Write your own commandments

[Oxygen]

From www.ffrf.org:

“When you consider that God could have commanded anything he wanted--anything!--the Ten [Commandments] have got to rank as one of the great missed moral opportunities of all time. How different history would have been had he clearly and unmistakably forbidden war, tyranny, taking over other people's countries, slavery, exploitation of workers, cruelty to children, wife-beating, stoning, treating women--or anyone--as chattel or inferior beings.”
-- Katha Pollitt (1949-), "Stacked Decalogue," The Nation, September 22, 2003


Good point, I think. What would you put into it if you wrote the ten commandments?

[Sarkus]

* Thou shalt shut thy gob when politely asked, and not drone on endlessly.
* Thou shalt not use circular arguments, such as "God exists, because the Bible sayeth so, and the Bible is True because it is God's Word."
* Thou shalt notice when thy audience is bored rigid. See Commandment 1.
* Thou shalt not use a cop-out such as "God worketh in mysterious ways" when backed into a corner by thine own convoluted logic.
* Thou shalt use thine own imagination, and not just quote from the Bible all the time.
* Thou shalt not tell atheists what they believe, nor that thy God loveth them.
* Thou shalt not get upset by jokes about thy God. He is big enough and old enough to looketh after himself.
* Thou shalt not define how thy God worketh. Thou canst not know.
* Thou shalt not state that the Bible is consistent and hath no contradictions. Thou wouldst be a fool to doeth so.
* Thou shalt not say Grace without also thanking the farmers, truck-drivers and shopkeepers that actually did the work required to get your food to the table.

(taken from http://www.abarnett.demon.co.uk/atheism/alt_commandments.html

[phlogistician]

"If it harm no-one, do what thou wilt."

[Starthane Xyzth]

*Thou shalt not take pleasure in the anguish or distress of others - unless they have wronged you first.
*Thou shalt not provoke without confronting.
*Thou shalt disregard peer pressure.

[I'm sure I'll think of some more, but I have to log off now.]

[Nikelodeon]

*Thou shall not waste time on God

[Oli]

For crying out loud, think for yourselves!

[IceAgeCivilizations]

Thou shalt not be swayed by the foolish imaginations of men, such as of Darwin.

[SnakeLord]

"If it harm no-one, do what thou wilt."

Damn it, that rules out sado masochism :\

Thou shalt not be swayed by the foolish imaginations of men

Religion never gets created. The end.

[one_raven]

“When you consider that God could have commanded anything he wanted--anything!--the Ten [Commandments] have got to rank as one of the great missed moral opportunities of all time. How different history would have been had he clearly and unmistakably forbidden war, tyranny, taking over other people's countries, slavery, exploitation of workers, cruelty to children, wife-beating, stoning, treating women--or anyone--as chattel or inferior beings.”
-- Katha Pollitt (1949-), "Stacked Decalogue," The Nation, September 22, 2003

It would not have made a difference at all.
People read the bible as lawayers searching for loopholes in the letter of the law, not as honest, earnest seekers looking for the meaning of the law.
They decide what they want to believe, then search the bible for verses to justify that to others and themselves.

You did notice that one of them is "Don't kill", right?
Another is "you shall have no other gods before me." yet there is an entire religion called "Christianity" that reveres this man as God (oh yeah, they found loopholes for that, didn't they - they called it Trinity).
What the Bible says is of little consequence to those who claim to follow it.

[IceAgeCivilizations]

The translation is you shall not murder.

[one_raven]

The translation is you shall not murder.

Actually, it is "slaughter wantonly".

Jesus, however, tightened up those restriction in Matthew 5:21, didn't he?


NIV Matthew 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

[Starthane Xyzth]

It would not have made a difference at all.
People read the bible as lawayers searching for loopholes in the letter of the law, not as honest, earnest seekers looking for the meaning of the law...
What the Bible says is of little consequence to those who claim to follow it.

Wow, isn't someone a consumate cynic?!

