Man.....I could not stop laughing!!! That Dan Barker guy is something else!!!

[@davidpilkinton8465]

This was done 4 yrs ago but very appropriate for today considering the law just passed in Texas to put the 10 commandments in schools. Quite a governmental overreach and unconstitutional.

[@Dialysistechniciansworldwide]

Thankyou Dan for saving me from the delusion I was in for years. I use to be a strong prayer warrior and my eyes started opening April 2019.

[@ericmoore6769]

Wow. Welcome to the family. You were always a free thinker. Welcome home.

[@AmitKumar-qz2us]

Religion has greatest bullshit story ever told . Think about it! Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky Who created the universe in 6000 years ago. and flat earth and the vast majority will believe you. who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do.।।

[@MilkyWayGalaxyy]

Black culture is by far the most religious. Reason why there are a lot of Republican Trump supporting Blacks now. The black community needs to wake up and educate themselves on how brainwashed their culture is to religion.

[@speakerz74]

Nice! religion has been a huge detriment to the black community foremostly because it's a waste of time and money; what's ironic is that churches could actually help a lot, but instead they enrich themselves, and do the bare minimum with what's left

[@lanebullger]

What opened your eyes

[@rhondah1587]

Another great show!! Thanks for all you folks do.

[@mytwocents848]

I'm so glad I found this channel and your organization. So needed! I'm a history/archeology enthusiast. From what I understand from research it is apparent that not only did the Moses figure never exist, nor did the Egyptians ever "enslave" Jewish people. In fact, there is evidence that the Hebrew community in Egypt was a thriving free community who chose to immigrate there. Nor is there any evidence of a major exodus at any time. I notice that the most extreme Christian Nationalists consistently pick and choose which Bible stories support their agenda and take them out of contest, adding their own words. They also violate these "commandments" over and over, also to support their cruel agenda. They like to apply the "commandments" to others but not themselves.

[@bird401]

In one of his SNL appearances years ago, Steve Martin gave a mock-serious talk called “What I Believe.” One of his lines was, “I believe in four of the Ten Commandments.” Hilarious routine. He didn’t say which four.

[@cb9809]

Strange for me to see that somebody has to come out as an “atheist” in a western country. Where I am from most people are atheist. They never use the word , because it is not an issue. Everybody just lives his or her life.

[@G--do8ro]

That sounds like a wonderful place - where is it? I’m assuming the Nordic countries or England? Atheists are ostracized in most parts of the U.S.

[@larrylorenzen2449]

I’m a member of ffrf and I say bless you guys!

[@donfeller3888]

Thanks for the look at reality. Great job as you always do.

[@donnadayle3762]

it is so refreshing to hear intellectual truth about their take on the 10 commandments.

[@roadracer1584]

George Carlin was able to condense the 10 Commandments into the 3 Commandments.

[@primordialsoup8570]

Very interesting!

[@michaelnewell6385]

“Long before the Israelites claimed copyright on thou shalt not kill”. That was beautiful. I gotta remember that one.

[@arialaw9456]

I look at the two of them and get insecured that I don't have a Dan Barker in my life (coz I'm a woman). Almost all men here in my country is so patriarchal and would love to display their faith as if it would declare them as a better person when they have a belief :(

[@ericmoore6769]

You have a Dan Barker in your life. So do I. We are all in this together. The Atheist community is a great place to meet smart friends.

[@MrMauzerBear]

"...so I'm sorely tempted to break that commandment, Dan. GODDAMMIT I hate the 3rd commandment..." :-D I love it when Mrs. Gaylor's FIRE spurs out of her mouth!

[@anndeefam]

Thanks for all your hard work keeping America, America.

[@G--do8ro]

Excellent points! I had a best friend in Catholic school who was beaten weekly by her mother. She told the nuns but they told her to just honor her mother and try harder. A year later, my friend ended up in the emergency room from the beating but she still refused to tell anyone, especially since the nuns shut her down. My friend thinks she would have received help if she had not been in a Catholic school. No commandment against abusing children??

[@misssarahashplant31]

Annie Laurie Gaylor nailed it when she queried why God would care about people making graven images. If there was a God, why would he care? And why can't God be a woman? Why is it always a man?

[@JanetStarChild]

The fact that "God" even has a specific gender, and that it's coincidentally the same gender as the oppressors, it's the first red flag that this god was obviously created in the oppressor's image to exploit the people. Furthermore, if the creator of all things was to have a gender, then it would more likely be female over male, as cis-women are the ones with the ability to spawn life. Even asexually-reproducing animals are anatomically female. One could interpret the universe as "the Womb of God".

