Okay, ladies and gentlemen, I keep seeing all the different posts of atheists being accused of having no moral standards. I believe it is a shame that is such a common belief among non-atheists. Perhaps it is about time we atheists pool our collective knowledge and lay down a set of guidelines we can turn to during times of debate to demonstrate we DO have a written code of clear and practical ethics by which we live our lives. We can call them Atheist Commandments, although that title is open for suggestion. I will list a few here just to get things started, but I encourage everybody to contribute any wisdom they may have toward helping us all live better and more productive lives.
* Thou shalt not consume beer before liquor, lest ye willeth be sicker.
* Thou shalt not combine those liquors of clarity with those of darkness, as that shall be an abomination to thy own body.
* If a man doth layeth with a woman, or a woman doth layeth with another woman, or a man doth layeth with another man, each in turn shall backeth up thine ass to thus have it justly smacked.
* Thou shalt not take the name of thy Carl Sagan in vain.
I do hope these are helpful. And do not worry about any type of particular order for the commandments, as each one should be considered as equally important as the other.
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Thou shalt not commit theft of any kind, be it of property, privacy, or life.
Thou shalt mind thy own bloody business.
Thou shalt keep thy nose and mind out of other people's bedrooms.
Thou shalt treat other people as you want them to treat thee (an oldie but goodie)
Thou shalt wholeheartedly covet the good things that other people have achieved and seek through thine own efforts to achieve them yourself.
Thou shalt never pray for guidance (figure it out for thyself or ask another human being for help)
Thou shalt take responsibility for thine own actions because there is no such thing as supernatural forgiveness.
Thou shalt live life to the full every day until you die with no expectation of another life in which to make up for your failures in this one.
Thou shalt never fornicate with unicorns.
Thou shalt insult the many names of god with maximum obscenity for all the evil and pain these imaginary spooks have brought into the world
That's only 9. I missed out the most important one.
THOU SHALT THINK.
That is a damn good start, folks! Keep 'em coming! (A little bummed about the whole unicorn rule, though. *grumble*)
Sorry about the unicorns, Tin-man. I put that in as an easy commandment for those who have trouble with the others. Most people manage to go through their entire lives without being exposed to that particular temptation.
Obviously, Algebe, you have never lived over a rainbow.
Thou shalt forsake all gods
Thou shalt laugh and mock all those who claim to speak for god, the god, gods, supernatural beings , the universe, crystals, etc until absolutely proven to exist
These are the alternative to the Ten Commandments, cited by Dawkins in his book The God Delusion:
1)Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you.
2)In all things, strive to cause no harm.
3)Treat your fellow human beings, your fellow living things, and the world in general with love, honesty, faithfulness and respect.
4)Do not overlook evil or shrink from administering justice, but always be ready to forgive wrongdoing freely admitted and honestly regretted.
5)Live life with a sense of joy and wonder.
6)Always seek to be learning something new.
7)Test all things; always check your ideas against the facts, and be ready to discard even a cherished belief if it does not conform to them.
8)Never seek to censor or cut yourself off from dissent; always respect the right of others to disagree with you.
9)Form independent opinions on the basis of your own reason and experience; do not allow yourself to be led blindly by others.
10)Question everything.
Dawkins uses these proposed commandments to make a larger point that "it is the sort of list that any ordinary, decent person today would come up with". He then adds four more of his own devising:
11)Enjoy your own sex life (so long as it damages nobody else) and leave others to enjoy theirs in private whatever their inclinations, which are none of your business.
12)Do not discriminate or oppress on the basis of sex, race or (as far as possible) species.
13)Do not indoctrinate your children. Teach them how to think for themselves, how to evaluate evidence, and how to disagree with you.
14)Value the future on a timescale longer than your own.
You should refrain from writing (or saying) "Thou shalt"
@Big George Re: Thou shalt
Is that a commandment or a suggestion? lol
By the way, welcome to the site. Always good to see new faces.
@Tin Man: It's just a suggestion.
I try and avoid anything that references religion in day to day conversation. It might encourage those of a religious bent to think their nonsense has value ....
Thanks for the welcome. It's good to be here !
