The Arab frowned suspiciously. "Like what, for instance?"

God said, "One is: thou shalt not kill!"

The Arab said, "You must be mad. Follow that commandment, indeed! My profession consists of lying in wait for camel trains, slaughtering the merchants when they arrive, and confiscating all their goods. A commandment like that would just about ruin the whole system of private enterprise."

God turned away and traveled to Babylonia. There he accosted a merchant and said, "Would you like to follow My commandments?"

The Babylonian said, "For example?"

God said, "Thou shalt not steal!"

Said the Babylonian, "I am sorry. My entire living consists of buying cheap and selling dear, of misrepresentations and dishonesty. If I cannot steal, I cannot live."

Rather discouraged, God turned westward, and in Egypt, He found a bearded old man haranguing the ruler of the land in an attempt to get him to free certain slaves. God called to him. "Moses," he said, "would you like to follow My commandments?"

And Moses said, "How much do they cost?"

"Why, nothing," said God. "I'm giving them away free."

"In that case," said Moses, "I'll take ten."

Three great religions of the world--Judaism, Islam, and Christianity--have at their heart these sacred laws of God which we know as the Ten Commandments. They are not the Ten Suggestions or the Ten Recommendations. They are commandments given to Moses on a mountaintop as the Law of a Holy God.

Ron Newhouse