If you place a Douay Bible alongside and KJV Bible, the passages for the 10 Commandments is practically identical. So, when we memorize the 10 Commandments as children, why do Catholic children learn a different set of 10 than Protestant children?
First and foremost: Neither Catholics nor Protestants actually recite the actual full Commandments. Both utilize a tradition of summarization or outline rather than quoting either Exodus 10 or Deuteronomy 5. So, to accuse one of "taking away from" the 10 Commandments, but not the other is hypocritical.
Secondly, this isn't exactly a Catholic vs Protestant split. According to Encyclopedia Britannica and Bethany Lutheran College, Catholics and Lutherans share the same numbering and wording of the 10 Commandments. The Orthodox and many other Protestant denominations have their wording and numbering.
The most common accusation towards the Catholic 10 Commandments is that they deliberately take out the "graven images" portion to allow for all the statues and iconography. This doesn't make much sense for two reasons:
1. Lutherans also don't include the "graven images" text.
2. The Orthodox Church includes the "graven images" text, yet often have just as much, if not more iconography in their churches.
The explanation of the "missing text" in Catholic 10 Commandments, as given by former Southern Baptist turned Catholic Apologist, Tim Staples, is that the First Commandment extends to include all of the command against idolatry. As such, the Catholic Church condenses it to cover the basics of establishing God as our #1 and not having other gods before Him (which includes idols of graven images). If a Catholic were to read the entirety of the Commandment, it would include the graven images text, as this is indeed Biblical.
The other difference is shifting the numbering around to accommodate where a point is expanded, and where a point is condensed. This brings us to coveting.
The Catholics separate Coveting thy neighbor's wife and coveting thy neighbor's property. They do this because:
1. Two different Hebrew words are used for coveting (apparently, not in Exodus, but does differ in Deuteronomy).
2. Women are not property. Even in the sense of any historical idea that "women are property," they are not "goods," and they do not "belong to the husband" in the same way an ox does. Women "belong" to husbands in a different, deeper, and more profound way. You'd be mad if you oxen were stolen, but you'd be more than mad if you wife was kidnapped and raped.
Further study has revealed that it seems the Catholic Church's 10 Commandments follows more the Jewish Talmud through Augustine, same as Lutherans. Reformed Christians, of which many evangelical branches can trace back to, follow, like the Orthodox, the Septuagint. (Wikipedia)
I do not see how these differences prove or disprove the validity of any Christian denomination who utilizes one or the other. Again, neither version is actually the FULL version. They are both condensed for ease of memorization. Ultimately, the Scriptures match, which is the most important.
My inner debate about modern Christianity and seeking the truth of our church origins.
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Sola Scriptura, Literal Translationalist, KJV Only oopsie
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