THE (FORGOT)
TEN COMMANDMENTS
Survey
Indicates British are Forgetting Commandments
By Jeremy Reynalds
LONDON (ANS) -- According
to a new British poll, the country is quickly forgetting the Ten
Commandments.
Only three of the laws - passed to Moses on tablets of
stone in Old Testament times - made any showing in the poll,
commissioned for an event called “Just10 South London.” Less
than half of the population remembered the admonitions not to steal,
murder or commit adultery, but it appears that commandments such as
“don't take the Lord's name in vain” are fast becoming a distant
memory.
Only 9 percent of those polled recalled the commandment not to lie.
Worst remembered of all the commandments was “keep the Sabbath day
holy,” which was correctly identified by only 4 percent of those polled.
There were varying results for age and regional differences. Among
15-24 year-olds, only 11 percent remembered to “honor thy father and
mother,” while in the 65-plus age group, the figure was 20 percent.
One region had 15 percent of respondents remembering the commandment
they shouldn’t lie, while another resulted in 32 percent of those
polled knowing the charge to not “covet.” 20 percent of Londoners
recalled the charge to respect their parents, while 53 percent of those
interviewed in the Britain’s West Country remembered the admonition to
not steal.
According to a press release from Britain’s Premier Christian Radio,
the survey was timed to coincide with speaker J. John's 10-night
retelling of the commandments, an event dubbed “Just10 South
London.” Each evening John reworks a different commandment to give
it a more contemporary feel - so “thou shalt not kill” becomes “how to
tame your temper.”
Ben Paine, project manager of “Just10 South London,” said in the
same release, “The series opens-up the wisdom of these ancient
principles and applies it to the lives we lead today. Finding-out ‘how
to affair-proof your relationships,’ or ‘how to live by priorities,’ is
a real opportunity for people to make positive changes in their lives.”
“Just10 South London” is running Monday through Friday at 7.30
p.m. on Clapham Common until Sept. 25. The festival, held in a 10,000
capacity big-top tent, includes a combination of music and film along
with the presentation. Admission is free.
The festival is working in conjunction with the Christian Radio station
Premier. The station’s managing director, Peter Kerridge, said in a
press release, “Just 10 is a great initiative and we're so pleased to
be a part of it. We hope that through the event, and our extensive
coverage of it, many people will come to realize that the Ten
Commandments do not bring limitation, but liberation.”
The survey was conducted between Aug. 27-29 2004. 1000 people were
interviewed in 10 regions across England, Scotland and Wales.
Britain’s London-based Premier Christian Radio has been broadcasting a
mix of music and speech-based Christian programming for nine years. In
addition to being heard in London, the station is also available
throughout England on Sky digital and NTL, as well as worldwide on its
website www.premier.org.uk.
Additional information may be obtained by e-mailing Premier Radio’s
Martin Saunders at martin.saunders@premier.org.uk
Friday, September 17, 2004
Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer
and the founder and director of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest
emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org
or http://www.christianity.com/joyjunction.
He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New
Mexico and is a candidate for the Ph.D. in intercultural education at
Biola University in Los Angeles. He is married with five children and
lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy
Reynalds at reynalds@joyjunction.org.
Tel: (505) 877-6967 or (505) 400-7145. Note: A black and white JPEG
picture of Jeremy Reynalds is available on request from Dan Wooding at assistcomm@cs.com.
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