[@mikedonovan4768]

Every time a clip was played from that movie with the dramatic music I was in stitches - hilarious !

[@tomquimby6432]

Everybody should look at George Carlin talking about the 10 Commandments, it's on You Tube.

[@mephistophelean]

The Ten Commandments "The Ten Offers of Evolutionary Humanism" in contrast to the Ten Commandments of the Bible. In short they read as follows: 1. Serve neither foreign nor familiar "gods" but rather the great ideal of ethics to lessen the suffering in the world. To possess science, philosophy and art means not to need religion! 2. Behave fairly to your neighbour and also to those farthest away! 3. Have no fear of authorities, but rather the courage to reason for yourself! 4. You shall not lie, cheat, steal or kill - unless, in an emergency, there is no other way of asserting the ideals of humanity! 5. Free yourself from the bad habit of moralizing! 6. Do not immunize yourself against criticism! 7. Do not be too confident! But even doubt should be doubted! 8. Overcome any tendency towards tradition blindness by informing yourself in depth from all sides before making a decision! 9. Enjoy your life because it is highly probable that it will be the only one you have! 10. Put your life in the service of a "greater cause", become a part of the tradition of those who desire(d) to make the world a better place in which to live. (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifesto_of_Evolutionary_Humanism)

[@pj3998]

Those 10 commandments are rough, regardless of edition. Gotta keep women as chattel, sickening.

[@craigweston5887]

Just discovered you 2 lovely people. Thank you.

[@ericmoore6769]

Enjoy their appearance on Oprah in 1984. That's when they met.

[@derwolfpack3599]

God needs to get a grip on his ego problem.

[@blacknbougie8021]

And seek intensive therapy for his profound psychosis.

[@yousuck785why]

And apologise to everyone

[@Traitorman.14.3]

Anger management is a main problem for Him.

[@binasharma7128]

The Ten Commandments! Thank you Dan and Annie for this. If all Clerics debunked their respective holy texts, the world would be so much of a better place. More people would focus on being good, rather than being good to their God.

[@jrskp3677]

But then they'd have to get real jobs. Those take skills, physical fitness and effort. Belief and such requires none. Who gives up a good thing? Pay no taxes, no governmental oversight, no warehouse and it doesn't pay off while alive. What a scam.

[@razony]

The 10 commandments only show we can't keep them.

[@donald6815]

#1 seems to imply that there are other 'gods'.

[@keke8880]

True

[@georgemanka]

Do you have a chapter in Australia?

[@robertcooper1952]

I'm an agnostic atheist. I don't know if there is a God in the sense of a transcendent, creative Being but I reject this possibility based on a lack of concrete, scientific evidence.

[@c.merritt7884]

I don't think the law against false witness meant simply lying. I believe it meant you can't tell an untruth about someone so that it hurts them. Example: "I saw my neighbor kill that man," or "I saw my neighbor steal that ox," or some other lie that results in an innocent man being executed or imprisoned for something he didn't do.

[@donnadayle3762]

C> and yet so many other religions would disagree with you...

[@sandijay4]

I have enjoyed your broadcasts on KZbin all year.

[@tangerinesarebetterthanora7060]

Wow I love their delivery... sardonic in a low-key way.

[@craiighorton5780]

Great work. Thank you.

[@montymartell2081]

I remember watching that movie when I was a kid and my dad said why does God sound like a sick cow 🐮😊🎉❤ I always thought that movie was stupid.

[@weavethehawk]

I want to know when "so help you god" will be removed from all oaths. If called as a witness in a court case, I know I will not have to rely on the help of "god" in order to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth".

[@chrisgraham2904]

The uttering of that statement "so help you god" and the placing of the hand on a Bible needs to be fully removed from all court rooms.

[@Ometecuhtli]

"Thou shalt not kill". Awww, god, not that! You're taking away all the fun! *rolls eyes*

[@Esoterre]

Great discussion.

[@grumylynn]

I love the music, it reminds me of the shows in the 70's. :)

[@yourname3336]

FFRF don't give up the fight!!

[@stratocruising]

I once asked a pastor what was the difference between wanting and coveting. He said, "I think it's when you look over your shoulder to see if anyone is watching."

[@jimkonen1913]

I always thought it would be a great idea to have a counter for each commandment which counted every violation of every moment. Can you imagine the size of the computer one would need to keep track now? Can you imagine in our modern politically charged and hate filled world what they would look like now? Two commandments that would not be on the list:1, being responsible caretakers to the planet that sustains us, and 2, acceptance of others because we are all the same.

