Alternative Ten Commandments

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Based on the biblical Ten Commandments , several alternative Ten Commandments were drawn up on which there is no consensus .

Socialist Morals and Ethics

Walter Ulbricht

The Ten Commandments of socialist morality and ethics were proclaimed by Walter Ulbricht , then General Secretary of the SED , at the fifth party congress of the SED (July 10-16, 1958). Formally based on the Biblical Ten Commandments , they summarized the political duties of every GDR citizen, were included in the SED's party program at the sixth SED party congress in 1963 and were there until 1976.

Examples of secular agnostic alternatives

New Ten Commandments

The "New Ten Commandments" by the religious critic Ebon Musings from 2011, which are cited by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his book Der Gotteswahn , which is critical of religion , are:

  1. What you don't want someone to do to you, don't do it to anyone else.
  2. Always strive not to cause harm.
  3. Treat your fellow human beings, other living beings and the world in general with love, honesty, reliability and respect.
  4. Do not overlook evil or be afraid to let justice prevail, and always be ready to forgive bad deeds when they are freely admitted and sincerely repented.
  5. Live your life with a feeling of joy and wonder.
  6. Always strive to learn new things.
  7. Put everything to the test; Always measure your ideas against the facts and be ready to throw overboard beliefs that have become dear to you if they cannot be reconciled with reality.
  8. Never try to censor or isolate yourself from disagreements; always respect the right of others to disagree with you.
  9. Form an independent opinion based on your own reason and experience; don't let others guide you blindly.
  10. Question everything.

Other commandments that Dawkins adds:

  1. Enjoy your own sex life (as long as it doesn't harm anyone else) and let others enjoy theirs too, no matter what inclinations they have - they are none of your business.
  2. Do not discriminate or oppress based on gender, race or (where possible) biological.
  3. Do not indoctrinate your children. Teach them to think for themselves, evaluate evidence, and disagree with you.
  4. Judge the future by a time scale greater than your own.

Christopher Hitchens

The religious critic Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) defines the following ten commandments:

  1. Do not judge people based on their ethnicity or color.
  2. Don't even think about using people like private property.
  3. Despise those who use violence or the threat of violence in sexual relationships.
  4. Cover up your face and cry when you dare to harm a child.
  5. Do not judge people for their innate nature.
    ("Why should God create so many homosexuals just to torture and destroy them?")
  6. Be aware that you are also an animal and therefore dependent on nature's network of relationships. Try to think and act accordingly.
  7. Don't expect to evade judgment if you rob people with just words (by lying to them) instead of with a knife.
  8. Turn off the damn cell phone.
  9. Condemn all jihadists and crusaders for who they are: deranged criminals with ugly delusions and terrible sexual oppression.
  10. Reject all belief if its commandments contradict any of the above.

The ten offers of evolutionary humanism

The ten offers of evolutionary humanism were published in 2005 by Michael Schmidt-Salomon (1967–) in the book Manifesto of evolutionary humanism , and are part of the Giordano Bruno Foundation's guiding principle . In the preliminary remark it says:

“The ten 'offers' were not made by any god, nor were they set in stone. No 'dark cloud' should frighten us in the search for appropriate guidelines for our lives, for fear is seldom a good advisor. It is up to each individual to check these offers rationally and without fear, to accept them, to modify them or to reject them entirely. "

The short version of the offers is:

  1. Serve neither foreign nor domestic "gods", but rather the great ideal of ethics to alleviate suffering in the world!
  2. Behave fairly towards your neighbor and those who are most distant!
  3. Do not be afraid of authorities, but have the courage to use your own reason!
  4. You should not lie, cheat, steal, kill - unless there are no other ways to enforce the ideals of humanity in an emergency!
  5. Get rid of the bad habit of moralizing!
  6. Do not immunize yourself against criticism! Honest criticism is a gift that you shouldn't turn down.
  7. Don't be too sure of your thing! What seems right to us today may be outdated tomorrow! But also doubt the doubt!
  8. Overcome the tendency to traditional blindness by carefully researching all sides before making a decision!
  9. Enjoy your life, because you are most likely only given this one!
  10. Put your life in the service of a "bigger cause", become part of the tradition of those who want to make the world a better, more livable place!

The eight "I would really prefer you not ..."

