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Apologetics Resources
The Ten Commandments
Catholics vs. Protestants
Different religions and sects have divided the Commandments in different ways. Protestants usually use the version which appears in the first Exodus version from chapter 20. Scholars have identified both Exodus versions as having probably been written in the tenth century B.C.E. Roman Catholics rely upon the version which appears in Deuteronomy and which was likely written in the seventh century BCE, around 300 years later.
A Comparison of the Exodus version with the Deuteronomy version:
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Exod. 20:1-2
Then God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; |
Deut. 5:6-7 I am
the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. |
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Exod. 20:3 you
shall have no other gods before me. |
Deut. 5:8-10 You
shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that
is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the
water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for
I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity
of parents, to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me, but
showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me
and keep my commandments. |
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Exod. 20:4 You
shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that
is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the
water under the earth. |
Deut. 5:11 You
shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD
will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. |
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Exod. 20:5-6 You
shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a
jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third
and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast
love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my
commandments. |
Deut. 5:12-15
Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded
you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is
a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work –you, or your
son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your
donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so
that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. Remember that you
were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out
from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD
your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day. |
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Exod. 20:7 You
shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD
will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. |
Deut. 5:16 Honor
your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, so that
your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that
the LORD your God is giving you. |
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Exod. 20:8-11
Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and
do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God;
you shall not do any work –you, your son or your daughter, your male or
female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in
six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and
consecrated it. |
Deut. 5:17 You
shall not murder. |
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Exod. 20:12
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the
land that the LORD your God is giving you. |
Deut. 5:18
Neither shall you commit adultery. |
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Exod. 20:13 You
shall not murder. |
Deut. 5:19
Neither shall you steal. |
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Exod. 20:14 You
shall not commit adultery. |
Deut. 5:20
Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor. |
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Exod. 20:15 You
shall not steal. |
Deut. 5:21
Neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife. Neither shall you desire
your neighbor's house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or
donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. |
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Exod. 20:16 You
shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. |
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Exod. 20:17 You
shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's
wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs
to your neighbor. |
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Catholics
translate selected Deuteronomy verses into actual commandments. In the Butler
Catechism, verses eight through ten are simply left out.
A
Comparison of the Catholic "ten commandments" to the Ten Commandments from the
King James Bible:
The Catholic
Version |
The King
James Bible Version |
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First
Commandment
I,
the LORD, am your God...You shall not have other gods besides
me. |
First
Commandment
I
am the LORD thy God...Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
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Second
Commandment
You
shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in
vain. |
Second
Commandment
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve
them. |
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Third
Commandment
Remember
to keep holy the sabbath day. |
Third
Commandment
Thou
shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.
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Fourth
Commandment
Honor
your father and your mother. |
Fourth
Commandment
Remember
the sabbath day, to keep it holy. |
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Fifth
Commandment
You
shall not kill. |
Fifth
Commandment
Honor
thy father and thy mother. |
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Sixth
Commandment
You
shall not commit adultery. |
Sixth
Commandment
Thou
shalt not kill. |
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Seventh
Commandment
You
shall not steal. |
Seventh
Commandment
Thou
shalt not commit adultery. |
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Eighth
Commandment
You
shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
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Eighth
Commandment
Thou
shalt not steal. |
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Ninth
Commandment
You
shall not covet your neighbor's wife. |
Ninth
Commandment
Thou
shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
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Tenth
Commandment
You
shall not covet your neighbor's house. |
Tenth
Commandment
Thou
shalt not covet. |
The
Catholics omit the prohibition against graven images by omission of Deut. 5:
8-10, and are therefore left with only nine. In order to hide this fact,
Catholics then divide the true Tenth Commandment into two commandments, thus
separating the coveting of a wife from the coveting of
property.
Could 850 Million Catholics be Wrong?
The
Catechism pronounces that, as the one true church, those who are baptized into
the Catholic church are assured of heaven:
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"The
Church does not know of any other means other than Baptism that assures
entry into eternal beatitude..."
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In the
United States, that means 25 percent of the population, or over 60 million
people, are headed for heaven and in many
other countries, ninety percent or more of the population is Catholic, meaning
nine out of every ten people will pass through the pearly gates. Worldwide,
Catholicism claims nearly one billion members.
You may
not believe that nearly a billion people could be wrong, but look what Jesus
said:
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"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the
gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and
narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and
few there be that find it." Matthew
7:13-14
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According
to Jesus, the masses willingly accept false religious systems that lead to
destruction, while few find true salvation that leads to heaven. Could 60
million Americans be considered "few?" Would anyone say that one billion people
world-wide is a "few?"
When
Jesus walked the earth, a small minority followed Him. Most rejected his
teachings and remained in the well established, socially accepted religions. In
other words, they rejected the truth so they could keep their religious
traditions. Jesus spoke the following words to those who did this:
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"...Full well ye reject the commandment of God,
that ye may keep your own tradition." Mark 7:9
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While
Jesus was preaching, one listener who began to comprehend this truth asked
Jesus:
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"Lord, are there few that be saved? And he (Jesus)
said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say
unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." Luke
13:23-24
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When
Jesus taught his disciples to go out and preach the gospel, he said:
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"The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers
are few;" Matthew 9:37
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In other
words, most people are lost and need a Savior, but few have the truth to go and
tell them.
Conclusion
Every
Catholic doctrine has violated God's Word. Yet millions of Catholics ignore
God's instructions and continue following the traditions of men, claiming to be
right because they are in a religious majority. Jesus warns:
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"...whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and
doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man... And every one that heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto
a foolish man..." Matthew 7:24, 26
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Does God
consider you a wise or foolish person? If you believe you can ignore God's
commands because you are in a religious majority, you need to read Matthew
7:24-26 again.
Jesus
gives another warning to the majority who have disregarded God's Word and are
counting on earning their salvation through good works:
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"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have
we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and
in thy name done many wonderful works? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:22-23
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How is
it that so many Catholics can call Jesus their Lord, yet totally disregard His
instructions? Jesus asked that very same question in His Word:
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"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the
things which I say?" Luke 6:46
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You
can ignore this question now, but what will you say when Jesus asks you the same
question in person when you die and stand before Him for judgment?
 
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