[@AdiBear88]

thank you FFRF for helping me see..

[@brianray2614]

Fantastic!

[@joseph-thewatcher]

I always think about that poor Israelite everytime I'm collecting branches in my yard after a storm.

[@spaceghost8995]

Wow. I had forgotten how BAD that movie was.

[@JanetStarChild]

It's a stupid, harmful movie, but one can not deny the impressive cinematography.

[@ericjohnson6665]

Actually: "graven image" referred to images like a golden calf, like for Baal worshipers. The Urantia Book tells a story about when Jesus was in the equivalent of grade school, and he drew a caricature of the teacher with charcoal on the floor, to the amusement of his classmates, but it got him in big trouble with the elders, for just this reason. This commandment did greatly hamper the development of the arts.

[@rabblewolf4851]

Excellent discussion. Keep up the good work.

[@kristiandoon8976]

Appreciative for the insights. The veil of theological indoctrination should always have a light shined on it.

[@kitteerie]

Thank u sm for this

[@kimbye1]

The Hitch had an awesome talk where he tore into the ten commandments, expecially his observation on the tenth commandement was great and tied in closely with his hero Orwell and the totalitarian thought police in 1984.

[@venenareligioest410]

As an dyslexic, atheist, insomniac I often lie awake at night wondering there is a dog!

[@homesweethomeexchange616]

Dan and Annie Laurie what a lovely sweet couple you are we love watching your clips so inspiring.

[@jarodcarnarvon5198]

What they say makes sense I must admit..... Never thought I would say this..... I was raised Christian, have always believed the 10 Commandments were the right thing, the only other time in my life that I doubted it was back in high school in the early 1990s when I rebelled.... At this point in my life as I have given the whole concept of God/religion more deeper thought, I must say I really have my doubts about it again. It just seems with religion as a whole and Christianity in particular, one is controlled and limited to that particular group/sect 's opinion that is presented as fact without sincere convincing evidence to back it up. Religion is generally hinged on f e a r and threats to keep one in it with no true freedom for one to really think for him/herself. I guess I am straddling the fence right. Still reluctant to walk away from my Christian beliefs entirely for fear of the myriads of consequences that would follow especially if I went public with it. The Pascal's Wager/ "Better Safe Than Sorry" cliche sort of keeps me in it at this point. If I were to walk away, I would have to keep it secret. I sort of feel like it's a big Catch-22 either way...... They seem like a very nice couple who really do care about the betterment of humanity as a whole. I somehow find it very difficult to believe that they are a "tool of Satan" being used to subtle y steer people from the straight and narrow, as many Christians would presume, LOL. Enjoyed the show, it was informative, loved the little 70s jazzy tune at the end, LOL

[@ericmoore6769]

You are a free thinker. Welcome to the family.

[@ChillAssTurtle]

God of the bible acts in ways that seem like.. thats what youd expect satan to do

[@chrisbrooks4032]

You needn’t be concerned with any invisible entities. They’re not real.

[@michaelnewell6385]

I have heard Christians say well the Bible must be true because it describes areas that are around today. They never say they believe in Zeus because the acropolis, the Parthenon and Mount Olympus are around today.

[@chrispbacon3042]

Adultery is the stage of life between puberty and marriage.

[@ericmoore6769]

Adultery leads to women thinking for themselves. Must be stopped !

[@richardkranium2944]

Did the people that killed that guy for picking up sticks wait until the next day? They probably had it out for him and that was the excuse they used.

[@FakingANerve]

And didn't killing him violate "thou shalt not kill?" The story is pure lunacy through and through.

[@vincentkalafate43]

Breaking any Of The Commandments, was Punishable by Death ! Such A Loving God to Dream Up ?

[@missinterpretation4984]

It just hit me that all the hoopla about Moses going up to the mountain and the tablets and they broke and were rewritten and all that and THIS is what they say??? This was the message? 🤦‍♀️

[@luizr.5599]

Morality is only possible without religion

[@julianwaugh8221]

I keep the nine commandments I get to choose which one I will or will not follow at my convienence.

[@user-cj5rz9ct4g]

Like it or not, understand it or not, but that God is God...And the earth is filled with the consequences of violating these principles.

[@bonhambros4066]

The sabath was meant to be on saturday too lmao

[@OCDTraci]

Pardon this interruption, but can we just take a minute to acknowledge how pretty Annie is? You may now return to your regularly scheduled program.