The religious parody Pastafarianism, which calls for the worship of the flying spaghetti monster and has the American physicist Bobby Henderson as a "prophet", knows the following 8 commandments:

  1. I would really prefer you not to act like a holy hypocrite when you describe my noodle goodness. If some people don't believe in me, that's okay. I am not so vain. Also: It's not about this, so don't deviate from the topic.
  2. I'd really prefer you not to use my existence as a means of suppressing, capping, punishing, finishing off and / or you already know. I don't ask for or need any sacrifices. And purity is for drinking water, not for people.
  3. I'd really prefer you not to judge people for their looks or what clothes they wear or how they talk or whatever - just be nice, okay? Oh, and get that into your thick head: woman = person. Man = person. Clear? Clear. One is no better than the other as long as we don't talk about fashion. I'm sorry, but I left that to the women and some guys who know the difference between dark turquoise and scarlet.
  4. I really would rather you not do anything that should be embarrassing to yourself or your willing, adult, and sane partner. If that doesn't suit you, you can lick me - I think the formulation is: lick the A ****. If that doesn't suit you, the best thing to do is turn off the telly and take a walk for a change.
  5. I would really prefer you not to listen to the uptight, misogynistic ideas of others on an empty stomach. Eat something, then mess with the idiots.
  6. I would really prefer you not to build multimillion dollar churches, mosques, temples, shrines for my noodle goodness. The money can now really be invested more sensibly. Pick something:
    • End poverty
    • To cure diseases.
    • Live in peace, love with passion, and cut the cost of cable television.
    I may be a complex, omniscient, hydrocarbon being, but I like the simple things in life. I need to know, I am the creator.
  7. I would really rather you not go around telling people that I would speak to you. You are not THAT interesting. Take yourself back. And I already told you that you should love your fellow human beings, can't you see any clues?
  8. I'd really prefer you not to treat others the way you wouldn't like to be treated yourself, unless you're into stuff that, um, has a lot of leather, lube, and Las Vegas involved. If the other person also likes it, then do it, see also point 4, take photos and, if you love Mike, use CONDOMS! If I hadn't wanted it to feel good, I would have tinkered with spikes or something.

Bertrand Russell

The philosopher and pacifist Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) formulated the following ten liberal commandments ( in the original: Liberal Decalog ; the English liberal here in the sense of “open-minded”, “tolerant”, “free of prejudice”):

  1. Don't feel completely certain about anything!
    Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.
  2. Do not try to hide facts, because one day the facts are sure to come to light!
    Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
  3. Never try to stop someone from thinking for themselves, because you will.
    Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.
  4. When someone contradicts you, be it your spouse or your child, try to argue with them, not authority, for a victory of authority is unrealistic and illusory.
    When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or your children, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.
  5. Do not have any respect for the authority of others, because in any case there are authorities who take the opposite view!
    Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.
  6. Never use force to suppress beliefs that you think are pernicious, otherwise these beliefs will suppress you!
    Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.
  7. Do not be afraid to hold eccentric opinions; every opinion today was once eccentric.
    Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
  8. Enjoy intelligent disagreement more than passive consent; for if intelligence is worth as much as it should be worth to you, then contradicting a deeper consent.
    Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent that in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.
  9. Stick to the truth even if it doesn't fit into the concept! Because it's even less of a concept if you try to hide it.
    Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.
  10. Do not envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise; because only a fool can think this is lucky!
    Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.

Rodrigue Tremblay

The philosopher and humanist Rodrigue Tremblay (1939–) formulated the following ten humanistic commandments :

  1. Proclaims the natural human dignity and worth of every human being.
  2. Respect the lives and property of others.
  3. Be tolerant and impartial of the freedom of choice and the lifestyles of others.
  4. Share and offer mutual support to those who are less fortunate than you.
  5. Do not rely on lies or spiritual doctrines or worldly power aimed at dominating and exploiting others.
  6. Trust your reason, logic and science to understand the universe and solve life's problems.
  7. Protects and enhances the natural space on earth - land, soil, water, air and space - as the common heritage of humanity.
  8. Overcome your disagreements and conflicts without using violence or waging war.
  9. Regulates public affairs on the basis of individual freedom and responsibility, through political and economic democracy.
  10. Develop your intelligence and your talents through education and diligence.

The Ten Commandments of New Atheism

In 2007 , Der Spiegel summarized the message of the New Atheism in these Ten Commandments .

