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If we talk about an implicit moral code that is generic to all societies including elves, men, dwarves, and by implication hobbits, and label all ten commandments as such a generic moral guideline, then that gives us the basic "I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me" as a GENERIC MORAL GUIDELINE, applicable to every society ... I think the statement should be carefully examined by those who make it to be sure that that is what you mean.
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You are absolutely right, mark 12_30. I originally said:
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The 10 Commandments really just tell us how to live together best in a society.
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That statement was not entirely accurate, because I had in mind those of the 10 Commandments that might be said to represent a moral code on a more general, rather than specifically Biblical, level, such as "Thou shalt not kill", "Thou shalt not steal" etc. It is those particular restrictions on personal freedom, imposed by a society on itself for its own good, that I had in mind. It seems to me that any society wishing to thrive will inevitably impose upon itself such a moral code. I therefore speculated that Elves, Dwarves, Men and Hobbits, in organising themselves into societies, would inevitably adopt such moral imperatives.
I did not have in mind those of the Commandments which are more specifically related to God, such as "Thou shalt put no other gods before me" and "Thou shalt not take thy Lord's name in vain". While they may represent a moral code of sorts, they are not necessary for the survival of a society, as witnessed by the many societies that have thrived perfectly well without them.
These Commandments deal with obedience to a Supreme Being. In the context of ME, there was, again, no need for any specific pronouncement of them by Eru or His representatives. This is because, rather than being a matter of faith, Eru's existence in ME was a matter of fact. His representatives on ME, the Valar, who had personal experience of Him, passed on their (fact-based) knowledge of His existence to the Elves, who, in turn, passed on that knowledge to those with whom they came into contact. Unlike our world, there were inhabitants of ME, even at the time of the War of the Ring, who had first hand experience of the Valar who, themselves, had first hand experience of Eru. So, obedience to Eru followed implicitly from knowledge of His existence and from interaction with those who passed on that knowledge. Those who disobeyed this imperative, such as the latter day Numenoreans and the Easterlings who allied themselves with Melkor and Sauron, were not denying Eru's existence by their disobedience, but following the lead of those who rebelled against Him (ie Melkor and Sauron). They disobeyed the code because they chose to follow (or were seduced into following) those who opposed Eru. For those who chose not to follow Eru's opponents, obedience to a Supreme Being whose existence was not in doubt followed as a mtter of course.