How can you follow the Ten Commandments?

Answer 1

The first four* of the Ten Commandments are religious instructions. The fifth commandment is a useful social rule, but arguably not a moral guide. the last five commandments are moral guides.

1. The first says to have "no other gods but me", which should be a straight forward commandment for Christians to keep.
2. The second commandment, not to make carved images or any likeness of anything and not to worship that image if you do make it, was originally interpreted so narrowly by the Jews that they would not allow faces on their coins, would never decorate their homes with the pictures of animals or humans, and even threatened rebellion if the Roman army marched into Jerusalem with its standard, an eagle, uncovered. This interpretation would rule out even photographs or drawings, but biblical interpretations do change and the commandment is no longer seen as prohibiting statues, dolls or pictures. You can now follow the second commandment as long as you do not worship statues or pictures.
3. The third commandment, not to take the name of the Lord in vain, should also be a straight forward commandment for Christians to keep.
4. The next commandment says to do no work on the Sabbath, nor to require or request others to do so or even allow an animal to do so, and is almost never honoured.
5. The fifth commandment is to honour your father and your mother, although the meaning of this may be unclear. The early Jews imposed the death penalty on a son who even struck his father or mother.
6. "Thou shalt not kill" is a commandment you should have no trouble keeping.
7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery" is not as obvious as it seems. It does not prohibit conduct such as polygamy, premarital sex or mistresses. Fortunately there are laws against polygamy and the other sexual issues can be resolved by your own sense of right and wrong.
8. "Thou shalt not steal" should be interpreted as including equivalent behaviour, such as tax evasion, fraud, petty theft, fare evasion or any unfair financial advantage.
9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour" is a very narrow definition of lying, protecting only the reputation of others. I prefer to see this as an admonition against all forms of lying, as do many others. All falsifications with intention to deceive qualify as lies, including even the intentional withholding of information that another person expects you to provide. The problem, with which Christian theologians have wrestled for almost the entire history of Christianity is whether it is permissible to lie in order to prevent a greater wrong - for example to save a life. You will have to make your own decision on what is 'acceptable' lying.
10. The tenth commandment requires us not to even covet, or secretly wish for, what belongs to another man - his goods, his wife or his female slave. Hopefully no one we know keeps slaves any more, so this becomes an easier commandment to keep.

Bear in mind that there are many useful moral guidelines that are not covered by the Ten Commandments, and that a moral person would expect to live up to much more than the last five of the Ten Commandments.

* There are slight differences in the ordering of the Catholic and Protestant Ten commandments, but the wording is unchanged.

AnswerSimply follow the Ten Commandments. Your realization that God is always watching you will hopefully make you stop before breaking one of them.

Answer 2

To follow the Ten Commandments, it is important to understand the principles behind each commandment and strive to live by them. This includes concepts such as honoring parents, practicing honesty, respecting others, and refraining from harmful actions like stealing and killing. Regular self-reflection and seeking forgiveness can also help in maintaining a virtuous and righteous life.