Assurance for the modern age
Part 9: A new “Ten Commandments” for the secular atheist?
So, we are trying to envisage a secular inner life that is truly healthy – in every possible way. We could begin by accepting the reality of our human experience. We are so made by evolution that we have the capacity to do both good and evil. We have to choose. And sometimes we get it wrong. We can be truly kind to ourselves and understand our weakness – without using that as an excuse to condone our failures, or trying to do anything to reduce them. If we understand both our powerlessness and our power, we can acquire wisdom to work for good, acknowledging what we have the power to achieve and what we don’t. This is all sounding good – and my only concern is that for this to work as a secular ideology it must be embraced with the same level of commitment and devotion that a religious believer brings to their faith. What else could we say?
We can adopt principles and values that strike us as utterly commendable:-
- The oneness of humanity. Our interconnectedness, Respect and care for all.
- The mutual dependence of humanity and all life on the well-being of the earth.
- A commitment to core principles of justice and compassion.
- Our personal commitment to play our part through adopting our personal mission as our contribution to the common good.
- Offering of forgiveness and second chances to those who have failed in some way.
- Acting with deep wisdom, using reason to weigh up all factors, rather than emotional, shallow, selfish or tribal impulses.
- Restraining self-interest under principles of valuing the common good and altruism.
- Striving for peace, to make friends and win people over, rather than striving for victory by destroying our opponents.
- Rejoicing in the wonder of life and making creative use of our abilities to express who we are and help others
- Use wise self-awareness and compassion to restrain our selfishness so that my life is about more than my personal enjoyment
Spiritual Devotion 