| Now, I don't mean to pick on Harris — my annoyance with her candidacy is quickly turning to pity — but this argument comes up from time to time. Usually it's phrased a little more articulately, but particularly among far-right conservatives, the notion that our laws "originated" from the Ten Commandments is very popular. And very wrong.

You don't need to be a constitutional scholar or have a doctorate in history to debunk the claim — you just need to look at the Commandments themselves. If the "basis" of our laws "originated" from the Decalogue, it'd be pretty obvious — we could look at the Ten Commandments and see how similar they are to our legal traditions.

The reality, of course, is that the opposite happens.

* The Commandments say people shall not worship false gods. Any laws against this? Strike one.
* The Commandments say people shall not make graven images. Any laws against this? Strike two.
* The Commandments say people shall not take the name of the Lord in vain. Any laws against this? Strike three.
* The Commandments say people must honor a Sabbath day. Any laws mandating this? Strike four.
* The Commandments say people must honor their parents. Any laws mandating this? Strike five.