( CNN ) -- What if , instead of climbing Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God , Moses had turned to the Israelites and asked : Hey , what do you guys think we should do ? Considering the Hebrews ' bad behavior in the Bible , what with the coveting of neighbors ' wives and murdering their own brothers , that might have been a disastrous idea . But in our own more enlightened age , we 're perfectly capable of crowdsourcing our own commandments -- or , at least , that 's what a new project would have us believe . Lex Bayer , an executive at AirBnB , and John Figdor , a humanist chaplain at Stanford University , delivered their own 10 `` non-commandments '' in a book they co-wrote : `` Atheist Heart , Humanist Mind . '' Bayer said the book forced him to clarify and articulate his own beliefs , and he thought others could benefit from doing the same . `` A lot of atheists ' books are about whether to believe in God or not , '' he said . `` We wanted to consider : OK , so you do n't believe in God , what 's next ? And that 's actually a much harder question . '' Enter the `` 10 'Non-Commandments ' Contest , '' in which atheists were asked to offer modern alternatives to the famous Decalogue . And , to sweeten the pot , the contest offered $ 10,000 in moolah to the winning would-be Moses . ( If it helped boost atheists ' public image and drum up publicity for his book , all the better , Bayer said . ) The contest drew more than 2,800 submissions from 18 countries and 27 U.S. states , according to Bayer and Figdor . The proposed `` non-commandments '' ranged from the quizzical ( `` Do n't follow your nature '' ) to the quixotic ( `` Thriving in space is the ultimate goal '' ) . A team of 13 judges selected 10 of the more sober and serious submissions , and announced the winners Friday . There 's nary a `` thou shalt '' among them -- nothing specifically about murder , stealing or adultery , although there is a version of the Golden Rule , which presumably would cover those crimes . If they lack faith in the divine , the atheist `` non-commandments '' display a robust faith in humankind , as if Silicon Valley had replaced Sinai . Bayer said humans are hardwired for compassion , and the scientific method and wisdom of crowds -- or the tribes that gather online each day -- will weed out bad ideas . In other words , this is an open-ended , and hopefully progressive , process , he said . So , will the 10 ideas form a new moral foundation for atheists or build a Tower of Babel ? Take a look and see what you think . Here are the `` Ten Non-Commandments '' chosen as the winners : . 1 . Be open-minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence . 2 . Strive to understand what is most likely to be true , not to believe what you wish to be true . 3 . The scientific method is the most reliable way of understanding the natural world . 4 . Every person has the right to control of their body . 5 . God is not necessary to be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life . 6 . Be mindful of the consequences of all your actions and recognize that you must take responsibility for them . 7 . Treat others as you would want them to treat you , and can reasonably expect them to want to be treated . Think about their perspective . 8 . We have the responsibility to consider others , including future generations . 9 . There is no one right way to live . 10 . Leave the world a better place than you found it .
A website crowdsources ' ` ` non - commandments '' for atheists . $ 100 is awarded for the 10 questions . ` ` Commandments '' show abundant faith in God , if not faith .