British broadcast journalist Jon Snow of TV4 has run a poll to have Britons vote on a modern restatement of the 10 commandments. The new list seems to run to 20 and includes try your best, be honest, be true to yourself, enjoy life, nothing in excess, live within your means, appreciate what you have, never be violent, never kill, be true to your god, enjoy life (sex, drugs, chocolate??) and protect the environment (put the toilet seat down, flush/don't flush???). Although they sound bland, it isn't a bad set of moral principles, if we knew what they all really meant. There is a marked underemphasis on worship and fidelity to belief, and some emphasis on being nice. Sweet waffles for principles.
There is a Jesus story found in all three synoptics (Matthew 22.34-40, Mark 12.28-34, Luke 10.25-28) which has Jesus, responding to another test of his faithfulness to the Torah by the Pharisees, saying the greatest commandment is love God, and the second is love your neighbour as yourself. In 21st Century Britain I suppose that would get restated as listen to your inner voice and be nice to people.
Stories about the upcoming (February 26) broadcast from the Telegraph (for a different site with the same story see here) and the Guardian.
The survey finds that "Fifty per cent of women consider themselves more saintly than men" which is probably a restatement of the feminist cant that men are to blame for everything bad and women can take credit for everything nice.
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