Rewrite the 10 Commandments

[LadyLuna]

The 10 Commandments were written to apply to a specific culture. Therefore, a rewrite might just be in order.

How would you rewrite the 10 Commandments to make them a little more universal?

Here's the original:

1. You shall have no other God before (the one who led your people out of slavery)

2. Do not worship graven images

3. Do not make a false oath in (God's) name.

4. Keep holy the Sabbath

5. Honor your father and mother.

6. Do not murder.

7. Do not commit adultery (which is defined as sex with someone you are not married to)

8. Do not steal

9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. Do not covet your neighbor's wife.

And mine:

1. Treat people with respect.

2. Use your mind to find out the truth, instead of believing the first thing you see/hear.

3. Never give your word unless you intend to keep it.

4. Give yourself 1 day off a week, and meditate at least an hour.

5. Respect those who raised you.

6. Do not murder.

7. Do not cheat on your partner. What cheating is depends on your relationship. It is suggested you define it, and revisit the definition every year to make any necessary changes.

8. Do not steal, unless it is needful.

9. Do not bear false witness.

10. Do not harm another on purpose.

 

[Shaun__]

Even with the updated list I am still a sinner.

 

[Jessi]

Penn Jillette's 10 Suggestions:
1. The highest ideals are human intelligence, creativity and love. Respect these above all.
2. Do not put things or even ideas above other human beings. (Let's scream at each other about Kindle versus iPad, solar versus nuclear, Republican versus Libertarian, Garth Brooks versus Sun Ra— but when your house is on fire, I'll be there to help.)
3. Say what you mean, even when talking to yourself. (What used to be an oath to (G)od is now quite simply respecting yourself.)
4. Put aside some time to rest and think. (If you're religious, that might be the Sabbath; if you're a Vegas magician, that'll be the day with the lowest grosses.)
5. Be there for your family. Love your parents, your partner, and your children. (Love is deeper than honor, and parents matter, but so do spouse and children.)
6. Respect and protect all human life. (Many believe that "Thou shalt not kill" only refers to people in the same tribe. I say it's all human life.)
7. Keep your promises. (If you can't be sexually exclusive to your spouse, don't make that deal.)
8. Don't steal. (This includes magic tricks and jokes — you know who you are!)
9. Don't lie. (You know, unless you're doing magic tricks and it's part of your job. Does that make it OK for politicians, too?)
10. Don't waste too much time wishing, hoping, and being envious; it'll make you bugnutty.

 

[Shaun__]

I got bit by number 4 again. Why is hard work a sin anyway?

 

[Nordling]

I got bit by number 4 again. Why is hard work a sin anyway?

It's not a "sin" whatever that even means, but #4 is good advice. To be so buried in work that you have no time to recover can lead to isolation.

 

[LadyLuna]

Not just the isolation.

Overwork leads to a physical breakdown, which leads to disease, which leads to not being able to work in the future.

Also, if you don't take some time each week to meditate, your mind gets way too busy with other things, and it becomes hard to think straight.

 

[Nordling]

I agree. Although when I said "isolation" I meant it in a very broad sense. When one becomes sick or depressed, isolation ensues.

I've always wondered if daydreaming counts as meditation.

 

[SpongeWorthy]

I'm with Carlin. Two is all we need.

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.


http://philosopherpoet.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/george-carlin-and-the-10-commandments/

 

[hornygods]

The ten commandments, revised:

Don't be a dick
Have some integrity, adhering to fundamental principles and values - this includes murder/unnecessary harm
Be respectful and caring of others
Keep oneself adequately dressed/cleaned/educated
Stop believing in things that cannot be proven

 

[schlmoe]

I don't want to sound sanctimonious, but I try to follow the "Golden Rule" : One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself .

Not that I go out of my way to break any of the commandments, but I also like to follow the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid, and the Golden Rule covers a lot, IMO...

 

[hornygods]

Oh, and that. It's the source of subjective morality. I wish I hadn't written that post so hastily.

 

[SatanJonez]

1. Treat people how they treat you (if people are nice to you be nice back, if they are not so nice be the same back)

2. Don't harm animals or children

3. Respect the people in your life who deserve respect - if someone shows you respect, show it back.

4. Question everything through out life.

5. Don't kill unless your life or the life of someone you love is being threatened & the only way to stop this threat is through killing.

6. If there is something you want to do and doing it won't hurt yourself or anyone else: do it.

 

[Teagan]

For me i follow one simple rule....

Dont do anything to anyone or anything you wouldnt want done to you.

I think it pretty much covers everything for me

 

[inkydoo]

Apropos of the golden rule, I recently got a fortune cookie that read: "Do onto others as you wish others do onto you." I didn't even notice the typo until my dining companion looked at it and told me to read it a second time.

On a more serious note, while the golden rule is good for generic situations, there's actually what's often referred to as the platinum rule, which states that you should treat others as they wish to be treated. This takes into account the fact that different people have different preferences. Of course, it's often tough to know how others wish to be treated (in no small part because they may not know themselves how they wish to be treated), which is when it makes sense to follow the golden rule.

After all, you wouldn't respect the desires of an exhibitionist by exposing yourself to them, but by partaking of their exposure (unless they're also voyeurs, but you get the point).

 

[Jupiter551]

Thou shalt not put the milk back in the fridge when the bottle is empty or has only a teaspoon of milk left in it.

BTW you guys are totally confused about what the golden rule is

 

[Parsnippy]

http://thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html