But neither Jews nor Christians, if they’re being honest with themselves, or even know the history of their own religious traditions, would be able to argue that the 10 commandments – or really anything in the Bible – is wholly original. Hardly any religion, or any lasting philosophy of any kind, didn’t borrow from the culture and philosophy of their time.

All of these tenets, doctrines, stories, whatever are pieced together from pre-existent concepts, going as far back, probably, as the advent of human consciousness. Just like how they say there are “no original stories” anymore.

The claim any religion has to originality is its particular configuration of the various memes (individual concepts) contained within it.

I mean, this is hardly the only thing, either. The virgin birth, resurrection after 3 days (Horus), walking on water, the flood (Utnapishtim/Gilgamesh), the “son” (or sun) of God (pagan Godman in many systems), defying a mandate not to touch/eat/access something forbidden (Pandora), the crucifixion (Odin), December 25th birth (Mithras), and the list goes on…

But this isn’t so much a strike against Judaism or Christianity in themselves, but more a strike against the idea that these religions hold any proprietary claim to an absolute “truth”. That’s where many religious people make their mistake, trying to push their beliefs as objective, when religion should only ever be subjective to the individual.