((Originally written by alexreynard, revised and edited for clarity by me))
1. Thou shalt have good faith.
There are two different kinds of faith. Good faith is when you have good reasons to be faithful. Like faith in yourself, or a trusted friend. Bad faith requires you to ignore reality. When someone tells you to believe something, and forbids you to question it, test it or doubt it, you are being scammed. Bad faith is the foundation upon which all extremism is built. If we don't erode this foundation, the suffering it leads to will always exist.
2. Thou shalt not claim omniscience.
No one knows for sure what God truly believes. No one. When you say you know what God believes, you are really only saying what you believe. This can be extremely dangerous. Doubly so for anyone who tries to convince you that they're the only one who knows what God really thinks.
3. Thou shalt not taketh away that which offends only you.
Your personal disgust towards something does not give you the right to take it away from someone who enjoys it. No human being should ever be jailed, executed or ostracized based purely on religious morals. If a crime causes no harm, it cannot be a crime.
4. Thou shalt realize the limits of thy thoughts.
Praying is the exact same thing as wishing. Wishing is okay, as long as you understand that the only way to get what you want is to actually go out and get it.
5. Thou shalt respect others' rights as well as thine own.
Your right to practice religion is never more important than other people's liberty, or other people's lives.
6. Thou shalt appreciate the written word.
It is possible to read religious texts and appreciate them without considering them sacred or infallible. No man, or book, is ever 100% right about everything. Disagreement is natural, and can be constructive.
7. Thou shalt learn from thy flaws and mistakes.
No one has a right to immunity from being insulted, criticized or offended. This includes you. And me too. Getting mad at criticism is not helpful. Trying to learn from it is.
8. Thou shalt not use force with thy beliefs.
No one should ever be forced to belong to a religion, or be indoctrinated into it before they are mentally ready to understand it.
9. Thou shalt not mix religion and politics.
Separation between church and state exists on paper, but unfortunately, not in reality. If churches want to politicize religion, they should have to pay their taxes like every other political organization.
10. Thou shalt accept and then improve existence.
You must learn to accept reality as it is, rather than what you wish it were or what you think it should be. We cannot become better than what we are unless we are completely honest with ourselves first, and then with others. And if reality hurts, ignoring it will make it worse. Work instead to make it better.
