Show Would Mould Revise Ten Commandments Command BISHOP PAUL JONES GIVES APPROVAL t ir i j- j TO PLAN PLANt i. i Head of Episcopal Church r 1 I I t lr i in In Utah Would Simplify r Service I 4 s t Revise the ten commandments commandments commandments command command- ments to make them shorter and easier to remember Most certainly yes These are the words of the Right Reverend Paul Jones bishop of the he Episcopal diocese in Utah Bishop Bishop Bishop Bish Bish- op Jones' Jones statement was in reply to the storm of ot protest that has been raised following the announcement of the Episcopal churchs church's plan to revise the theten ten commandments changing the wording to convey practically the same meaning in shorter language Clergymen of other creeds and some Episcopal pastors oppose the change I argument has been raised that to shorten the commandments would be beto beto beto to hold out a sort of bait to churchgoers churchgoers churchgoers church church- goers would boil down the decalogue decalogue decalogue deca deca- logue as given by God to Moses thousands thousands thou thou- sands Bands of years ago and hence would be Would Help Church Bishop Jones holds to the opinion that the proposed revision would prove a boon to the church that the commandments commandments commandments com com- in their simplified form would be easier to remember and that brevity would give emphasis to them We Ve are not endeavoring to tamper with s ith the Bible as some people believe explained Bishop Jones but only are e attempting to simplify the service The rhe words as written In the Bible will remain the same tame We merely plan to eliminate the reasons for the laws The commandments state definitely what hat we should and should not do and in most cases give the reasons for these laws As revised they would state tate only what we WI should and should not do leaving the reasons to be I taught in the usual study of the Bible I Why should anyone have the idea that the decalogue if abbreviated would still not be the decalogue Even now now in Deuteronomy and in Exodus there is a difference in the wording wording of the commandments the version g given given v ven en in Exodus being the shorter That I version is regarded as correct yet it itis itis is th the short form If it would be I wrong to abbreviate the decalogue now why should it not be wrong to use the form as given In Exodus Argument Is Foolish The whole argument Is a very foolish foolish foolish fool fool- ish one We Ve who advocate the change in the commandments believe that they will gain in emphasis if shortened Brevity constitutes the chief strength of most precepts and Gods God's ten commandments commandments commandments com com- would be more potent if shortened as suggested thus eliminating ing the reasons for the laws but leaving leaving leav leav- ing the laws intact Aside from the fact that the decalogue decalogue decalogue deca deca- I logue would be easier to remember if shortened the church service would be simplified Gods God's law would be un un- un- un changed We get the comman command in the first phrase of every commandment excepting the tenth so why repeat the entire commandments In Deuteronomy the fourth commandment commandment commandment com com- is given in much the same form as in Exodus with the addition that thy man servant senant md id d thy maid maidservant maidservant maidservant servant may rest as v well ell ell as thou That phrase is eliminated as the commandments commandments commandments com com- now appe appear r in the service I Then why not eliminate the other un unnecessary unnecessary un- un necessary phrases un-I un Testament Unchanged The Hebrew word decalogue I means ten words word This would lead DIFFERENT WORDING WOULD NOT OT ALTER METING MEANING Would Prove Boon to the Church by Giving Greater Great Great- er Emphasis us s to believe that originally the commandments commandments commandments' commandments commandments' com com- were ere ten words not ten tell sentences es or groups of sentences If such is the case we can hardly be blamed for for cutting g them down to shorter form than the existing one Remember that the words as written written written writ writ- ten in the old testament will remain unchanged The proposal to change the ten commandments comman commandments com- com man will come up for tor recommendation recommendation at the national convention I of Should 1 the church in m st St. stLouis Louis next month th convention vote to recommend recommend mend it it will be three years before It Is adopted There will be plenty plent of time to consider the tho Question before that Urn time I I believe that the objections to the change are caused by a misconception of ot what it is our ur to tn 1 d. i IM Pcr- IMy I y I am most heartily in favor j of the proposal |