[@ericmoore6769]

Ok. Ya gotta watch the day they met in 1984, on Oprah. It's on KZbin.

[@venusboys3]

I can't stand the content/message of those old bible movies but the special effects are pretty great and that fire effect is good animation.

[@jeanettecook1088]

"The Ten..."??? There are hundreds in any version of the bible. Who picked just ten? Great video. Keep up the good work.

[@hen9trout]

The command that thou shalt have no other gods before me clearly implies that there are other gods - or none at all.

[@termikesmike]

He's referring to the 'belief in other gods' - obviously other peoples had numerous gods they 'believed in '...iow, don't fall for the other 'beliefs/gods'. There's a 'context' that's lost in 'our' world view ....

[@Sage5000]

Why are people in denial that there is no god?

[@doomer604]

First, they haven't educated themselves on their religion (investigate validity, origin, or study the actual texts themselves, etc.). Second, they are brainwashed to believe their dogma is the truth which consequently discourages them from questioning it. And third, they are afraid of finding out everything they based their life on was a lie not to mention dealing with the aftermath. I was a Catholic my whole life until a couple months ago. It took 3 years for me wake up. It was devastating at first and although it still hurts, I've never felt so free in my entire life. I understand why it's hard for people to break out. Ignorance as they say, is bliss. And the fear tactics religion employs keeps people in line.

[@joshthomas7999]

Dan, you should have done this whole video in the female God voice. Hilarity would have ensued.

[@ericmoore6769]

You can remake the video, replacing Gilbert Godfrey's voice as God.

[@storminmormn6283]

EVEN IF God of the Bible is real, why would I worship a benevolent God who lets innocent die and only “support” a select group of people on faith based evidence? Blasphemy lmao

[@aswinvijjiayyagari5763]

Who will covet his neighbors’ ass? Funny!

[@ericmoore6769]

If you've seen my neighbor's ass, you'd know that it's no real temptation at all.

[@ericjohnson6665]

Having felt our Divine Father-friend's love big time, when I hear the words "god might zap you or your children" I find it to be somewhat both comical and disgusting. Of course some of these notions are holdovers from when people thought a volcano was a god (which is how Yahweh started out). And the description of Moses on the mountain, with it shaking and all, sounds a bit like a volcano. So this verbiage is heavily influenced by those olden concepts of God. Compared to the other notions of gods at the time, this was an improvement. And, let's face it, the idea of more than one god creating everything, does seem a bit much, one should certainly suffice. But the evolution of religion is way too big a topic to review in detail here, a Melchizedek in The Urantia Book does a much better job of it than I would. I'll grant that the first four commandments are a bit arcane at this point. It now could read: One God - got it? Get it! As for the 1st Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting the establishment of a national religion was Jefferson's way of allowing each state to have their own preferred version of Christianity. They all basically worshiped the same deity. So there really wasn't a conflict there, then. Now is a different story. And I'm glad it's there. But it does not guarantee anyone freedom *from* religion, just freedom *of* religion.

[@freedapeeple4049]

I vaguely recollect a tv show where god presented as Tootie from "The Facts Of Life" but I can't remember which show it was.

[@ericmoore6769]

I remember. It was on an episode of Good Times.

[@diosdadoapias]

It was God who gave the 10 Commandments according to the Bible.

[@biggregg5]

Annie Laurie is such a beautiful woman.

[@stevey822]

I'm betting she was a stunner back in her day!

[@ericmoore6769]

@@stevey822 watch the moment these 2 met, in 1984, on the Oprah Winfrey show. If ya wanna see how cute she was back then, it's on KZbin.

[@palebluedot285]

Moses must be high on dmt

[@allstarwatt7246]

I don't think that Moses ever even existed.

[@JH-no8sy]

Are you going to sue Texas??

[@chuckhines459]

If God wrote on stone why couldn't he write on paper? And needed mans help to write 66 books?🤔

[@Charon58]

George Carlen does the best job with the Ten Commandment

[@termikesmike]

Dan and Annie are married !!! 15:03

[@Etothe2iPi]

Today, the 1st commandment says: I am the Lord thy Trump, thou shalt have no other Republicans before me.

[@PRHILL9696]

Love it!

[@tacos394]

:)

[@SeekerGoOn2013]

The first commandment doesn’t make sense.

[@roybaines3181]

Ffrf, proof you can debunk religious assertions without dropping F bombs.

[@Bryan198026]

I don’t know, I think Annie Laurie dropped one earlier in the video, LOL.