New Commandments

New Commandments is a working draft of a modern moral code: shorter, clearer, and more relevant to life now. What appears below is not a final text, but a first attempt to state what such a set ought to include.

A Starter Set

These 9 themes offer a working statement of what New Commandments might emphasise today: fairness, honesty, courage, restraint, care, and responsibility.

1

Follow the golden rule: treat all people with fairness, dignity, and respect.

Reject prejudice or exclusion based on race, sex, class, nationality, or any other difference.

2

Act with honesty, integrity, and accountability.

Tell the truth, do what is right even when no one is watching, and take responsibility for your actions, recognising that all people are capable of error.

3

Have the courage to resist injustice.

Speak out or act when cruelty, abuse, corruption, or oppression are allowed to stand unchallenged.

4

Do not be ruled by envy, greed, or coveting.

Do not measure your life by what others possess, and do not enrich yourself through exploitation or corruption.

5

Protect others from exploitation and abuse.

Do not treat people as property, exploit vulnerability, or tolerate coercion, abuse, or the mistreatment of children.

6

Use strength with restraint and avoid unnecessary harm.

Use it to defend the vulnerable—not to intimidate, punish, or dominate.

7

Care for and protect the living world.

Treat nature, animals, and the environment as essential to our survival and worthy of protection.

8

Think honestly and question your beliefs.

Be willing to change your mind, and do not let any belief or ideology override basic human decency.

9

Behave digitally as you would in life.

Respect the privacy of others, do not use technology to dehumanise, and treat the digital world with the same decency as the physical world.

If You Remember Nothing Else

Treat others as you would wish to be treated, be honest and fair, do no unnecessary harm, stand against injustice, and think for yourself.

Other Versions

The site also keeps separate reference pages for the King James Version and Christopher Hitchens Version.