The Didache Step by Step: Section IV

Section 4

“The second of the Commandments of the Teaching is this:

You shall not commit murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not commit paederasty, you shall not commit fornication, you shall not steal, you shall not practise magic, you shall not practise witchcraft, and you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill a child that has been born. You shall not desire to have the possessions of your neighbour. “
Let’s Itemize this list:

Do not:

*Murder
*Commit Adultery
*Commit Paederasty
*Commit Fornication
*Steal
*Practice Magic
*Practice Witchcraft
*Commit Murder through the Abortion of a Fetus
*Kill a Child that has been born.
*Desire the possessions of your Neighbor.

Where the first command listed “Love God” is all about how you conduct yourself in the Presence of the Creator. The second commandment mentioned is how to treat your fellow human beings.

There are 3 prohibitions in this list that deal with the greatest injustice one human being can commit on another. That is the ending of a human life.
The Didache says:

Don’t murder anyone.
Don’t murder children
Don’t murder a fetus.

It would not matter if every individual or government on earth stood up and said that the taking of human life, whether already born or whether it is in its gestation period in its mother, was acceptable. That in God’s eyes, and this is the only opinion that matters, this is evil and should never be allowed.

Mankind does not make the rules, God does and He has forbidden this conduct. Regardless of what humanity chooses to believe.

This is pretty simple to understand, if we would not want anyone to take away our right to life, then we have no place to take away someone else’s right to life.

Arguments over when life begins are mind games. Life begins at conception. From that moment, that sentient being has free will and a right to life.

3 of these principles are prohibitions against inappropriate physical conduct with another person:

1. Don’t commit Adultery
2. Don’t Commit Pederasty
3. Don’t commit fornication

Adultery is to either have sexual relations with someone who is married or for a married person to have sexual relations with someone other than their spouse.

Fornication is to have casual sex. Meaning, you are not in a committed relationship with someone and you are sexually active.

Pederasty is the act of adults having sexual relations with minors.

If you look at the damage broken marriage has on families, you can see the damage caused by adultery.

If you look at the damage caused by casual or illicit sex,you can see the growing influence of : STDs, unwanted pregnancy, and an overall devaluing of moral and ethical behaviour in society.

If you think about how precious the innocence of a child is, that for anyone to subject children to any conduct that that they are neither old enough for physically, mentally or emotionally, or if anything is perpetrated against their freewill, this causes irreparable harm in their lives.

Two of these instructions are about the property of others:

Do not desire the property of others
Do not steal.

What happens when a person desires the possessions of another intensely? It is not too far a jump into the actual theft of those possessions.

The last 2 points have to do with the Occult,

Do not practice Magic
Do not practice Witchcraft

When we read Magic, they don’t mean the Harry Houdini,David Blaine sleight of hand and illusionist tricks, no, This is talking about Ritual Magic. Magic can be any rites, incantations, spells, charms, omens etc. Witchcraft is all of this and more. Specifically a life devoted to manipulating nature and energies for one’s own ends. This also includes speaking to Shades or dealing with demons.

Opening the door on this behaviour , is an open invitation for Dark Forces in your life.

What to take away from this: I would never want someone to take my life, so I can never condone the *taking of another person’s life. I would never want someone to betray me, or cause long term problems in my life, and as a child, I would never want someone to force their will upon me, so knowone has the right to act in these ways to another human being.
I wouldn’t want anyone to lust after my property and definitely never steal my property, so I must never act is such a way to others.

I want to be in God’s good graces, so I must never court the Evil One by using the Occult in any way.

Practice: When we identify with others, see the world from their point of view, when we walk a few steps in their shoes, we learn empathy. If we can identify with others, we are less likely to objectify them. If you don’t care about others, then you don’t care what happens to them. If on the other hand, you develop compassion for them, you would find it very difficult to cause others harm. Become aware of the types on interests you have: do they trivialize the subject of human life? Do they objectify men and women into objects of lust? Do not read materials or watch programming that seeks to rationalize the killing of unborn children.

Do you sit around absorbing all manner of media telling you to “Buy, Buy, Buy”. And encourages you to acquire everything under the sun. That your life is somehow incomplete with out the latest time saving devices, the lastest advances in technology, the latest fashion and so on. This feeling of lack leads to longing for what others have that you don’t have. It is a small move, from desire what others have to seeking to take what others have…leading to an ever spiraling descent.
Restrict the amount of time you spend watching advertising, reading ads for the latest and greatest of anything. Be content with what you have, as opposed to longing for what you don’t have.

Lastly, avoid any arcane practices: Astrology, Mediums, Good luck charms, Visualizations or affirmations for wealth, or power or love etc. Do not buy or read books or see movies on the **subject, and do not hang around people who are comfortable with those practices.

*(Understand, that society has the right protect the innocent from those who would seek to destroy them. This requires a healthy security for the people through their military or peacekeeping forces and a working judicial system to protect people. While the individual is called to abstain from taking life. A country must preserve its people. This is God’s Will)

**(Watching a movie or reading a book that has wizards and magic is not the same as reading a “How To” manual on magic and witchcraft. Be wise enough to tell the difference).

Rabban Mar Andreos