Atheists release their ‘Ten Commandments’ which include God

An inclusion of the Being that they don’t believe exists is just one of the oddities in the secular Ten Commandments constructed by Rethink in association with the Richard Dawkins foundation.

From the press release: The winners of a competition to crowdsource an alternative secular version to the Ten Commandments for the modern age were announced today at www.atheistmindhumanistheart.com/winners. Running throughout the month of November, the Prize sought to open up for discussion what gives life meaning when secular culture is on the rise.

Famous atheist Richard Dawkins led the movement to create the “Atheist Ten Commandments”
March 2005 photo Christopher G. Street, Bransgore, Dorset, England, UK.

“There is often a misconception that nonbelievers don’t share strong ethical values. In reading through the thousands of submissions in the contest it’s very clear that is not the case,” said John Figdor, Humanist Chaplain at Stanford University. “The overwhelming positivity and overlap with traditional moral values shows that no matter where you are from, or what your faith tradition has been—or hasn’t been—there are some things we can all agree on as being important and vital to a rich and fulfilling life.”

Problems with the Atheist Ten Commandments by Brandon Jones

The final ten winning beliefs of the Rethink Prize, a crowdsourced rethinking of the Ten Commandments, are as follows:

1. Be open-minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence.
2. Strive to understand what is most likely to be true, not to believe what you wish to be true.
3. The scientific method is the most reliable way of understanding the natural world.
4. Every person has the right to control over their body.
5. God is not necessary to be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life.
6. Be mindful of the consequences of all your actions and recognize that you must take responsibility for them.
7. Treat others as you would want them to treat you, and can reasonably expect them to want to be treated. Think about their perspective.
8. We have the responsibility to consider others, including future generations.
9. There is no one right way to live.
10. Leave the world a better place than you found it.

Each of the above beliefs was accompanied by an explanatory reason provided by the person submitting the belief. These reasons can be found on the website.