Not everyone who reads the Old Testament is dripping with hypocrisy. How many monks, nuns, rabbis, imams & other clergy have devoted their lives to pacifism and serving humanity - many of them never owning property or having an Earthly lover?

And be realistic: if every Jew, Christian & Muslim from Moses onward had taken the 6th Commandment literally, they would never have survived as a people. The non-believers would have wiped them out if they refused to defend themselves in wartime.

[orcot]

life... for a while

[EmptyForceOfChi]

thou shalt not listen to goerge bush because he is a dick,


peace.

[PsychoticEpisode]

Thou shalt use common sense.

That's all we need to know. That would get rid of God even if someone claims God originally said it..... Goodbye God, hello world, let's get it done.

[Starthane Xyzth]

*Though shalt tolerate the religions of others...

Would God ever say that?

[EmptyForceOfChi]

Thou shalt use common sense.

That's all we need to know. That would get rid of God even if someone claims God originally said it..... Goodbye God, hello world, let's get it done.

are you mad at religion or god?

peace.

[EmptyForceOfChi]

*Though shalt tolerate the religions of others...

Would God ever say that?


god might but most sciforums members wouldent.

peace.

[orcot]

Thou shalt use common sense.

Commen sence you say... What's the sence in art or pro sports or celibreties... no offence but aren't those the 3 things people are most intrested in, no if there is something like commen sense that it's to denounce it.

Take responsibility would be a good one though

[IceAgeCivilizations]

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me," so maybe some god other than the God of the Bible.

[SnakeLord]

Commen sence you say... What's the sence in art or pro sports or celibreties...

Art comes in several forms: writing/photography etc and all have valid purpose. Without them there's very little of the world you'd actually get to see or know about.

Sports: Any doctor will tell you the benefits of excercise.

Celebs: Earning vast sums of money = a more comfortable existence. This is important for many reasons, (ask the tramp on the street corner).

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me," so maybe some god other than the God of the Bible

Bugs Bunny said "Uhh what's up doc?"

What was your point?

[PsychoticEpisode]

Commen sence you say... What's the sence in art or pro sports or celibreties... no offence but aren't those the 3 things people are most intrested in, no if there is something like commen sense that it's to denounce it.

I didn't say we are using common sense today. Something called religion is the Typhoid Mary of nonsense and unfortunately it has infected most of the world. I feel fortunate to have the proper immunities.

[orcot]

Art comes in several forms: writing/photography etc and all have valid purpose.
That's true I never denied that infact I insuid that it's important however you have to admit that the Mona Lisa makes verry little sence, yet it's most definitly worth a lot.

Sports: Any doctor will tell you the benefits of excercise.
Is that the sports you watch :bugeye: the ones that are actualy good for you. No offence but any sports that people bother to air are totally destructive to the body (Yes there are stuff like marathons but who bothers filming the people who do it right).

Celebs: Earning vast sums of money = a more comfortable existence. This is important for many reasons,

... that explains the handwritings and stuff

Something called religion is the Typhoid Mary of nonsense and unfortunately it
Yes offcourse it is... and your immune... okay you might be right everybody has it's explenation blaming everybody it would seem the less people they blame it on the more extreme they are and everybody blames everyone excluding themselfs offcourse... There is some humanity in it's most literally sence in that I believe

[ashpwner]

thout hot women shall sleep with thy.

[SnakeLord]

That's true I never denied that infact I insuid that it's important however you have to admit that the Mona Lisa makes verry little sence, yet it's most definitly worth a lot.

I will certainly be the first to admit that (to my eyes) so much "art" is utter crap. Picasso can suck my butt for all I think of his work, and short of Da Vinci, I can't actually think of too many worthwhile artists, (Kandinski, Gogh - they're all crap), but my opinion is a personal one. From an objective perspective it has to be said that all of these artists have given a great deal to humanity in one way or another. Mona Lisa.. sure, it's crap - but that's a personal opinion that clearly does not mean much in the grand scheme of things.