@Big George Re: "It's just a suggestion"
Yeah, I gotchya on that note, but - as you may have noticed by now - many of us here are a bunch of wise-cracking, sarcastic, smart-asses and simply can't help ourselves sometimes. lol That being said, I do agree there are times to be serious and sincere during various discussions. However, as my profile states, I enjoy a good laugh as much as possible. And my humor knows few boundaries. *chuckle* Looking forward to seeing you in other discussions. Catch ya later.
Although I know this is in jest, I just can't bring myself to do it. You see, I respect the idea that atheists are not followers, that atheists seek knowledge on a very personal level. Ethics and morals are subjective. The only thing that atheists have in common is that they don't believe in a god myth. Beyond that atheist are as different as they can be.
I for one am a rather different individual to be sure. I am commonly regarded as an enigma. I hate the word "enigmer" and won't allow it to be said in my presence. Haha!
All that being said, I have a code of ethics that is as dynamic as anything that exists. My moral code is fluid changing with the times and as needed.
@Myk
Well, Myk, like it or not, your post just now is a pretty damn good "commandment" in and of itself. *chuckle* Definitely one I would be happy to "follow", at least.
I absolutely enjoy your penchant for humor Tin-man, but I am convicted to not be part of an organized anything atheist. I am an atheist. I am an atheist because religious nuts made up that label when they made up their god. I simply just don't believe in a god. I don't need any guidelines to be an atheist or to remain one or to be a "good" one. I am quite simply an atheist. It isn't a responsibility, a calling, a service, and it shouldn't be an organization of any ilk. So even though I like humor, I just can't abide by this, sorry.
@Myk Re: "atheist guidelines"
No problemo, my friend. Totally understand. I just hope you know I was not intending the whole "guideline" thing to be taken seriously in any way. I agree it would totally defeat the purpose of who we are as free-thinking individuals. It was just something my wife and I were joking about one morning, and I decided to share on here. As I have said many times, my humor can be severely warped sometimes. lol
I like your sense of humor! Mine is quite twisted.
Gracias, compadre.
@Big George: "You should refrain from writing (or saying) "Thou shalt""
Welcome Big George.
"Thou shalt" is used in parody of those simple-minded people who somehow feel closer to Jesus by using a little early 17th century English. They think Jesus was a blonde, blue-eyed European who spoke the language of James I.
@ Algebe: They think Jesus was a blonde, blue-eyed European who spoke the language of James I.
Well. as the Governor of Texas (apparently) said when asked if the Bible should also be taught in Spanish: "If English was good enough for Jesus, then it's good enough for me'.”
Thou shalt display thy middle finger to all those who say "Thou shalt!"
Think rationally
Act rationally
Question everything
1) Don't accept the first explanation of anything, unless it's your wife explaining it.
2) Understand that behind every conspiracy theory is a conspiracy.
3) The only thing that any god ever controlled was available parking.
4) Accept that squirrels are smarter than you.
5) Luck is an excuse for not knowing what to say when shit happens...good or bad!
6) You are only as good as your partner pretends you to be.
7) The first thing to go is not your legs. It's the will to move your legs.
8) When debating theists never, and I mean NEVER say that you don't see a god.
9) Understand when you see a middle-aged man sitting outside a store holding a purse, that that man's life is probably happier than yours will ever be.
10) Treating believers with contempt is far better than just slapping the shit out of them.
Re: Myk's advice
FUCK YEAH! Now we're gettin' somewhere! (I especially like #4. Well, actually a toss-up between #4 and #9.)
# 1 has it for me. but I agree #4 has a ring of truth. Hey MK when did you see me outside the store?
I thoroughly enjoyed your list, mykcob4. Number 9 especially. It tugged at the old heartstrings.
#10 is awesome
Was that you Old man?
Not unless you were in Western Australia!
Oops, there's more:
11) If you base your life on an assumption, you have made an ass out of yourself.
12) Confidence should be confidential.
13) The Lottery is a tax on the poor and foolish except sometimes like 1 in 30 million sometimes.
14) You have to be smarter than the job. Think about it.
15) Taking care of yourself first is vitally important to the people you take care of.
16) Just how interested is the interested party?
17) I think I train my dog but he has me waiting on him hand and foot.
18) Pouting and prayer are the same thing, they are both for show and totally unnecessary.
19) Sometimes it is more important to engage in the job instead of planning it.
20)Love is a many splendid thing so they say, but what they don't tell you is all the hard work that goes with it.
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