When a U.S. District Judge suggested that reducing the Ten Commandments to six would help solve a dispute between the ACLU and The Giles County, Virginia School District, he was wading into deep theological territory…perhaps unknowingly.

To reduce the Decalogue to the last six is ignoring its comprehensive structure. In research for the book I’m working on, “The Lighthouse: God as a Living Reality,” I look at the world through the prism of the First Commandment. It’s a pretty easy claim to make that all the law, in fact the world, basically hinges on the first edict.

Once the first commandment goes, the rest are nothing more than suggestions.
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You see the Ten Commandments, the laws that the Bible says Moses brought down from Mount Sinai, are broken up into two categories, the first four commandments are about mankind’s relationship to God.

They are:

1. I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

The next six are about mankind’s relationship to creation, other people, things, etc.

They are:

5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet

In the New Testament, Jesus summed up the commandments with just two. First was to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul and mind,… and the second was what we now refer to as the Golden Rule, to love others as yourself. That Golden rule would be the last six commandments.

To his credit U.S. District Court Judge Michael F. Urbanski thought keeping the last six commandments would work, after all stealing and murder are already punishable crimes.

The problem is, once the first commandment goes, the whole ten are nothing more than suggestions. The reason those six come second is because the Bible is saying that only when God is revered can mankind avoid the pitfalls of committing adultery, murder, stealing, etc.

It’s by putting God first that we can put all other loves in perspective.

The First Commandment: I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before me,” is not only a commandment but a statement of fact. There are no other gods, but God.

But we human beings are prone to make idols out of anything: romance, money, sex, beauty– not all bad things. Some of them can be quite good, like family. But when good things are turned into ultimate things, they become idols, small ‘g’ gods.

Theologians like Dr. Tim Keller, author of “The Reason For God” and “Counterfeit Gods” makes the point that we cannot violate commandments two through ten without first violating number one. For if we murder, steal, covet or any of the other deadly sins, we are in fact putting a need for something above our need for God. That is why the first four, and particularly the first one, are there in the order that they are.

Joy Davidman, a Jewish convert to Christianity and wife of author C.S. Lewis, wrote in her book “Smoke on the Mountain,” that “In the last analysis, there are only two things to worship — the true power and the false power; God or the devil; God or self.”

Separating the Ten Commandments as if they were mere suggestions negates the whole of the law. As Dostoyevsky said in “The Brothers Karamazov,” “If there is no God, then everything is permissible.”
If we could really live out those six commandments on our own, as the judge suggests, then it would seem likely that we wouldn’t have need for the judicial system in the first place. But the very fact that the court systems are clogged with murderers, thieves and con artists, is a testament to another reality.

By Lauren Green
Published May 11, 2012
FoxNews.com
Click here to read the original article!

First of all, what is a patch? Simply put, a patch is a bit of software that is designed to fix problems in a program or to update a program. Patches can repair security vulnerabilities, fix bugs or just plain improve performance. They are not an intrusion on your time – they are there to help you. And patches are not something new; they have been around since the beginning of the computer age.

Back in the day, software makers distributed their patches using various methods (paper tape, punch cards, floppy disks and bulletin board systems come to mind!) Things have changed today. Now patches place themselves into programs, replacing code to make fixes or updates. This is usually done via an internet connection.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (C.E.R.T.) has a neat description of patches: “Similar to the way fabric patches are used to repair holes in clothing, software patches repair holes in software programs. Patches are updates that fix a particular problem or vulnerability within a program. Sometimes, instead of just releasing a patch, vendors will release an upgraded version of their software, although they may refer to the upgrade as a patch.”

It is imperative to regularly update your operating system, security software and many other programs on your computer. Patching your system and programs keeps malware from infecting your computer. The majority of infected machines lack updates or patches. Older versions of programs like Adobe Reader or Flash are most vulnerable and often exploited. Keeping all your software up-to-date is an important line of defense for your computer or network.

Bottom line – when vendors become aware of vulnerabilities in their products, they will most often issue patches to fix them. You should apply relevant patches to your computer as soon as possible so that your system is not compromised. Patch fast my friends, patch fast!

Here’s something I think you will find interesting. It’s a plug-ins blog posting by Mozilla Engineer Jared Wein. It is a pretty simple read so don’t feel daunted. In the blog, Jared contends, “Whether you hate them or love them, content accessed through plugins is still a sizable chunk of the web. So much so, that over 99% of internet users have Flash installed on their browser. However, plugins can also carry with them extra vulnerabilities and system slowdowns.” He goes on to explain that plug-ins often cause security problems and system slowdowns. (Slowdowns are another topic I’ll cover in a later post!)

Microsoft release patches every second Tuesday of the month. Adobe will patch their software on a more regular basis. If I have worked on your computer, I setup the computer so that it receives patches automatically from Microsoft. You are usually informed of Adobe patches when you login so when you see this notice, login using your local administrator account and apply the patches as soon as possible. Adobe renectly started allowing you to choose to automatically apply their patches. I would encourage you to select this option!

Now … go forth and patch your systems!

Put on your tie!

Slip on your dress!

Its Vernee’s Birthday so let’s dress to impress!

Please join us for a classy night of Music, Food, Snacks and Murder Mystery; “Murder High Reunion Class of 1975” “Panic at the Disco” Saturday January 14th 6:00 pm until 9:30 pm Annistown Road Baptist Church Youth Building 4554 Annistown Road Snellville, GA 30039

No gifts please! The only present that Vernee wants is your attendance and for you to have a great time! Once you RSVP you will receive another email with more information about the party and possibly an outline of the Character you will be during the party. We will also send you additional information about the 70’s era to help you prepare for your part. Please make sure to dress according to the era and your character! RSVP using the form below by Monday January 9, 2012 Child care will be provided! Be sure to let me know you need child care (and how many children) in your RSVP!

When – Saturday January 14, 2012 6pm – 9pm

Where – Annistown Road Baptist Church Youth Building