In short they are:

  1. You shouldn't believe
  2. You shouldn't make a self-portrait and call it God.
  3. You should not tolerate any gods beside you.
  4. You are not supposed to have a creator.
  5. You should honor your children and therefore leave them in peace with God.
  6. Be good even without God.
  7. You shouldn't have any other gods besides science.
  8. Love your neighbor - without a guilty conscience.
  9. You shall not honor the Sabbath.
  10. You should not kneel as a creator.

Religious alternatives

The 10 commandments of serenity

The 10 commandments of serenity are the offer of a simple and uncomplicated philosophy of life. Even if the last maxim of this Decalogue of Serenity refers to God, they are not specifically Christian and are therefore also used outside of it, e.g. B. Alcoholics Anonymous . Pope John XXIII is considered to be the author .

  1. Life: Only for today will I try to simply experience the day - without wanting to solve all the problems in my life at once.
  2. Diligence: Only for today will I attach great importance to my demeanor and be elegant in my behavior: I will not criticize anyone; yes I will not strive to correct or improve the others ... just myself.
  3. Happiness: Only for today will I be happy knowing that I was made for happiness ... not only for the other, but also for this world.
  4. Realism: For today only, I will adjust to circumstances without requiring that circumstances adapt to my desires.
  5. Reading: For today only, I will devote ten minutes of my time to good reading. Just as nourishment is necessary for the life of the body, good reading is necessary for the life of the soul.
  6. Action: Just for today, I'll do a good deed - and I won't tell anyone.
  7. Overcome: Only for today will I do something that I don't feel like doing. If I feel offended in my thoughts, I will make sure that nobody notices.
  8. Planning: I'm going to draw up an exact program for today only. Maybe I'm not sticking to it exactly, but I'll put it on. And I will beware of two evils: rush and indecision.
  9. Courage: Just for today I won't be afraid. In particular, I will not be afraid, and I will enjoy everything that is beautiful. And I'll believe in the goodness
  10. Trust: For today only, will I firmly believe, even if circumstances show otherwise, that God's good providence will take care of me as if there were no one else in the world.

Noachidic commandments

The Noachidic commandments , also Noachite or Noachic commandments, are seven commandments in Judaism which Noah received from God after the flood . Since according to the Bible all people today are descended from Noah, they apply to all people. The rainbow is a visible sign of God's covenant with humanity and the saved animals . Although the Noachidic commandments are already indicated in the Bible ( Gen 9: 1–15  EU ), they are only fully formulated in the Talmud :

Those who keep them are called Ben Noach (son of Noah) in Judaism . B'nei Noach (Children of Noach) is also the name of an organization of people who consciously chose this path. A non-Jewish Ben Noach is considered a tzaddik in Judaism and can receive a share in the world to come ( Olam Haba ). People who do not adhere to it are called Nochri .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Declaration by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation on the entry in the FDGB lexicon
  2. ^ Ebon Musings: The New Ten Commandments. A decalogue for the modern world. In: The Atheism Pages. Retrieved March 16, 2011 .
  3. ↑ a b Richard Dawkins: Der Gotteswahn . Ullstein Taschenbuch, 2008, ISBN 978-3-548-37232-7 , Chapter 10, pp. 592 (English: The God Delusion . Translated by Sebastian Vogel).
  4. ↑ Luke Muehlhauser: Christopher Hitchens on the Ten Commandments. In: Common Sense Atheism. March 8, 2010, accessed March 16, 2011 .
  5. ↑ Michael Schmidt-Salomon: Manifesto of evolutionary humanism . Plea for a contemporary leading culture. 2nd corrected and enlarged edition. Alibri, Aschaffenburg 2006, ISBN 3-86569-011-4 , appendix, p. 154 .
  6. ↑ Michael Schmidt-Salomon: Ten (offers) commands of evolutionary humanism. Giordano Bruno Foundation, 2005, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  7. ^ Bertrand Russell: A Liberal Decalogue . Panarchy - A Gateway to Selected Documents and Web Sites. 1951. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  8. ^ Rodrigue Tremblay: The Code for Global Ethics . Prometheus Books. 2010. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Accessed in 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.thecodeforglobalethics.com
  9. ↑ The Crusade of the Godless, page 7 ff. By Alexander Smoltczyk in Der Spiegel issue 22/2007 "God is to blame for everything" from May 26, 2007
  10. ↑ Aria Folger: Ask the Rabbi: What are Noachids? Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  11. ↑ Uri Cherky: The 7 Noachidian Commandments. Retrieved February 11, 2018.