For most religious traditions, even indigenous, divine law consists of mandates believed to be given to human beings by a deity or deities. These mandates pertain to communal regulations, civil laws, liturgical practices, morality, ethical behavior, dietary practices, and personal hygiene habits. The mandates can be passed down through poetry, sacred stories, songs, place names, and sacred writings. Divine law is arguably the most important law of any society. It is central to most, if not all, religious traditions. Since it is derived from the divine, it is considered sacred. To break, ignore, distort, or reject the law is to reject the creator of the law, and it is believed that the divine will exact punishment for any such actions. Even more, every society and ...