Tuesday, January 12, 2010

9. To Protect Man’s Rights, God has Revealed Certain Principles of Divine Law.

This principle draws on the Christian faith for background. The idea is that certain laws are divine by nature, and arrive in the form of something like “The Ten Commandments.” Here are the examples listed by Skousen of the public and private duties required by Divine Law:
The duty to honor the supremacy of the Creator and his laws.
The duty to not take the life of another except in self-defense.
The duty not to steal or destroy the property of another.
The duty to be honest in all transactions with others.
The duty of children to honor and obey their parents and elders.
The duty of parents and elders to protect, teach, feed, clothe, and provide shelter for children.
The duty to support law and order and keep the peace.
The duty not to contrive through a covetous heart to despoil another.
The duty to provide insofar as possible for the needs of the helpless – the sick, the crippled, the injured, the poverty-stricken.
The duty to honorably perform contracts and covenants both with God and man.
The duty to be temperate.
The duty to become economically self-sufficient.
The duty not to trespass on the property or privacy of another.
The duty to maintain the integrity of the family structure.
The duty to perpetuate the race.
The duty not to promote or participate in the vices which destroy personal and community life.
The duty to perform civic responsibilities – vote, assist public officials, serve in official capacities when called upon, stay informed on public issues, volunteer where needed.
The duty NOT to aid or abet those involved in criminal or anti-social activities.
The duty to support personal and public standards of common decency.
The duty to follow rules of moral rectitude.

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