My personal 10 commandments

One.  The truth is whatever it is.  Do not prefer lies or illusions to fact.

Two.  Do not devote your life to the pursuit of money, popularity or social status.

Three.  Do not use the language of religion, patriotism or idealism to justify superstition, intolerance or cruelty.

Four.  Take time to rededicate yourself to your best aspirations.

Five.  Honor those who nurtured and taught you.

Six.  Do not treat the lives of other people as less valuable than your own.

Seven.  Do not break promises or betray trusts.

Eight.  Do not cheat or exploit people, nor deny them what is due to them.

Nine.  Do not speak of other people falsely or maliciously.

Ten.  Do not envy someone else’s possessions, reputation, achievements or happiness, nor make yourself unhappy by comparing yourself to others.

My personal 10 commandments are both a broadening and a narrowing of the original Ten Commandments in Exodus 20: 2-17 and Deuteronomy 5: 6-21.  I generalized the commandments on Sabbath-keeping, adultery, etc. so as to include the broad principles on which I thought they were based.  I narrowed down the commandments on murder, larceny, etc. so as to focus on things I personally am tempted to do.

I drafted my version more than 10 years ago as part of a Unitarian Universalist adult religious education course using the Rev. Richard Gilbert’s “Building Your Own Theology” curriculum.

Tags: Building Your Own Theology, Ethics, Personal credo, Ten Commandments, Unitarian Universalism