Is that the sports you watch the ones that are actualy good for you. No offence but any sports that people bother to air are totally destructive to the body

I'm a (genetically) lazy person who likes to drink and is probably the only guy you'll find in England that hates all sport so I can't give you much of an argument. Cricket is some real shit and no excuse. However, I'm sure any of those sports, even darts, beats me when it comes to excercise. :)

[Starthane Xyzth]

How about:
*Though shalt value all life, and destroy it only for the needs of survival...?

This doesn't prohibit killing as such, just indiscriminate and unecessary killing.

[one_raven]

How about:
*Though shalt value all life, and destroy it only for the needs of survival...?

This doesn't prohibit killing as such, just indiscriminate and unecessary killing.

And people would justify murder as a menas of survival (Capital Punishment, War, Invasion etc) as they have always done.

[VitalOne]

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father but by Me," so maybe some god other than the God of the Bible.

Jesus also encouraged tolerance of others...that passage you pointed out is often misinterpreted IMO....

And John answered and said, "Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us".

And Jesus said unto him, "Forbid him not: for he who is not against us is for us". (Luke 9:49-50)

[darksidZz]

1. The female is for mating purposes, let no man turn asunder this presumption

2. Let all beings exist equally and those of lesser nature be more important

3. Money is forbidden

4. Flying is evil and accursed

5. Let all men loose virginity by age 14

6. Let those who seeketh harm to others be killed with no mercy

7. There is no jail, only mass murder

8. Let woman be covered in so much as men are comfortable with

9. Let pediphiles be put unto a new island all their own

10. Work shall be given freely with no requests but the betterment of mankind

[VitalOne]

*Never lash out in anger against others
*Never blame others for any problem
*Realize that all problems exist only within you
*Seek only within yourself for pleasure, happiness, etc...
*Seek the destruction of the defiling impulses...

[Dark520]

Commen sence you say... What's the sence in art or pro sports or celibreties... no offence but aren't those the 3 things people are most intrested in, no if there is something like commen sense that it's to denounce it.

Take responsibility would be a good one though

We need common sense in the world so that people can actually spell 'sense' right...

[Starthane Xyzth]

We need common sense in the world so that people can actually spell 'sense' right...

Spelling is surely a matter of knowledge and practice, not common sense.

[Oxygen]

"It's a small mind that can only think of one way to spell a word." - Andrew Jackson

[IceAgeCivilizations]

Great quote, thanks, he was a great president too.

[Nikelodeon]

And Jesus said unto him, "Forbid him not: for he who is not against us is for us". (Luke 9:49-50)

Is that true? A bit different from Bush's "your with us or against us".

[Medicine*Woman]

Great quote, thanks, he was a great president too.

*************
M*W: Yeah, he was great, alright. He commanded the Trail of Tears.

[Starthane Xyzth]

1. The female is for mating purposes, let no man turn asunder this presumption

Definitely :D

2. Let all beings exist equally and those of lesser nature be more important

What do you mean by "lesser nature?" Less intelligent? Less strong?

3. Money is forbidden

4. Flying is evil and accursed

No no NOOO!!! Human flight is a dream older than history, and we are fortunate to live in an age when it has, at last, become a reality - but it wouldn't be possible without money!

5. Let all men loose virginity by age 14

Assuming they all want to...

6. Let those who seeketh harm to others be killed with no mercy

7. There is no jail, only mass murder

Several steps backward there. No thanks.

8. Let woman be covered in so much as men are comfortable with

Maybe the other way around as well? :p

9. Let pediphiles be put unto a new island all their own
A kind of paradise for the perverted? What would happen to any children born on that island..?

10. Work shall be given freely with no requests but the betterment of mankind

(Or the betterment of the environment). Gene Roddenberry would agree with you there. Long live the voluntary sector! :bravo:

[nietzschefan]

George Carlin knocked this one out a looong time ago...

Here is my problem with the ten commandments- why exactly are there 10?

