wfn.org | German Survey: Few of Ten Commandments Important

["Christian B. Schäffler" <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

February 7, 1999
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

German Survey Shows Few of Ten Commandments Seen as 
Important

Hamburg, Germany. [APD] A survey published 
in the Hamburg-based news magazine "Spiegel spezial" 
reveals that most Germans do not view all Ten 
Commandments as important. Under the headline of "Few 
Want to Honor God and Keep the Sabbath" the magazine 
printed the results of the survey carried out by the 
Emnid-Institute located in Bielefeld.

The least important commandment, according to the 
survey, is the first: "I am the Lord your God, you 
shall have no other gods beside me." Only 33 per cent 
of those surveyed considered it important. "Only four 
of Christianity's Ten Commandments are viewed as 
significant by almost all German men and women," 
commented "Spiegel spezial". "A much higher number of 
Germans find it important to honour their parents than 
to be faithful to their spouse."

The commandment accepted by most Germans (97 per cent) 
is "You shall not Kill." Other largely accepted 
commandments are "You shall honour thy father and 
mother" and "Thou shalt not steal." Germans are less 
strict regarding their sexual morals: 75 per cent 
consider it important to condemn adultery.

The magazine also reported that few accepted the 
commandment: "You shall remember the Sabbath day to 
keep it holy."

"Only 18 per cent of Catholics and 5 per cent of 
Protestants regularly attend worship," according to 
Holger Teubert, spokesman the Seventh-day Adventist 
Church in Germany. "It is therefore not surprising, 
that the observance of the day of rest in this country 
today has only little importance," said Teubert.

"As an Adventist, it is distressing to see the decline 
in moral and ethical values in today's society," said 
Ekkehardt Mueller, associate director of the Adventist 
Church's Biblical Research Institute. "The ten 
commandments are very important to the Christian, not 
as a means of salvation, but as vital indicators for a 
happy life. God gave us the commandments to help guide 
us, and we if we disregard them, it will be our loss."