You simply do not need ten. The list of ten commandments was artificially and deliberately inflated to get it up to ten. Here's what happened:

About 5,000 years ago a bunch of religious and political hustlers got together to try to figure out how to control people and keep them in line. They knew people were basically stupid and would believe anything they were told, so they announced that God had given them some commandments, up on a mountain, when no one was around.

Well let me ask you this- when they were making this shit up, why did they pick 10? Why not 9 or 11? I'll tell you why- because 10 sound official. Ten sounds important! Ten is the basis for the decimal system, it's a decade, it's a psychologically satisfying number (the top ten, the ten most wanted, the ten best dressed). So having ten commandments was really a marketing decision! It is clearly a bullshit list. It's a political document artificially inflated to sell better. I will now show you how you can reduce the number of commandments and come up with a list that's a little more workable and logical. I am going to use the Roman Catholic version because those were the ones I was taught as a little boy.

Let's start with the first three:

I AM THE LORD THY GOD THOU SHALT NOT HAVE STRANGE GODS BEFORE ME

THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN

THOU SHALT KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH

Right off the bat the first three are pure bullshit. Sabbath day? Lord's name? strange gods? Spooky language! Designed to scare and control primitive people. In no way does superstitious nonsense like this apply to the lives of intelligent civilized humans in the 21st century. So now we're down to 7. Next:

HONOR THY FATHER AND MOTHER

Obedience, respect for authority. Just another name for controlling people. The truth is that obedience and respect shouldn't be automatic. They should be earned and based on the parent's performance. Some parents deserve respect, but most of them don't, period. You're down to six.

Now in the interest of logic, something religion is very uncomfortable with, we're going to jump around the list a little bit.

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL

THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS

Stealing and lying. Well actually, these two both prohibit the same kind of behavior- dishonesty. So you don't really need two you combine them and call the commandment "thou shalt not be dishonest". And suddenly you're down to 5.

And as long as we're combining I have two others that belong together:

THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTRY

THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR'S WIFE

Once again, these two prohibit the same type of behavior. In this case it is marital infidelity. The difference is- coveting takes place in the mind. But I don't think you should outlaw fantasizing about someone else's wife because what is a guy gonna think about when he's waxing his carrot? But, marital infidelity is a good idea so we're gonna keep this one and call it "thou shalt not be unfaithful". And suddenly we're down to four.

But when you think about it, honesty and infidelity are really part of the same overall value so, in truth, you could combine the two honesty commandments with the two fidelity commandments and give them simpler language, positive language instead of negative language and call the whole thing "thou shalt always be honest and faithful" and we're down to 3.

THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR"S GOODS

This one is just plain fuckin' stupid. Coveting your neighbor's goods is what keeps the economy going! Your neighbor gets a vibrator that plays "o come o ye faithful", and you want one too! Coveting creates jobs, so leave it alone. You throw out coveting and you're down to 2 now- the big honesty and fidelity commandment and the one we haven't talked about yet:

THOU SHALT NOT KILL

Murder. But when you think about it, religion has never really had a big problem with murder. More people have been killed in the name of god than for any other reason. All you have to do is look at Northern Ireland, Cashmire, the Inquisition, the Crusades, and the World Trade Center to see how seriously the religious folks take thou shalt not kill. The more devout they are, the more they see murder as being negotiable. It depends on who's doin the killin' and who's gettin' killed. So, with all of this in mind, I give you my revised list of the two commandments:

Thou shalt always be honest and faithful to the provider of thy nookie.

&

Thou shalt try real hard not to kill anyone, unless of course they pray to a different invisible man than you.

Two is all you need; Moses could have carried them down the hill in his fuckin' pocket. I wouldn't mind those folks in Alabama posting them on the courthouse wall, as long as they provided one additional commandment:

Thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself.

[Starthane Xyzth]

Nietzschefan,

I forwarded that Commandment-deconstruction essay to 12 people by email, yesterday. No feedback yet.